9p 












■^ ^^''\ ^:'d%'V J'''\ -s^j^,- ^^^\ V 




"^-o* 



.o .» • • ' > 



% 












"'V 












-«■'' 



.\ 






.. •' 



^*. 

v^'^- 









<>. 



v^*^ 



.*^' 



.^^ 



\ 



% 



^ vrf 



v^' 



■ . O > 



% ..^■' .' 



% 



o > 



■^*^«^ 









'^* 












.•^^ 



«^ . . . - ->--^ 






#. 






^oV^^ 



\3 



.. »' 



o > 









% 






..^^ 






■i- •* 



- •V--.V %. *»^ V 






77' A 




'5' -<k 









.** 



.>j"^ ♦W^i 






























.0 -TV 














.0' -^ ».To' .^^ 









"->' 






.-b^^^.. 



^V-*' 

^ -J-^ 















<"> '•".'."* ,0*" '*h *^T77'' A 








• ■ 










,-^*V-'-'- 







.^^"^ 



% 






'/ .^""'^^. '-^a 



4 o 




^bv" 



.f^ 










.^^^^. 



1^ V r'c 






♦ L'^'. V 



<i.^ * • • ° ' ^ 



V.' • • • o. o 



»• ^■«-'^ 









.0^ 



HISTORY 

. -OF- 

NEWPORT COUNTY, 

RHODE ISLAND. 

From the Year 1638 to the year 1887, including the 
Settlement of its Towns, and their 
subsequent Progress. 



ILLUSTRATED. 

0^^^ 

Edited by RICHARD M^ BAYLES. 



" I saw it once, with heat and travel spent, 

And scratched by dwarf -oaks in the hollow way, 
Now dragged through sand, now jolted over slone— 
A rugged road through rugged Tiverton. 

" LiliC a soft mist upon the evening shore, 
At once a lovely isle before me lay. 
Smooth and with tender verdure covered o'er. 
As if just risen from its calm inland bay. 

'■ I saw where fountains freshened the green land. 
And where the pleasant road, from door to door, 
With rows of cherry-trees on either hand. 
Went wandering all that fertile region o'er. 

" Beautiful island ! then it only seemed 

A lovely stranger— it has grown a friend." 

\Villi,\m Cullcn Bryant. 



New York : 
I.. E. PRESTON & CO., 



1888. 



U5-B3 



Press of J. Henry Probst, 
36 VeseySt.,N. Y. 






ARTIST, 

F. M. Gilbert. 



ENGRAVER, 

A. H. Ritchie. 



PREFACE 



To compile the history of a section of the country which, for 
two hundred and fifty years, has luxuriated in the richest fields 
of incident and circumstance known to the annals of American 
history, is not the pastime of a summer holiday. No county 
in the United States ranking with this in area and population, 
has been the scene or source of so many events and influences 
which, in their effects, have extended over the state or nation, 
or down through the generations of her people, as the county 
whose history we have essayed to present in this volume. The 
preserved history is voluminous, and some of its points have 
become subjects of extended^ntroversy. 

This spot has received the afttention of scholars from all parts 
of our land, and is the home, at least during a part of the year, 
of the refined, cultured and wealthy of American society. It 
is also the permanent home of a people who, in scholarly devel- 
opment and intelligent appreciation of historic truth, will not 
suffer by comparison with those of any other similar section of 
onr great country. With such a host of equipped and skilful 
critics ready to sit in judgment upon our work, it was but nat- 
ural that we should have entered upon it with some misgivings. 
The very fact that our work was to be exposed to the reviewing 
of men whose standing would give weight to their criticisms, 
has stimulated us to greater watchfulness and care in its com- 
pilation. We have trod the ground over with caution, and have 
called to our assistance every available means of securing accu- 
racy and as high a degree of completeness as could be attained 
within the measure of our prescribed limits. We have suc- 
ceeded—even better than our anticipations would allow us to 



IV PREFACE. 

expect; and we now submit the work to its readers with the 
pleasing belief that it will abide with honor the day of historic 
judgment. 

No doubt mistakes will be found. No book of history exists 
without them. Honest crilicism we invite, but we would caution 
the public against the clamorous rantings of those who, having 
opinions born of their own real ignorance of the matters dis- 
cussed, are ever ready to descend with vulture-like rapacity 
upon works of this kind. Against all such empirical criticisms 
we protest, and from them we appeal "unto Caesar" — the 
Caesar of the facts, and the tribunal of an intelligent public, 
unbiased by any ephemeral considerations or intlaences. 

We have been aided in the work of preparation by the gen- 
erous courtesies of those who had in their keeping or posses- 
sion most valuable material. Such were the clerks of the dif- 
ferent towns, the librarians of various libraries, the officers of the 
historical societies of Newport and of Rhode Island, and many 
other individuals whom it would afford us pleasure to mention 
by name. All such kindnesses rendered us are gratefully re- 
membered, and to all those gentlemen we wish here to renew 
our warmest thanks. 

The following illustrations, from "The Providence Planta- 
tions," by permission of the publishers, Messrs. J. A. & R. A. 
Reid, are inserted in this work, viz. : Fort Adams ; Trinity 
Church, Newport; Channing Memorial Church; Thames Street, 
Newport ; The Old Coddington House ; Statue of Commodore 
Matthew Perry ; Statue of Commodore O. H. Perry ; The 
Casino ; Entrance to the Jewish Cemetery ; Bristol Ferry, 
Portsmouth ; and Old Fort Dumplings, Jamestown. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. PAGE. 

GENERAL HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Location and Boundaries. — General Productions. — Scenery. — Native Plants. — 
Geology. — Causes leading to Settlement. — Purchase and Settlement. — 
Early Government. — Under the Royal Charter. — Under the New Char- 
ter — Formation of the County — Population — Important Events — Official 
Men from Newport County. — Public Schools.^Statistics 1 

CHAPTER II. 
The Medical Profession 64 

CHAPTER III. 

THE FOUNDERS OF NEWPORT. 

The Settlement of A(iuidneck or Rhode Island. — William Coddington. — 
Nicholas Easton.— John Coggeshall. — William Brenton. — John Clarke. — 
Jeremy Clarke. — Thomas Hazard. — Henry Bull. — William Dyre. — 
Samuel Gorton 140 

CHAPTER IV. 

INDIAN RELATIONS. 
The Narragansett Indians. — Pequot War. — New England Confederation. — 
King Philip's War. — Canonicus. — Miantonomi. — Pessicus. — Canouchet. — 
Pumham. — Ninegret. — Massasoit. — Wamsutta. — End of the Narragan- 
setts. . .■ 184 

CHAPTER V. 

NEWPORT IN THE COLONIAL WARS. 
Privateering from Rhode Island.— War with the Dutcli, 1052-3.— Privateers 
and Pirates, 1053-90.— War with France, King William's War, 1689-98.— 
Depredations by Privateers. — Queen Anne's War, 1702-13. — The Old 
French War, 1754-61.— War of the American Revolution, 1775-83.— 
Rhodelsland in its Political Relations, 1763-74.— Stamp Act Congress.— 
Non-Importation Agreement 268 

CHAPTER VI. 

NEWPORT IN THE REVOLUTION. 

Events of 1774.— First Continental Congress.— »lilitary Preparations in 
Rhode Island.— Events of 1775.— The Army of Observation.— The Train 
of Artillery.— Depredations by Captain Wallace and his Fleet.— Events 
of 1776 ..." • 298 



VI TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VII. PAGE 

NEWPORT IN THE REVOLUTION— (concluded}. 

British Occupation of Newport, 1777-9. — The Siege of Newport, 1778. — The 
Fleets off Rhode Island. — The Battle of Rhode Island. — Evacuation hy the 
British.— The French in Rhode Island, 1780-81.— The Naval Engage- 
ment. — The March of the French S.'JS 

CHAPTER VIII. 

NEWPORT IX THE WARS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURV. 

War with Ensland, 1812.— The Dorr War, 1842.- The War of the Rebellion, 

1801-05 410 

CHAPTER IX. 

CHURCHES AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NEWPORT. 

Baptist Churches. — The Society of Friends. — Congregational Churches. — Pro- 
testant Episcopal Churches. — The Moravians. — Methodist Episcopal 
Churches. — Jews' Synagogue. — Catholic Churches. — Public Schools 431 

CHAPTER X. 

NEWPORT TOWN AND CITY. 

First Settlements. — Newport as a Summer Resort. — Private Mansions. — 
Town and City Governments. — Mayors. — Fire Engines.- — Gas. — Public 
Parks. — Public Buildings. — Liberty Tree. — Libraries. — Fine Arts. — News- 
papers. — Notable Events. — Trade and Commerce. — Manufactures. — 
Banks. — Cemeteries. — Charitable Organizations. — Societies 483 

CHAPTER XL 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES — NEWPORT. 

Benjamin Anthony. — George A. Armstrong. — Seth Baiteman. — Luther Bate- 
man. — Henry Bedlow. — Robert P. Berry. — JoshuaC . Brown. — John Bull. 
— George W. Carr, Jr. — William A. Clarke. — Henry Clews. — George S. 
Coe.^William King Covell. — The Cranston Family. — Lucius U. Davis. — 
The De Blois Family. -George T. Downing.— William Findlay.— The 
Fludder Famil}-. — Thomas Galvin. — George Hall. — Nathan Hammett and 
Joseph M. Hammett.— Benjamin Hazard. — Carl Jurgens. — Daniel Le 
Roy. — Josiah O. Low. — John D. Johnston. — Seth W. Macy. — Felix Peck- 
ham. — Thomas P. Peckham.— Jo'in Hare Powel.^ — Oliver Read. — James 
T. Rhodes.— John Page Sanborn. — William Paine Sheffield. — John W. 
Sherman. — William H. Thurston. — William J. Underwood. — John G. 
Weaver.- — George Peabody Wetmore. — Catharine Lorillard Wolfe 574 

CHAPTER XII. 

TOWN OF PORTSMOUTH. 

Geographical and Descriptive. — Settlement. — Dealing With the Indians. — 
Comparative Importance. — Admitting Inhabitants. — Rates and Taxes. — 
Taverns or Ordinaries. — Public Morals. — The Common Lands. — Early 
Customs and Ceremonies. — Public Improvements. — Early Representa- 
tives. — During the Revolution.— After the War. — Town Action. — Means 
of Communication. — Mining and Manufacturing C14 



TAI?J,E OF CONTENTS. vii 

CHAPTER XIII. PAGE 
TOWN OF POBTSMOUTH — (concluded). 
The Outlying Iislands.— Churches of Portsmouth.— Societies.— Henry C. An- 
thony.— Jolin F. Chase.— Robert D. Hall.— Thomas Robinson Hazard.— 
Thomas Holinan.— William M. Manchester. — Isaac M. Rogers.— Alfred 
Sisson. — William L. Sisson. — Personal Paragraphs 677 

CHAPTER XIV. 

TOWN OF JAMESTOWN. 

Location and Description. — Tlie Indians. — Early Land Purcliases. — Early 
Settlements. — Tlie Carr Family. — Other Early Settlers. — Incorporation 
of tlie Town. — During the Revolution. — Fort Brown. — Public Buildings. 
— Tax List of 18^3. — Conaniout Parli. — Ocean Highland Company. — 
Public Improvements. — Religious Organizations. — The Common Schools. 
— Ferry Connections. — Light Houses. — Dutch Island.— Gould Island. — 
George C. Carr. — Thomas C. Watson. — Personal Paragraphs 723 

CHAPTER XV. 

TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN. 

Geographical and Descriptive. — Incorporation. — Freemen in 1743. — Early 
Town Action.— The Early Settlers.— The Residence of Berkeley.— The 
Revolutionary Period. — The Small-jiox Scourge. — After the War. — The 
War of 1812. — Town Action. — During the Civil War. — Roads and Bridges. 
— Public Schools. — Churches. — The Women's Christian Temperance 
Union. — TlieMiantonomi Library. — The Aquidneck Agricultural Society. 

—The Town Hall.— Civil List 752 

CHAPTER XVI. 

TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN— (concluded). 

William Bailey. — Albert Lawton Chase,— Robert S. Chase. — Daniel Chase. — 
Joshua Coggeshall. — George C. Coggeshall. — David Coggeshall. — William 
F. Peckham. — Jetliro Peckham. — Nathaniel Peckham. — The Sherman 
Family.— John G. Smith. — John B. Ward. — Personal Paragraphs 800 

CHAPTER XVII. 

TOWN OF NEW SHOREHAM. 

Description. — Geological Formation. — Discovery. — Footprints of the White 
Man. — Settlement. — Civil Connection. — Some Earlj Freemen. — Trouble 
with the Indians. — Incursions by French Privateers. — During the Revo- 
lution. — The Phantom Ship. — Colonial History. — Maritime Protection. — 
Block Island as a Summer Resort. — Public Buildings. — Schools. — 
Churches. — Agriculture and Commerce. — Light Houses. — Wrecking Com- 
panies. — Biographical Sketches 827 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

TOWN OF TIVERTON. 

The Boundary Question. — The White Man and his Title. — Purchasers of Po- 
casset. — Tlie Commons and the House Lots.— The Proprietors of Punca- 
test.— The King Philip War.— Tiverton as a Town.— The Period of the 
Revolution. — Howland's Ferry and Stone Bridge. — Postal and Railroad 
Fa'-llities. — Tiverton Four Corners. — North Tiverton.— Prominent Locali- 
ties.— Jlills.— Taverns.— Highways.— Churches.— Schools.— Library and 
Reading Room. — The Town Government 884 



Vlll TABLK oF CDNTKN' IS. 

CHAPTER XIX. pa(;e 

TOWN OF TIVERTON— (concluded). 

Hon. Joseph Osborn.— Joseph Church.— Samuel West. A. M., M. D.— Jliss 
Hannah Rowland West. — Joshua U. Durfee. — Chiistopher Bi-ownell. — 
Samuel E. Almy. — Asa Davol. — Isaac Brown. — Job Wordell. — Personal 
Paragi-aphs 940 

CHAPTER XX. 

TOWN OF LITTLE COMPTON. 
First Land Titles. — The Proprietoi'S of Seconnet. — Distribution of the Great 
Lots. — The Commons. — The Aborigines— The Body Politic— Public Char- 
ity. — Land and Water Routes. — The Revolution. — The Federal Constitu- 
tion. — The Local Government. — Churches. — Cemeteries. — Adamsville. — 
Potter's Corners. — Secular Education. — Public Library. — Business 
Interests 974 

CHAPTER XXI. 

TOWN OF LITTLE COMPTON— (concluded). 

Colonel Benjamin Church. — Colonel John Church. — Nathaniel Church. — 
Joseph Church. — Thomas Church. — William Pabodie. — Major Sylvester 
Brownell. — Isaac Bailey Richmond. — James F. Simmons. — George W. 
Briggs, D.D. — Ray Palmer. — The Coe Family. — Colonel Henry T Sisson. 
— Levi W. Sisson. — Ephraim Bailey Si.>son. — Albert Seabury. — George 
Arnold Gray. — Edward Wing Howland. — Philip W. Almy. — Personal 
Paragraphs 1028 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PORTRAITS. 

Almy, Philip W 1046 

Almy, Samuel E 951 

Anthony, Henry C 690 

. Bailey, William SOO 

jBall, Nicholas 863 

Bateman, Luther 575 

Bateman, Seth 574 

Bedlow, Henry 576 

Berry, R. P 578 

.Brinley, Francis 555 

x/Brown", Isaac 953 

J Brown, Joshua C 579 

VBrownell, Christopher 950 

MButtrick. J. T 68 

'Carr, George C 748 

■/ Champlin, John P 868 

■ Chase, Albert L 801 

Vchase, Daniel 803 

-IChase, John F 691 

/Chase, Robert S 802 

•J, Church, Colonel John 1030 

■. Church, Joseph 944 

■I Church, Nathaniel 1032 

Clarke, W. A 581 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. IX 

/ PAGE 

/Clews, Henry 582 

, Coe, (ieorge S 586 

.'poggeshall, David 8U5 

vfcoggesliall, (ieiirge C 804 

Poggeshall, Joshua 804 

/Cranston, Henrv Y 590 

-/Cranston, K. B 591 

^/Cranston, W. H 593 

/Davis, Lucius U 594 

.Davol, Asa 952 

^Durfee, Joshua C 949 

'/Durtee, Thomas 934 

.Galvui. Thomas 596 

■'Gray, George A 1044 

' Greene, Nathaniel 88 

JHall, Robert 1) 693 

/Hammett, Jo.-eijh M 597 

• Hammett, Nathan 597 

^ hazard, K. N 514 

^Hazard, Thomas R 694 

Holnian, Thomas 695 

. Howland, Edward W 1045 

I Johnston, John D 59a 

J King, David S 97 

/King, David 98 

yLeRov, Daniel 599 

^Littlefield, Lorenzo W^a 

Manchester, William M 696 

Harden, O. S bT6 

Mitchell, B. B 880 

Olyphant, David 106 

Osborn, Joseph 940 

Peckham, Jethro 807 

Peckham, Nathaniel 808 

Peckham, Thomas P 601 

Peckham, William F 806 

Powel, John Hare 603 

Rankin, Francis II 116 

Read, Oliver 603 

Rhodes, James T 604 

Richmond, Isaac B 1034 

Rogers, L M 697 

Sanborn, John P 606 

Sands, Austin L 116 

Seaburv, Albert 1043 

Shettiefd, William P 607 

Sherman, Peleg T 809 

Sisson, Alfred 698 

Sisson, Ephraim B 1043 

Sisson, Henry T 1038 

Sisson, Levi W 1040 

Sisson, W. L 699 

Smith, J. G 810 

Thurston, W. H 608 

Turner, Henry E 130 

Underwood, William J 608 

Ward. John B 811 

Watson, Thomas Carr 750 

Weaver, John (i „ 609 

/West, Samuel 946 

' Wetmore, Cieorge Peabody 610 

•W^olfe, Catharine Lorillard 613 

JWordell, Job 954 



X TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

VIEWS. 

PAGE 

^ Fort Adams ' 428 

/Channing Memorial Cliurcli 449 

^Trinity Church, Newport 453 

^/ Thames Street, Newport 485 

-/The Old Coddington House 486, 

^House of Charles W. Shields, Newport, R. 1 488 

^The Tooker Cottage, Newport, R. 1 489 

4 •" The Breakers." Residence of Cornelius Vanderbilt, Newport 490 

-(Residence of Gordon McKay, Newport, R. 1 491 

VThe Chalet. Residence of Hugh L. Willoughby, Newport 495 

/ Rough Point. Residence of Frederick W. Vanderbilt, Newport 496 

■J Statue of Com. Matthew Perry 499 

-y statue of Com. O. H. Perry 500 

J Anglesea. Residence of Walter H. Lewis, Newport 502 

The Casino. Bellevue Avenue 504 

The Moorings. Residence of Schuyler Hamilton, Jr., Newport 506 

- Residence of J. J. Van Alen, Newport 510 

vElmhyrst. Residence of R. N. Hazard, Newport 515 

J Vinland. Residence of Louis L. Lorillard, Newpoi't. R. 1 534 

jFriedheim. Residence of Theo. A. Havemeyer, Ne\^ort, R. 1 538 ' 

J Entrance to the Jewish Cemetery 544 

i Hodgson's Newport Botanical Garden 546 

s/.Malbone. Residence of Hon. Henry Bedlow, Newport 577 

J Views at " The Rocks." Summer Residence of Mr. Henry Clews, Newport, 

R. I 583 

Galvin's Garden, Newport 596 

V Wol-me. Residence of Josiah O. Low, Newport 600 

V Sunset Ridge. Residence of A. A. Low. Newport 601 

v/Roselawn . Residence of J. Fred Pierson, Newport .^, . . . . 605 

VOcean House. Newport, R. 1 609 

\/Residenee of Mr. G. P. Wetmore, Newport 611 

V The Capture of Major-General Prescott T.T. . 649 

^ Bristol Ferry, Portsmouth 672 

s/ Oakland Farm, Portsmouth. Property of (l!ornelius Vanderbilt 682 

^Residence of Robert D. Hall, Portsmouth, R.I 693 

•J House of William T. Richards, Jamestown, R. 1 730 

■//House of Joseph Wharton, Jamestown , R . 1 738 

V Old Fort Dumplings, Jamestown 746 

J The Irish Homestead. Residence of William Bailey, Middletown 800 

-/Residence of Darid Coggeshall, Middletown 805 

i Residence of W . J . Brightman, Tiverton 958 

^,The "Gardner Homestead." Residence of John M. Gardner, North Tiverton. 962 

\(The Church Homestead 1030 

•J Residence of Isaac Bailey Richmond, Little (\mipton 1035 

V Residence of H . M . Bundy, Little Compton 1050 



y 








//^^/J 




^7.-^:j 







-^ -"'"'0' • I 

^^w. :: jiT(ivknonP%> "W^^l 
Neyluvvrt .%rBridgeport f':'^ 



o 



VortUPC 









^ cf^'^ 






iverto' 
orn^S J 

. #R 

' NoMiiit FotiA 










' {f^i^aafcMWI'* )^ ■ Roo'llT 











arreilsPt. 



-4. tT 



^ 






5" 



J 




i 



''%i>,fff!fIloc^ 




^ 



0/ .\ftff.s 



sMAP OF:— 

NEWPORT COUNTYl 
RHODE ISLAND. 

U E. PRESTON & CO. 
PUBLISHERS. 



:/ 



MAP OF 

BI^O CK I S LAND ^'Sf^ 

Part of 'ir*i<§' 

NEWPORT COIJNTV 'W 

SameSculc as niaittMeM.\\\\v;'\ ". f'roX'V I'oillt 



Clay He ad 



Graces Fo^-f 



SactuiifistMii^ J| 




Dickens |>|ort!|^ 



RivatrtT A .vti,i:«f phD;o i.nM.natt 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 



CHAPTER I. 



GENERAL HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 



Location and Bountlaries. — General Productions. — Scenery.— Native Plants. — 
GeologJ^ — Causes leading to Settlement. — Purchase and Settlement. — Early 
Government. — Under the Royal Charter. — Under the New Charter. — Forma- 
tion of the County. — Population. — Important Events. — Official Men from 
Newport County. — Public Schools. — Statistics. 



THE County of Newi:)ort i.s sUnated in the southeastern 
part of the .state of Rhode Island. It has an area of 
about one hundred and seventeen square miles. It lies centrally 
in latitude 41° 33' north, and longitude 71° 17' west from Green- 
wich, or 5° 43' east from Washington. It is bounded on the 
north and east by Bristol county, Mass., on the south by the 
Atlantic ocean, and on the west by Narragansett bay. It com- 
prises several islands, the largest of which are Rhode Island, 
Block Island, Conanicut and Prudence, which together consti- 
tute about one half the area of the county. It has a beautifully 
undulating surface, and a geiiei'alh' fertile soil, that of the 
islands being especially rigorous and productive. It also con- 
tains large quantities of anthracite coal. The county is inter- 
sected by the Old Colony railroad, which has about fifteen 
miles of track within its borders, this being tiie only railroad 
entering the county. It has 97.'i farms, the land, especially of 
the islands, being highly improved and almost entirely under 
cultivation. The number of aci'es of improved land is 46,762. 
The land is divided into small farms, and such is the general 
thrift of its cultivators that the value of its farms, including 
lands, fences and buildings, reaches the sum of !?6,291,96ii. For 
1 



2 HISTOIIY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

the cultivation of these farms implements and machinery are 
employed to the value of $164,6i56. Live stock is kept on farms 
to the value of S-172,269, and the annual cost of building and 
repairing on these farms amounts to about lifty thousand dol- 
lars. The natural fertility of the soil is such that comparative- 
ly little commercial fertilizer is needed, the annual expenditure 
for this purpose not exceeding about thirty-five thousand dol- 
lars, while the annual products of the soil amount to more than 
three quarters of a million dollars in value. Among the annual 
products the principal are: 131,878 bushels of potatoes, 107,048 
bushels of Indian corn, 78,098 bushels of oats. 12,249 bushels of 
barley, 14,737 tons of hay, and $12,662 worth of orchard prod- 
ucts. There are kept on farms : 1,875 horses, 1,066 working 
oxen, 3,590 milch cows, 1,973 other cattle, 6,118 sheep, produc- 
ing annually about twenty-five thousand pounds of wool, 2,943 
swine, and dairy products consisting of 420,971 gallons of milk, 
245,601 pounds of butter, and 9,771 pounds of cheese annually. 
Of the 28,280 inhabitants of this county. 8,476 are citizens, and 
of these, 5,207 are native born, and 2.669 are foreign born. The 
ratable j^roperty of the county amounts to §37,779,768; of which 
$28,951,641 is on real estate, and $8,828,127 is on personal prop- 
erty. 

The post offices in this county are Adamsville, Block Island, 
Bristol Ferry, Jamestown, Little Compton, Newport, North 
Tiverton, Portsmouth, South Poitsmouth, Tiverton, and Tiver- 
ton Four Corners. Its townships and the total valuation of 
real and personal property in each are as follows : Jamestown, 
$1,028,280; Little Compton, $1,322,700; Middletown, $2,083,- 
350 ; Newport (city), $28,540,300 ; New Shoreham, $598,160 ; 
Portsmouth, $1,946,900 ; Tiverton, $2,260,078. The county 
contained in 1880 a population of 23,051 white, 1,125 colored, 
and four Indians. The native population then was 19,537, and 
the foreign population, 4,643. Of the native poi>iilatiou, 15,4.52 
were born in the state and 3,036 in other parts of New England 
and New York state. Of the foreign population 388 were born 
in British America, 829 in England and Wales, 2,023 in Ireland, 
137 in Scotland, 199 in the German Empire, 82 in France, and 
123 in Sweden and Norway. 

In point of beauty of location and enchanting scenery the in- 
sxrlar portion of the county is one the most attractive spots to 
be found on the face of the earth. Travelers who have had op- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 3 

portunities for wide fields of observation liave come liither and 
declared that nothing thej' had seen in the famed regions of the 
old world was equal to magnificent scenes which opened to their 
view in this county. Nor does the insular portion engross all 
the beauty of scene to which this county may lay claim. The 
mainland shores are equally rich in this respect. Possessing 
an almost immeasurable extent of shore line upon the beautiful 
bay, with which the land is playing hide and seek in a thousand 
jutting promontories and indenting cove.s, the surface of the 
county presents miles upon miles of wayside, field and bluff, 
whence the vision stretches away upon the broad ocean — 

'• A waste 
Of waters weltering over graves, its shores 
Strewn with the wreck of fleets, where mast an<l hull 
Drop away piecemeal." 

With its thousand verdure clad hills billowing the landscape 
near and distant, ever varying in outline, in magnitude, in shade 
of green, and in adornment of farmhouse, windmill, country 
seat, or checkered fields, what wonder that the fashion of 
American civilization should choose here its most valued sum- 
mering place. Greater wonder, indeed, is it that the hills 
overlooking these elysian shores have not long since been 
crowded with the country homes of thousands who fain would 
come hither to rest and enjoy the delights of surrounding 
scenery. 

The soil of the island of Aquidneck, or Rhode Island, differs 
somewhat in its character, between the north and south ends. 
Everywhere rich and amply productive, it is at the north end 
of a sandy inclination, and this circumstance togethei' witii 
some advantages of location by which it is protected from the 
blasting, chilling winds from the sea, makes the north end two 
or three weeks earlier in maturing season than the soul ii end. 
Potatoes are largely grown there, and can be marketed from 
that quarter earlier by the time mentioned than from other 
parts of the island. A branch of agriculture which has of late 
years grown to considerable proportions on the island, especially 
within a few miles of Newport, is the growing of flowers and 
other greenhouse products. Flowers can be raised here that 
cannot be grown to equal advantage in the vicinity of New 
York, hence large quantities of flowers are grown here and 
shipped to the markets of New York and Boston. Frosts here 



4 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

hold off later in the autumn than in other parts of the country^ 
even in lower latitudes. Hardy flowers have been known to 
keep in blossom until the latter part of November. The condi- 
tions that make the spring rather backward also retard the ap- 
proach of winter. These conditions are supposed to be partly, 
if not piincipally, the efl'ect of the surrounding waters upon the 
atmosi^here. Large quantities of greenhouse grapes are pro- 
duced here and sent to the New York markets. They are sent 
as early as April 1st, and during the first of the season they 
often sell for as high as six dollars a pound. From this they 
continue at falling prices until the season for out-door grapes 
to ripen. The atmosphere of this region during the autumn 
months especially is salubrious and delightful. The tempera- 
ture throughout the season is equable, being eight or ten degrees 
higher in winter and lower in summer than in most other places 
in the same latitude. Frosts appear in autumn in the latitude 
of North Carolina before they do here. Owing to the vigorous 
character of the soil, fruits grow to great size, and with aston 
ishing luxuriance. Some fruits originated here have obtained 
world-wide fame. Of such may be mentioned the Rhode Island 
Greening apple and the Bulfum pear. 

The native plants of the county are numerous, but no syste- 
matic eff^ort has been made to make a list of them. It is prob- 
able that in general the same plants may be found on the main- 
land that api^ear on the islands. Through the efforts of the 
Newport Natural History Society a partial list of those to be 
found on the island has been made. This embraces, no doubt, 
nearly all the common plants, and though still imperfect, has 
been prepared with much labor, and is the most complete list 
that can now be found. Omitting the scientific names the list 
is given in popular language, which is as follows : Liver-leaf, 
wind-flower, i-ue-anemone; early, bulbous, and creeping butter- 
cup; marsh-marigold, wild columbine, white water-lily, water- 
cress, Whitlow grass, shepherd's purse, blue violet, arrow- 
leaved violet, sweet white violet, lance-leaved violet, St. John's- 
wort, sand spurrey, chickweed, common mallow, yellow wood 
sorrel, spotted cranesbill, jewel weed, rabbit foot clover, red 
clover, zigzag clover, yellow hop clover, white clover, yellow 
sweet clover, white sweet clover, vetchling, hard-hack, wild 
five finger, strawberry, high blackberry, low blackberrj', dwarf 
wild rose, earlj^ saxifrage, common evening primrose, low 



IIIST01!\' OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 5 

evening primrose, small evening primrose, button bush, 
bluets, thistle, Ciinada thistle, burdock, thorough-wort, 
dandelion, corn llower, beggar-ticks. May weed, yarrow, ox-eye 
daisy, cardinal llower, trailing arbutus or May flower, sweet 
pepperbush, pale laurel, common plantain, four-leaved loose- 
strife, common mullein, wild toadflax, butter-aud-eggs, snake 
head, sea-side gerardia, fringed gentian, and bayberry. 

The island of Aquidneck was formerly heavily wooded, but 
it is said that during the revolutionary war, when the British 
held i)ossession of it, they entirely stripped it of its timber, and 
since then but little forest growth has been permitted. There 
are now but few sections of America of equal extent where so 
large a prop(jrtion of the area is devoid of forest growtii and so 
completely under cultivation or improvement. Oak, walnut 
and chestnut are the prevailing kinds of forest trees, with some 
pine, and in certain localities especiallj' near the ocean shore, 
large cedar swamps are found. Among the cultivated crops we 
should not fail to mention the Indian corn, for which the island 
and its vicinity are celebrated. The corn grown here is of 
superior qiiality, and is much used, for grinding into meal, of 
Avhich "Johnny-cakes" are made. Perhaps in no part of the 
country does the custom of preparing these cakes for the daily 
food of the inhabitants prevail to so large an extent as it does 
here. These "Johnny-cakes" are made of corn meal and 
water, with a little salt, but though so simple their use is so 
much indulged in as to become proverbial. 

While the western portions of the state of Rhode Island are 
very simple and uniform in their geological character, the 
southern and eastern parts, especially those covered by the 
boundaries of this county, are various and complicated. As a 
general thing it may be said that the geological formation which 
distinguishes southeastern Massachusetts extends to the north- 
ern parts of this county. A very considerable portion of tlie 
county, however, is of a later era. Parts of the county consist 
of formations of coarse, conglomerates and argillaceous slates 
of obscure age, on account of the metamorphic action to which 
they have been subjected. Generally no fossils have been met 
with in these rocks, though occasionally one has here or else- 
where been found, which would seem to refer the slates to the 
lower Silurian period. These obscure formations are connected 
with coal bearing strata, referable, it is supposed, to the true 



6 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUKTY. 

carboniferous epoch. In tliese strata have been found the beds 
of antliracite which have been worked to some extent. This 
subject has been treated in part, but in its most interesting- 
features, by Mr. T. Nelson Dale, in a lecture before the Natural 
History Society on the geology of the mouth of Narragansett 
bay, which, of course, covers the i:)rincipal part of this county. 
From the words of Mr. Dale are quoted the following para- 
graphs. He says : 

"It is well known that coal seams exist under the city of 
Newport. They have been struck in digging wells, and they 
used to crop out near Sheep point on the cliffs. Coal plants 
have been found near the corner of Marlborough and Farewell 
streets and in several places along the cliffs. The slates and hue 
conglomerates associated with these fossilifei-ous and carbon- 
iferous strata extend from Sheep point on the south, to Almy's 
pond, Emmanuel Chapel (corner Spring and Perry streets) and 
Fort Greene on the west, to Coddington point and Bishop rock 
on the north, and to Bliss cave, Easton's beach and the Cliffs 
on the east. In the vicinity of Taggart's Ferry, Wood's Castle, 
at the Glen, and on the east shore of the east passage between 
High hill and Brown's point, we find other patches of these 
beds. On the west, the same group recurs at Beaver Head and 
Dutch island, although in a more crystalline condition, the coal 
having there become graphite and the clay slate a mica schist 
containing garnets. The vertical thickness of this series is 
about 2,000 feet. At the end of "the Cliffs" you will have 
noticed some very jagged greenish rocks which recur at the east 
end of Bailey's beach, forming apparently a belt from that 
place to the cliffs ; tliese rocks are chlorite schist, talcose schist, 
epidote, and probably serpentine. The marked peculiarity of 
these different minerals is that (hey contain a consideralde per- 
centage of magnesia, and one of them, the epidote, some 23 per 
cent, of lime. 

" The only other place where similar rocks occur is on Conan- 
icut, near the southeast corner of the island, and also most of 
the Dumpling islets. There, however, the chlorite schist con- 
tains passages of calcite and a littlemica, corresponding e.vactly 
to some of the Paradise rocks, and suggesting the possibility 
that they were deposited at the same time. We may therefore 
perhaps venture to classify the alternating beds of hornblende 
and chlorite schist, and mica schist (traversed by veins of zoisite 



HISTORY OF NKWI'ORT COUNTY. 7 

which is related to epidote), wliich form the three central ridges 
of Paradise in the same series. The thickness of these rocks 
along the cliffs is about 400 to 600 feet, and the Paradise series 
measures about 950. Both at the Dumplings and Bailey's 
beach, these greenish magnesian rocks lie upon a pinkish rock 
which might easilj' be mistaken for a granite, but which is more 
correctly a protogine, the mica of the granite being replaced by 
the dark, greenish magnesian mineral, chlorite. Tiie protogine 
is characterized in places by crystals of feldspar an inch in 
diameter, and in others by the presence of two shades if not 
two kinds of feldspar, a pale greenish and a pinkish color. 
Although it has been supposed to be eruptive, it is clearly 
stratified, and therefore a sedimentary rock, highly metamor- 
l)hosed. This protogine forms the point about the Boat House, 
Gooseberry island, and the region about the Lily pond, extend- 
ing from the west side of Lily pond beach to a point opposite 
the Little Lime Rock. It forms also the southern part of the 
northern extension of Conanicut. About Narragansett Pier, 
from the steamboat landing south to within two and one-half 
miles of Point Judith, protogine passing into a gneiss with 
black mica occurs, and the same rock constitutes also East and 
West islands, on the other side of the bay. The thickness of 
these beds of protogine is not easily computed. It is at least 
1200 feet and probably much greater. West of the protogine 
tract of Newport Neck and forming the central part of it is a 
'flinty slate' in places containing serpentine and talc. This 
rock lies upon the protogine, as may be seen at several points, 
and as is conclusively proven by the presence of two small 
patches of the flinty slate near the middle of the protogine 
tract, on the west side of Lily pond. 

"The western boundary of the flinty slate e.xtends from Bren- 
ton's cove to the west side of Price's neck. The same recurs 
at Conanicut forming a triangular shaped mass north of the 
protogine, and also on Sachuest neck where, associated with a 
slaty conglomerate mass it forms a belt on the east side. The 
thickness of this series varies from 500 to 2,000 feet. The re- 
mainder of Newport Neck consists of a series of alternating 
green and i)urple slates with passages of calcite and occasion- 
ally red jasper. The rock (chloritic argillyte) forms also the 
greater part of Rose island, the Gull Rocks, the southern ex- 
tremity of Coaster's Harbor island, tlie Coaster's Harbor r(>cks, 



8 HISTOTiY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Goat island (as ascertained by a recent well boring), the Little 
Lime Rock and some submerged rocks sontliwest of it. To this 
series belong also the Lime Rocks, where layers of magnesian 
limestone are associated with purple slates. On the Little 
Compton shoi'e the green slates recur, extending from Brown's 
point to Church's cove. From the outcrops of these rocks in 
our harbor, we ma.y infer that they originall}^ extended from 
the Little Lime Rock to Coaster's Harbor island, to Rose island 
and thence to Castle hill, occupying the entire harbor and the 
passage. The great veins which traverse these rocks often 
abound in chlorite, with which occurs also a pink feldspar. 
The series measures from 500 to 2,000 feet. 

"At the north end of Rose island and the southwest end of 
Coaster's Harbor island is a peculiar dark gray or black rock 
made up of large grains of quartz firmly cemented together by 
metamorphic action. It is properly a coarse metamorphic sand- 
stone or grit. The same rock forms the entire western part of 
Sachuest Neck, overlying the flinty slate of the eastern portion, 
and contains here and there small seams of black slate vpith 
coal i:)lants — one of which is the Annularia longifolia. This 
rock occurs also at Conanicut on the east side of Mackerel cove, 
M^here it rests upon the protogine and forms a triangular area. 
Its greatest thickness is about 7o0 feet. This is the lowest and 
earliest rock in this vicinity which upon palajontological 
grounds we can refer to the carboniferous pei'iod. 

"Apparently overlying this metamorphic sandstone we have 
in Mackerel cove a mass of light and dark gray argillaceous 
schists, which cover the entire southern extension of Conanicut 
and extend as far north as Taylor's point above Jamestown. 
These schists generally contain minute nodules of carbonate of 
iron (siderite), which, when oxidized, give the surface of the 
rock a striking appearance. Instead of siderite, iron pyrites in 
cubical crystals sometimes occurs. This series of beds is repre- 
sented at the south end of Coaster's Harbor island, and forms 
the southern part of Easton's point. The veins which traverse 
these rocks often contain chlorite and sometimes also calcite 
and a little iron. The total thickness is 600 to 2,000 feet. At 
Easton's point these argillytes are overlaid by the conglomerate 
with which we are all familiar, which is made up of jiebbles of 
finely laminated quartzyte with some mica and contains Lingu- 
Ice (Brachipod Mollusks). This rock recurs at Paradise on both 



IIISTOIIY (IF NKW I'OItT COUNTY. 9 

sides of the hornblende and mica scliist beds, and ah)iig tlie 
east shore of the island from Smith's beach to Black point, and 
on the other side of the east passage at High Hill point. There 
is some uncertainty as to whether the similar conglomerate, 
which forms the summit of Miantonomah hill, and that which 
covers the greater part of Coaster's Harbor island, and which 
differs considerably in its character from that of Easton's point, 
etc., belong to the same age. The thickness is abont 750 feet. 

"The lowest and oldest rocks in this part of the state are of 
sedimentary origin. The first geological fact in the history of 
the region indicates the presence of water, the sea probably, 
which formed the calcareous, aluminous, siliceous and magnes- 
ian deposits which, under metamorphism, become gneiss, pro- 
togine, mica, epidote, (ddorite, hornblende and serpentine schist. 
It is difficult to determine how far, if at all, these older strata 
had assumed a crystalline structure prior to the carboniferous 
jieriod, as the whole series, including the carboniferous, evi- 
dently suffered metamorphism and llexture in late or past car- 
boniferous times. It is also uncertain how far these older 
rocks had been disturbed when the carboniferous rocks were 
deposited, but from several indications it seems probable that 
the folds indicated in the section began to be formed in pre- 
carboniferous times, and that the chief outlines of our bay were 
determined at that remote period. 

" We may therefore conjecture that the nearest elevations on 
either side of the carboniferous deposits formed the shore of the 
swamps and estuaries of the carboniferous time. Such eleva- 
tions occur at Barber's Height and Tower hill, in North and 
South Kingstown, and on the other side of the bay, in Tiverton 
and Little Compton. These southward tending ranges of pro- 
togine, gneiss, mica schist and chlorite slate bonnded a bay or 
arm of the sea some 15 miles wide. In about the centre of the 
section maybe seen masses of protogine and other pre carbonif- 
erous rocks. While it is possible that they may once have been 
covered by carboniferous deposits which subsequent erosion 
may have carried away, I rather incline to the belief that these 
rocks were never covered in the carboniferous times, but formed 
then an island around which such rocks were deposited. This 
island embraced the greater part of Newport Neck, the entire 
liarbor, and a portion of Conanicnt, and accordingly measured 
.some four miles in diameter, so that as we ramble over the 



10 HI.STOIiY OF NEWPOUT COUNTY. 

small, hilly and rocky wilderness which characterizes portions 
of the Xeciv and of Conanicnt, we may transport ourselves in 
imagination back to the time wlien in looking away our eyes 
would have rested on nothing but a shallow sea, or else upon 
great swamps, crowded with the peculiar vegetation of the car- 
boniferous time. The remainder of Conanicnt and of our own 
island, excepting perhaps a small tract at its northern extrem- 
ity and possibly anothei' at Paradise, were not in existence ; 
with these exceptions the nearest terra firnia was at Tower hill 
and Little Compton. 

"The carboniferoiis series consists of four groups of strata : 
(1) the metamorphic grit, (2) the claj' slates with carbonate of 
iron, (3) the quartzyte conglomerate, and (4) the slates, coal 
beds and fine conglomerates, which together constitute the coal 
measures proper. During the deposition of the two first and 
lowest of the series, there was nothing of a very exceptional 
character in the physical conditions of our bay. The line 
quartz grains of the first deposit probably came from the erosion 
of some areas of granite or protogine. The presence of fossil 
plants in the layers of slate which occur in this bed, indicates 
the neighborhood of marshes ; and the abundance of iron car- 
bonate in tlie succeeding bed shows the presence of carbon in 
the water and originally in the atmosphere. During these de- 
positions, it is quite probable that that process of subsidence 
commenced which marked the period of the coal measures. 
This subsidence would affect the whole region, but, either owing* 
to its taking the form of great folds, or owing to the greater 
elevation of the central island, would still leave that island above 
water. But during the time of the third group, the coarse con- 
glomerate, we have evidence of an exceptional state of things. 
The great size of some of the bouldei's in the conglomerate at 
' Purgatory ' and ' Paradise ' has been noticed by many. Some 
of these measure from four to nine feet in diameter. 

" The following theories are held in regard to the origin of 
this conglomerate : (1) that in carboniferous times, another 
glacial period covered this part of the continent with an ice 
sheet, and that these great accumulations of boulders were tran- 
sported hither from distant ledges and left by the thawing ice. 
A serious objection to this theory is the fact that the boulders 
do not bear the scratches which characterize glacial boulders. 
Another theory is that the bay at that time was a gulf leaning 



IIISTOIIY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 11 

northwards into Artie regions, :uicl tlint icebergs, broken off from 
some Arctic glacier, iloated soiitliwards, and, thawing as they 
reached a warmer latitnde, deposited their burden of pebbles 
and boulders here, just as they are doing to-day on the banks 
of Newfoundland. Another tlieory is that the place of these 
conglomerates was originally occupied by a iiuely stratiiied 
quartzite of mica schist, formed during an earlier geological 
period and of marine origin, as indicated by the presence of the 
Brachiopoda, and that the action of the sea ground up the entire 
deposit into pebbles, by a process similar to that we see going on 
along our shores to-day. Still anothertheory is that a strong and 
swift river current opened in those times into the bay, and rolled 
the stones to their present place froui some shore or hillside to 
the north. Each of these theories contains an element of prob- 
ability. The large size of the boulders and the absence here of 
strata of their identical character are remarkable facts. 

" However that may be, after the formation of the conglom- 
erate came a period of comparative tranquility, during which 
the ' Coal Measures,' measuring here some 2,000 feet, were de- 
posited. To account for alternating beds of coal, slate, and 
conglomerate, it is customary to suppose alternating periods of 
submergence and emergence. Under this theory the prospect 
from the Aquidneck island of the carboniferous time must 
have greatly varied. There were long periods during which a 
supposed ol)server would have looked out only upon the broad 
arms of the bay. others during which his eyes would have 
rested, at least northward, northwestward, and northeastward, 
on a landscape bearing some resemblance to that of the Dismal 
Swamp of Virginia or the Everglades of Florida, and such 
periods recurred alternately. 

" During the close of the carboniferous period, changes of a 
more radical, though, perhaps, gradual character set in. The 
submergence of the beds having reached its limit, the beds were 
powerfully compressed in a lateral direction, folded, tilted, 
faulted and tissured. This compressure is generally attributed 
to the disturbance of the rocky envelope of the earth following 
upon the cooling and contraction of its molten interior. At the 
same time, if not due to the same cause, the rocks assumed a 
crystalline structure, the beds of carbonaceous vegetation, then 
probably resembling lignite or hardened peat, were changed 
into plumbaginous anthracite. The beds of clay in places be- 



12 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTV. 

came mica schist, the couglomerate was compacted, and its peb- 
bles arranged in pai'allel order, and the underlying older rcjcks 
became still more crystalline in character. The fissures through- 
out the series became filled witii veins of quartz. Numerous 
observations prove that this pressui-e came chiefly from two 
directions : One W. NW.— E. SE., the other at right angles 
N. NE. — S. SW., the former producing the great folds tending 
N. NE. — S. SW. parallel to the Appalachian range which was 
formed at this time, the other producing a series of minor folds 
and fissures tending W. NW. — E. SE. 

" The folded strata were brought above water and the main 
outlines of the bay and of our island were formed. The surface 
thus exposed suffered erosion by the rivers, tides and rains 
during a great lapse of time, until the glacial period set in, 
when they were subjected to still greater changes at the hands 
of the ice sheet, which by means of its enormous weight and 
the stones and boulders frozen into its under surface, plowed 
out hollows, shattered and broke off rock masses, furrowed, 
grooved and polished all the surfaces which withstood its 
southward march. During the thawing of the glacier, a de- 
pression of the land took place, followed l)y an elevation of forty 
to fifty feet. To the action of the ice sheet and of the great 
stream to which it gave rise as it thawed, the final configuration 
of our bay and islands is mainly due. This becomes apparent 
in examining a section of the bay, for the depressions do not 
always correspond to the depressions in the folds of the strata. 
The folds have been cut into. How much of this is due to the 
preglacial erosion is uncertain. The most notable instances of 
these influences are seen between High Hill point and Black 
point in Seaconnet river and at the ' Paradise ' ridges. The 
recess between Easton's point and Sachuest point was thus 
formed; that between the Cliffs and Easton's point, and also 
the hollow occupied by Easton's pond, Bren ton's cove, and the 
depression between the chloritic slates and the flinty slates on 
the Neck, the passage between Conanicut and Fort Adams and 
the harbor. Mackerel cove in Conanicut, and the passages on 
either side of Dutch island, all are due to the same causes. 

'• A few things remain to be noticed. As the ice sheet thawed 
it deposited its load of clay, sand and b;)ulders, all over our 
region, but very unequally. In this vicinity [Newport] the 
niorainal matter is not very thick, but near Providence it forms 



HISTOKY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 13 

considerable hills and plateaus. Biif we received our share of 
the boulders, as evei'y builder, farmer, gardener or pedestrian 
knows. Much of this moi-ainal matter was dept^sited in the sea, 
and this, together with what has since been cairied thither by 
streams or formed by the wear and tear of the waves, the sea 
has, in part at least, thrown bacli upon the shore in the form of 
sand bars and beaches. Then the wind coming to the aid of 
the waves piled up the sand in di'ifts back of the beaches, dam- 
ming up the outlets to small streams and forming ponds which 
are gradually transformed into marshes. In this way the re- 
cesses in the coast are filled out and the shore is becoming more 
rounded in outline." 

Religious ideas were the paramount factors in the various set- 
tlements which were made in different parts of onr conntry, and 
which in time grew together into the concrete social mass which 
at length became the foundation of a mighty republic. As in 
different localities those religious ideas had their various colors, 
so the t'onditions gathering around the settlement of Newport 
countjj^ gave to it a hue peculiarly its own. It is designed 
here to notice the development of those conditions, and trace 
the steps by which the banner of civilization was brought hither 
and planted on these delectable hills, where it has so gracefully 
and grandly waved upon the invigorating breezes of two and a 
half centuries. 

As soon as we enter upon this investigation we shall llnd 
Roger Williams standing as one of the most conspicuous char- 
acters of the time in this section of the new world. Some notice 
of him could hardly be omitted in this connection, though our 
immediate tield was not the scene of his action. We find him 
an irrepressible character, of great native force and determina- 
tion, who had been highly educated in the schools of England 
and invested with orders in the Ciuirch of England. He, how- 
ever, embraced the doctrines set I'oi'th by the Puritans and took 
passagein the ship "Lyon," with nineteen others, I'or America. 
The ship arrived in JSTantaskett Roads on the 5th of February, 
1631, and reached Boston three days later. Williams was at 
this time about 25 years of age. He shortly became assistant 
pastor of the church of Salem, bat differences of opinion at 
once arose between him and the magistrates, and as his impet- 
uous disposition would brook no restraints or dictation of the 
constituted authorities, he gave up the field in the following 



14 HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

autumn and removed to Plymouth. Here he met witli nmn_v of 
the representative Indian chiefs of the surrounding wilderness 
and spent much time in studying their language, among whom 
were Massasoit and Miantonomi, the latter being a chief of the 
territory now embraced in Newport county. Two years later 
he resumed the pastoral position which he had left at Salem, 
but after another jieriod of controversy extending over nearly 
another two years, he was duly banished from that colony by 
the solemn and decorous pronunciamento of the general court. 
This action was not an unusual one in those times, but was con- 
sistent with the laws under whicli they lived, and in harmony 
with the general tone of popular sentiment. The banishment 
of a member for teaching doctrines in opposition to (heir ac- 
cepted laws was no more an exhibition of intolerance than the 
execution of any punishment for the violation of law at the 
present time. The difference is in the color of the glass through 
which we look. 

But it is not purposed here to discuss the propriety or ex- 
pediency of the banishment of Williams. We have only to 
deal with the fact. The order of banishment was dated Sep- 
tember 8d, 1635, and the language was as follows : 

"Whereas Mr. Roger Williams, one of the elders of the 
church of Salem, hath broached and dyvulged dyvers newe and 
dangerous opinions, against the aucthoritie of magistrates, as 
also writ letters of defamacion, both of the magistrates and 
churches here, and that before any conviction, and yet maine- 
taineth the same without retraccion, it is therefore ordered, 
that the said Mr. Williams shall departe out of this jurisdiccion 
within six weekes nowe next ensueinge, which if he neglect to 
performe, it shall be lawfuU for the Governor and two of the 
magistrates to send him to some place out of this jurisdiccion, 
not to return any more without licence from the Court." 

A strong character will always draw to itself strong adherents. 
So Williams had many ardent friends and followers. The 
rumor gained credence that a new colony was thus to be formed, 
and the fears that under his leadership such a colony would be 
planted somewhere near their own, wjiich must of course be 
weakened by withdrawals of members to form the new one, 
prompted the general court again to consider the matter, and 
on January 11th they resolved to send Williams to England, 
But before the messengers sent to apprehend him readied Salem 



HISTORY OF NEWI'OUT COUNTY. 15 

he had taken hi.s departure, journeying through the wilderness 
southward. Some account oL' his movements is given in his own 
language at a subsequent time, as follows : 

" I first pitched and began to build and plant at Seekonk, 
now Eehoboth, but I received a letter I'roni my ancient friend, 
Mr. Winslow, then Governor of Plymouth, professing his own 
and others love and respect to me, yet lovingly advising me, 
since I was fallen into the edge of their bounds, and they were 
loth to displease the Bay, to remove to the other side of the 
water, and then, lie said, I had the country free before me, and 
might be as free as themselves, and we should be loving neigh- 
bors together." 

After leaving Salem in January, as we have seen, he was, as 
he says,, "sorely tossed, for fourteen weeks, in a bitter winter 
season," between Plymouth and Seekonk, where he fixed his 
habitation in the following spring. After remaining but a 
short time he heeded the warning of his friend Governor Wins- 
low, and embarking in a canoe with live associates sailed across 
the water and up Providence river to the point where he estab- 
lished his plantation in May or early June, 1636. In his sojourn 
in the wilderness he was sheltered and fed by friendly Indians, 
and on his way to the site of his jilantation he was greeted by 
others in the same amicable manner. With the Indians Wil- 
liams continued to maintain friendly relations. He purchased 
land of them, the chiefs at that time being Canonicus and his 
nephew, Miantonomi, both of whom made their residence gen- 
erally on the island of this county which perpetuates the name 
of the former. Williams, with his twelve associates, founded the 
settlement of Providence on a more broad, civil platform, and 
one in which entire freedom from ecclesiastical character was 
aimed at. 

It was well for the new settlement that the friendship of the 
Narragansett Indians had been cultivated, for about this time 
the great chief of the Pequods, Sassacus, was growing in bitter 
determination to annihilate the whites and subdue the Indians 
of all the country adjoining his own territor}^ In the expe- 
dition which the English sent under Capt. John Mason in 16:37 
to break the power of this threatening monarch, Miantonomi, 
with two hundred of his bravest Narragansett warriors, joined 
as against a common foe. Thus augmented, and with the addi- 
tion of other Indians from the Niantics and the rebellious Pe- 



16 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

qiuxls under Uncas, the forces of Mason nnmbei'ed about live 
liundred strong. 

Attackiuo; the Peqnod fort at Mystic at earlj' dawn of a June 
morning, taking it by surprise, this force with wild vengeance 
applied fire and sword relentlessly, till seven hundred victims 
had fallen. The fleeing remnant of the nation were pursued 
along the sound shore westward, with sad slaughter by the way, 
until the remnant were overtaken and captured near Fairfield, 
except that Sassacus and a few others escaped to the Mohawks, 
only to meet death at their hands. 

Thus the great nation of the Pequods was wiped out, and the 
English settlers breathed free of the terrors on their account 
which had made residence in the new country peculiarly 
hazardous. 

Though the scenes of the Pequod war were enacted in other 
fields than Newport county the influences exerted here must 
have amounted to a powerful factor in the means which brought 
such auspicious results to tiie white settlers of both this locality 
and Massachusetts bay. The scenes which took place here, on 
Conanicut island, perhaps turned the tide of events, and in their 
final development gave to the white settlers an overvvhelniiiig 
victory for all time instead of a complete extermination of their 
feeble numbers by the combined forces of the bloodthirstj' sav- 
ages. The Pequod embassadors sent to secure the cooperation 
of the Narragansett Indians were already in conference with 
Canonicus and Miantouomi on the island of Conanicut, when 
Roger Williams, being apprized of ilieir movements and pur- 
poses, came down the bay to intercede with his friends, the 
Narragansett sachems. Thougli the latter had already entered 
into negotiations with the Pequods to join them in their war 
upon the whites, ^yilliams threw all his energies into the cause, 
and at the imminent risk of his life, for three days and three 
nights labored by entreaty, argument and expostulation, to pre- 
vent the proposed alliance. His efforts were at last crowned 
with success, the proposed compact was completely nullified 
and the friendly relatiojis of the Narragansetts with the colon- 
ists fully established. 

History can never tell what direful results would have fol- 
lowed had it not been for that interview on Conanicut and the 
herculean struggle of Williams' superior intellect with that of 
the untutored savages. But the aspects which seem to have 



HISTORY OF NEVVPOUT COUNTY. 17 

been entirely changed by it, vvlieii the fate of a coming nation 
hnng quivering in tlie balance, strongly suggest that bnt for 
that interview the feeble colonies of white settlers then in New 
England might have been completely annihilated before the 
sweep of tomahawk and tirebrand, wielded without mercy by 
reckless savage hands. 

While the field was being prejDared for the occupation of a 
new race by the confirmation of friendly relations with the Nar- 
ragansetts, and the removal of possible danger from the hostile 
Peqnods, agencies were at work in Massachusetts bay piepar- 
ing the seed which was soon to be planted here, as the nucleus 
of civilization in Newjiort county. We turn now to look briefly 
at the working of those agencies and the development of their 
results. 

From the early days of the Christian church, when the apos- 
tle James wrote his general epistle, there have been at times 
liersons who taught the doctrine that faith in Christ relieves 
those holding it from all obligation to keep the moial law. 
Those holding this doctrine were called Antinomians. The doc- 
trine appeared in Germany in the time of Luther, by whom it 
was vigorously opposed, and in England during the protector- 
ate of Cromwell, when some of its votaries maintained that "as 
the elect cannot fall from grace nor forfeit the divine favor, any 
wicked actions which they may commit are not really sinful ; 
and that consequently, they have no need to confess their sins 
or to break them off by repentance."" It appeared again in the 
following century, when its supporters maintained that it was a 
logical consequence from the doctrines taught by Calvin. From 
England the doctrine was brought to the new settlements in 
America by Mrs. Anne Hutchinson, a lady of considerable cul- 
ture and liberal education, who arrived in Boston September ISth, 
1634. She became a member of the Boston church, and rapidly 
acquired influence. Meetings of the women of the church were 
held under her direction, in which she taught her peculiar relig- 
ious speculations. Among them was the tenet that the person 
of the Holy Spirit dwells in every believer, and that the inward 
revelations of the Spirit, the conscious judgments of the mind, 
are of paramount authority. Among those who accepted her 
doctrines were Henry Vane, John Cotton and John Wheel- 
wright and nearly the whole Boston church. The neighboring 
churches and clergy however, were strongly opposed to them. 



18 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

The contest in 1636 became violent and all-pervading. Bancroft 
says, — "The dispute infused its spirit into everj'thing ; it inter- 
fered with the levy of troops for the Pequot war; it influenced 
the respect sliown to the magistrates, the distribution of town 
lots, the assessment of rates ; and at last the continued exist- 
ence of the two opposing parties was considered inconsistent 
with the public peace." 

The peculiar tenets of Mrs. Hutchinson were among a long 
catalogue of opinions which were condemned as erroneous by 
an ecclesiastical synod held at Newtown, Mass., Atigust 30th, 
1637, and in the following November she was tried by the general 
court, and together with a number of her associates sentenced 
to banishment fi'om the territory of Massachusetts. 

Nineteen of these exiled colonists, under the leadership of 
Jolin Clarke and William Coddington, were welcomed by Roger 
Williams to establish a plantation near him, and by his recom- 
mendation purchased of tlie Indians the island of Aquidneck, 
now known as Rhode Island. Here a body politic was formed 
on democratic principles, in which no one was to be "accounted 
a delinquent for doctrine." Mrs. Hutchinson, with her hus- 
band and sons, joined the new settlement, and remained there 
until 1642. wlien, her husband having died, she removed with 
her family into the territory of the Dutch near New York, 
where during the following year she died at the hands of the 
Indians who were then at war with the Dutch. 

We are now prepared to consider the actual circumstances of 
the purchase and settlement. 

Tile initial part of what is now tlie county of Newport was 
the insular territory. Of that, the island lying in the bay, 
against tlie northern part of Rhode Island, now known as 
Prudence, but called by the Indians Chibachuwese, was the first 
purchase from the Indians of wliich we have any knowledge- 
This was first i)urchased by one Mr. Oldham, as will shortly be 
seen, upon conditions of settlement which were not fulfilled, 
hence the sale was void. Later it was sold to Roger Williams 
and Governor Winthrop. The date of these transactions is not 
known, but it was probably some time during the year 1636. 
The i)urchase was made of the two chiefs, Canonicus and Mian- 
tonomi. Previous to the transaction Roger Williams wrote to 
Goveinor Winthrop in regard to his motives and purposes that 
"Cannonnicus gave an Island in this Bay to Mr. Oldham, by 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 19 

name Chibackuwesa, uppon condition as it should seem, that 
he would dwell there neare unto them. The Lord (in whose 
hands all our hearts are) turning tlieare affections towards my- 
selfe, they desired me to remove thither and dwell nearer to 
them. I have answered once and againe, that for the present I 
mind not to remove; but if I have it from them, I would give 
them satisfaction for it, and build a little house and put in some 
swine, as understandinge the place to have store of fish and good 
feedinge for swine. Of late I have heard, that Mr. Gibbons, 
upon occasion, motioned your desire and his own of putting 
some swine on some of these islands, which hath made me more 
desire to obtain it, because I might thereby not onley benefit 
myselfe, but also pleasure yourselfe, whom I more desire to 
please and honour. I spoke of it now to this sachem, and he 
tells me, that because of the store of fish, Cannonnicus desires 
that I would accept halfe, (it being spectacle-wise, and between 
a mile or two in circuit, as I guess) and he would reserve the 
other ; but I think if I goe over, I shall obtain the whole." 

But the first definite and most important transfer of the ex- 
tensive insular lands of this county was made in the year 1637. 
The following is a copy of this conveyance : 

" The 24th of ye 1st month called March in ye yeare (soe com- 
monly called) 1637. 

" Memorandum. That we Cannonnicus and Miantunnomu ye 
two chiefe Sachims of the Nanhigccansitts, by virtue of our 
Generale command of this Bay, as allso the perticuhir subject- 
Inge of the dead Sachims of Acquednecke and Kitackamuck- 
qutt, tliemselves and land unto us, have sold unto Mr. Cod- 
dington and his friends united unto him, the great Island of 
Acquednecke lyinge from hence Eastward in this Bay, as allso 
the marsh or grasse upon Quinunicutt and the rest of the Islands 
in the Bay (exceptinge Chibacliuwesa formerlj^ souhl unto Mr. 
Winthrop, the now Governour of tiie Massachusetts and Mr. 
Williams of Providence) ; allso the grasse upon tlie livers and 
coves about Kitickamuckqutt and from these to Paupausquatch, 
for the full payment of forty fathom of white beads, to be 
equally divided between us. In witnessH whereof we have here 
subscribed. 

'■^ Item. That by givinge by Miantunnomus' ten coates and 
twenty howes to the present inluibitants, they shall remove 



20 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

themselves from off the Island before next winter. Witness 
onr hands. 

"Themarkeof X Caunonnious 
" In the presence of 
" Ye marke of X Yotuesh 

"Roger Williams 

" The marke of X Miantunnomu 

"Randall Holden 

" Ye marke of X Assotemuet 

"Ye marke of X Mishammoh 

"Caunonious, his son." 

Other memoranda relating to the transaction have been pre- 
served, among the most interesting of which are the following : 

"This witnesseth that I, Wanamatraunemit ye at present 
sachem, inhabitant of ye Island, have received five fathom of 
wampum and doe consent to the contents. Witness my hand. 

Ye marke of Wanamataunewit 
" In ye presence of 

Randall Holden." 

" Memorandum. That T, Ousamequin, freely consent that 
Mr. William Coddington and his friends United unto him shall 
make use of anygrasse or trees on ye maineland on Powakasick 
side, and doe promise loveinge and just carriage of myselfe and 
all my men to the said Mr. Coddington and Englisli his friends 
united to him, havinge received of Mr. Coddington five fathom 
of wampum as gratuity from himselfe and the rest. 

" Dated the 6th of the fifth month, 1638. 

" Ye marke of X Ousamequin 
" Witnesse 
Roger Williams, 
Randall Holden." 

Existing receipts from Miantunnomu, Weshaganesett, Wani- 
menatoni and Canonnicus show that during the year 1639 Cod- 
dington and his associates paid to the Indians at different times, 
to satisfy tliem for this purchase, twenty fathoms wampum, 
twenty-five coats, thirteen hoes and two "tarkepes." The In- 
dians now removed from the island of Aquidneck and its 
neighboring islands, and surrendered them to the peaceable 
and undisputed possession of the white purchasers. The first 
settlement was made at Pocasset, in the northern part of the 
island, near the present village of Portsmouth. 



HISTORY OF NE\\ rt)i:r COUNTY. 21 

• William Coddington, wliose name appears prominent in the 
first pim-hase of lands of this county, was previous to that, one 
ol the magistrates of the Massachusetts colony. He was one of 
a company of nineteen persons who associated themselves to- 
gether at Boston for the purpose of settling as a colony at some 
place southward, and accordingly sent out a committee of their 
nnmber to select a i)lace and secure territory upon which to 
locate. They made choice of the beautiful islands and shores of 
Narragansett bay, as has been seen, and two and a half cen- 
turies of enlightened progress confirms the wisdom of their 
choice. The deed was taken, as we have seen, in the name of 
'* William Coddington and his friends." It was so held by 
Coddington until April 14th, 1G52, when he executed an instru- 
ment transferring all rights which he might claim under the 
deed to the company of which himself was but a single member, 
holding equal rights with the others 

Soon after the jmrchase of the " plantation " the settlers who 
located upon it entered into a compact, of which the following 
is a copy : 

" The 7th day of the first month, 1638. 
" We whose names are underwritten do here solemnly in the 
presence of Jehovah incorporate ourselves into a Bodie Politick 
and as he shall help, will submit our persons, lives and estates 
unto our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of 
Lords and to all those perfect and most absolute lawes of his 
given us in his holy word of truth, to be guided and judged 
thereby. 

Exod. 24. 3, 4. William Coddington, 

2 Cron. 11. 3. John Clarke, 

2 Kings. 11. 17. William Hutchinsois-, Jr., 

John Cogqkshall, 
William Aspinwall, 
Samuel Wilbore, 
John Porter, 
John Sanford, ■- 
Edward Hutchinson, Jr., Esq., 
Thomas Savage, 
William Dyre, 
William Freeborne,' 
Phillip She.xrman, 
John Walker, 



22 history of newport county. 

Richard Carder, 

WiLMAM BaULSTON, 

Edward Hutchinson, Sen'r., 
Henry* X Bulle, his niarke, 
Randall Holden." 

William Coddington was chosen a judge and the little colony 
promised to "yield all due honour unto him according to the 
lawes of God." At the same time William Aspinwall was ap- 
pointed secretary and William Dyre was made " Clarke of this 
Body." 

Meetings of the colony were held at irregular intervals, some- 
times of a week or two and sometimes of a month or more, 
whenever occasion demanded, which in those primitive days 
was frequent. At these meetings laws and orders were passed, 
lands allotted to individual settlers, and provision made for the 
needs of the colony in various directions as those needs ap- 
peared. 

The colony flourished during the year 1638, and such was its 
rapid growth and the prospects of future prosperity that it was 
soon deemed expedient and desirable that a new colony or em- 
bryo town should be estid)lished on the southern part of the 
island. On the 28th of April, 1639, William Coddington and 
eight others decided to found such a plantation, and the steps 
which followed resulted in the foundation of what afterward 
became the town, and still later the city of Newport. Though 
the official vote which constituted thehrst act toward establish- 
ing the new settlement bears the above mentioned date, the 12th 
of May is the traditional date on which the settlement was be- 
gun. This is attested by the inscription on the monument to 
the memory of William Coddington, which marks his resting 
place in the burial ground on Farewell street, near the Second 
Baptist church in Newport. It is a stone slab, standing in the 
middle of the plot, and bears the following legend of the time 
of which we are writing : 

" THIS MONUMENT Erected by the Town of Newport on 
the 12th day of May, 1839, being the Second Centennial Anni- 
versary of the settlement of this Town ; To the memory of 
WILLIAM CODDINGTON, ESQ. That illustrious man, who 
iirst purchased this Island from the Narragansett Sachems 
Canonicus and Miantunomo for, and on account of himself and 
Seventeen others his associates in the purchase and settlement. 



HISTORY OF NKWPORT COUNTY. 23 

" He presided manj' years as chief Magistrate of the Island — 
and Colony of Rhode Ishxnd — and died much respected and 
lamented on the 1st day of November 1678, Aged 78 Years— 
and was here interred." 

If we may be jjardoned for the digression, we would linger in 
this ancient burial place a moment longer to speak of two or 
three others of the first settlers of this island whose remains lie 
buried here. Doubtless beneath the grass and in spots other- 
wise half hidden in this enclosure 

" Tlieie lie memorial stones whence time ha* gnawed 
The graven legends ; " 

but the "legends" upon some of them are still intelligible. 
Among them is a monument to Henry Bull, " Late Governor of 
this Colony aged 85 years deceased January 22d 169f. He was 
one of the eighteen original purchasers of this Island who set- 
tled the town of Pocassett or Portsmouth in 1638 ; and one of 
the eight who settled the town of Newport in 1639." Others 
bear the inscriptions of William James, Sr., who died October 
19, 1697 ; John Easton, governor, wlio died in 1705 ; and Edward 
Thurston, who died in 1706. 

A little confusion appears to exist in regard to the exact 
number of the first settlers here. It §eems probable that one of 
the nineteen, Randall Holden, was not a member of the com- 
pany at the time the purchase was made, but joined or re- 
joined it about the time the compact was entered into. He then 
a few years later separated from tlie company. Hence we find 
the original number of settlers spoken of sometimes as eighteen 
and at other times as nineteen. 

We now behold the island of Aquidneck with two settlements 
in active and prosperous existence upon it. Tlie usual labors of 
a new settlement engrossed their attention. What with break- 
ing roads, clearing up woods, exterminating wolves and foxes, 
opening a trade in lumber, building vessels and laying the 
foundations of a well established and regulated local govern- 
ment, these towns were soon advanced to a more prosperous 
and important position than their elder sister. Providence. 
During the summer of 1638 Richard Dummer began building a 
mill. For tliis public convenience he was granted a share in 
the common proprietorship equal to a €150 estate. In the lat- 
ter part of the same year Mr. Esson was encouraged to build a 
water mill for the use of the plantation, and for that use he was 



24 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

permitted to fall and carry away any timber that might be 
necessary. At this j^eriod the general meeting of the people 
empowered creditors to sell property of absconded debtors, also 
appointed men to trade with the Indians, and fixed the rates at 
which venison should be bought and sold. These prices were 
three half pence a potind to be paid for it in trade with the In- 
dians, and two pence a pound was the price at which it was to 
be sold, a farthing to each pound to be returned into the public 
treasury as revenue. On training days all men able to bear 
arms, between the ages of sixteen and fifty years, were required 
to exercise in military drill. In 1639 fences of either hedge or 
post-and-rail were required to be made around corn ground. 
Keepers wei'e appointed for the cattle which ran at large in the 
common pasturage, from April 15th to November 1st. The set- 
ting of fire on any lands for purposes of clearing was forbidden, 
excei^t during certain specified days in March. This indicates 
the prevalence of a custom of burning grass and shrubs. Stocks 
and whipping posts were among the first institutions set up for 
the public weal in these jjrimitive towns. The fields and woods 
were held largely in common, and the falling of timber, which 
was plentiful here, was regulated by the towns. Those who 
were licensed to cut timber and saw it into lumber were forbid- 
den to sell any lumber outside of the town or to any one in the 
town without license from the proper authorities. The prices, 
which were then regulated by law, were eight shillings per hun- 
dred for inch boards and seven shillings per hundred for half 
inch boards ; and twelve pence per foot for clap-boards and 
palings. 

On the 12th of March, 1640, a compact amounting to a gov- 
ernment was entered into by a union of the two towns occupy- 
ing the island. It was agreed that this should be under a gov- 
ernor or deputy governor and assistants. The governor and 
two assistants were to be chosen from one town and the deputy 
and two other assistants from the other town. The governor 
and all his assistants were invested with the authority of jus- 
tices of the p6ace. The election of all town officers was now ef- 
fected by the united towns. The first officers of the primitive 
state thus oi'ganized were : William Coddington, governor ; 
William Brenton, deputy governor; Nicholas Easton, John 
Coggeshall', William Hutchinson and John Porter, assistants ; 
William Dyre, secretary, and Henry Bull, sergeant. The term 



IIISTOKY OF NKWl'OKT COUNTY. 25 

of tlieir offices was one year. A more full estahlislnnent of the 
government was elfected at a general court (jf the two towns 
held on the 6th of May following. Among the acts passed at 
that time the following are some of the most interesting: 

" 13. Whereas, it was desired that all the orders and Laws 
formerlie recorded in this Book of State should be oi)enlie read, 
l^erused and examined by this present Courte assembled ; Be it 
known, therefore, that it hatli been so done; and sucli as were 
disallowed are repealed, and so noted in the Margent, and the 
rest are ratified, and stand in full force, though the title of the 
Magistrates be altered. 

"14. In regard to the many Incursions our Island is subject 
unto, and that an Alarum be necessary foi' the .safe securing 
thereof; Be it therefore eiuicted, that in each plantation there 
bee this forme dulie observed. That as soon as a notice is given 
of any probable Incursion, that then forthwith Three Musketts 
be distinctly discharged, and the Drum or Drummers inces- 
santly to beat an Alarum ; and that forthwith each Man bearing 
amies shall repair to the coalers, which sliall be lodged at ye 
Chief Magistrates House in each Plantation, as he will answer 
it at his perill. 

"1/5. It is ordered, that the Governour with the Assistants 
shall write to Plymouth about their Title of the Maine Land 
Grass. 

"16. It is ordered, that all su<'li who shall have a House lott 
granted unto them within any of our Townes, shall build a 
House thereon within a year after the Grant thereof, or else it 
shall be forfeited to the Townes use. Repealed. 

"17. It is ordered, that Commission be directed to the Treas- 
urers to make demands of all such inonies as are due to the 
Treasury for the Lands assigned forth to particular men, and to 
make return of all such who shall be therein remiss, at the next 
particular Courte who are to be ordered thei'eby according to 
Law. 

" 18. It is ordered, that the particular Courts, consisting of 
Magistrates and Jurors shall be holden on the first Tuesday of 
each month ; and one Courte to be held at Nieuport, the other 
at Portsmouth ; and that the .sayd Court shall have full powre 
to Judge and determine all such cases and actions as shall be 
presented." 

August 6th, 1640, the general court passed further enact- 



26 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

ments requiring that all men liable to bear arms slioiild appear 
completely armed with musket and jiike and all their "furni- 
ture," at the places respective!}' designated, " by Eight of the 
clock in the morning, at the second beat of the Drnm, on such 
dayes as they are appointed to Traine ; " that " eight severall 
times in the j'eare the Bands of each Plantation shall openlie 
in the field be exercised and discii>lined by their Commanders 
and Officers : " that there should be two general masters an- 
nually, one in Newport and one in Portsmouth : that a fine of 
five shillings should be paid by any delinquent : that a fine of 
twelve pence should he paid for every failure to come properly 
equipped: that when a general muster should be held in one 
town a sufficient guard should be set in the other town : that all 
men remaining twenty days or longer upon the island should 
be liable to do duty in the training bands : that herdsmen and 
lightermen detained by their employments should be excused 
for absence on training days on payment of half the fine : that 
the two chief officers of each town — one of the commonwealth 
and the other of the band — should judge the validity of all ex- 
cuses of this kind : that each town should have the transaction 
of its own local affairs, the magistrates of each having liberty 
to call a court on the first Tuesday of each month, wherein 
actions might be entered, juries impaneled and causes tried 
(but they were to have no jurisdiction over cases involving 
" life and limb,") and whence appeals might be taken to the 
quarter sessions : and that the two general courts of the year 
should be held on the first Wednesday after the 12th of March 
and 12th of October resj^ectively. The time t)f holding the 
quarter sessions was subsequently fixed on the Tuesdays pre- 
ceding the general court days, and ou the first Tuesdays in Jan- 
uary and July. 

The Indian question is a perplexing one even to this great 
nation, with all its advancement, its great wealth, its sixty 
million people and its territory expanding from ocean to ocean. 
Of how much more pressing importance and grave perplexity 
must it have been to the handful of inhabitants of this little 
island who composed the government whose history we are re- 
viewing. Governor Coddington and his assistants, on the 7th 
of July, 1640, entered into a treaty with Miantonomi and his 
associates, sachems of the Narragansett Indians, as follows : 

" That no Indian whatever, under his jurisdiction shall eyther 



1I1!^T()I!V OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 27 

Winter or Summer, kindle or cause to be kindled any tires upon 
our Lands, but such as they shall put forth immediately again 
upon their departure ; Provided, that no hurt or damage be 
done thereby upon or after the kindling of the said tire ; or if it 
so fall out, that hurt or damage be done by their kindling of 
fire, then ye damage to be adjudged and they to be tryed by our 
Law. 

" That in lieu of a Eoore yt belonged to the Island, killed by 
an Indian, the said Indian shall paj^ ten fadome of beads at 
harvest next. 

" That no trapp or Engine l)e sett by them upon the Island, 
to take or stroye the deare or other cattle thereon. 

" That if any Indian shall be unruly, or will not depart our 
houses when they are bidden, they are to carry them to the 
Governour or other Magistrate, and they shall be punished ac- 
cording to their demerit. And further, that for any common 
or small crime he shall receive his punishment according to Law; 
and for anj^ matters of greater weight exceeding the value of 
ten fadome of beads, then Miantonomy is to be sent for, who is 
to come and see the Tryal. But if it be a Sachem that hath 
offended, though in smaller matters, then he is also to be sent 
for, and to see his tryall and Judgment, who hath promised to 
come. 

" That no Indian shall take any Cannew from the English, 
neyther from their Boatside or shoreside, and the like not to be 
done by them. 

" That upon their trading and bargaining, having agreed, 
they shall not revoke the said bargaine or take their goods away 
by force, and that they shall not be Idling about nor resort t<j 
our houses, but for trade, Message, or in their Journeys." 

As imi)rovements were made and the need of more detinite- 
ness in boundaries of estates appeared, the dividing line be- 
tween the two towns was established. The act of the general 
court by which this was done bears date September 14th, 1G40, 
and its language is as follows : 

"It is agreed and ordered, by the unanimous consent of this 
Courte, that a line of division be drawn between the Townes of 
Newport and Portsmouth, as the bounds of fhe Lands of 
each Towne, Yidg't. 

"The .s"d Line to begin half a mile beyond the River com- 
monlie called Sachuis River, being the River that lies ne.\t be- 



28 HISTORY OP" NEWPORT COUXTY. 

yond Mr. Brentons Land on the Sonth East side of the Island 
towards Portsmoutli, and so t)n in a strai<i;lit line to rnn to tlie 
nearest part of the Broolc to the hunting Wigwamm, now 
standing in the highway between the two Towns, and so by that 
line to the sea on the INorrh side of the Island, which line shall 
be and is the Bounds between the Two Townes, and to be sett 
out by marked Trees ; And that Mr. Easton and Mr. Porter, 
and Mr. Jeffreys and Mr. Sanford shall lay out this Line by the 
first of November ensuing." 

The two towns now carried on a sort of government in con- 
federation. The assembly of the people was called the general 
court. Notwithstanding the generally jieaceable relations with 
the Indians, which had been established, the people were not 
entirely at ease about their safety. Military regulations were 
not neglected. On the 14th of September the general court 
passed the following order in respect to their defenses : 

"It was further ordered, that Two Barrels of Gunn Powder 
be alwaye readie in the Treasury of each Towne, with Bulletts 
and match : and that provision be forthwith hereof made by 
the Treasurers; and that also the Treasurers shall provide Thirty 
two pikes to lye by alway in readiness in the Magazines of each 
Towne." 

The character of the government, wliich then consisted of the 
two towns, Portsmouth and Newjjort, was defined more speci- 
fically than it had previously been, at a meeting of the people 
in general court in March, 1641. The expression of that senti- 
ment was made in the following form of language : 

"It is ordered and unanimously agreed upon, that the Gov- 
ernment which this Bodie Politick doth attend unto in this Is- 
land, and the jurisdiction thereof, in favor of our Prince, is a 
Democracie, or Popular Government ; that is to say, It is the 
Powre of the Body of Freemen orderly assembled, or the major 
part of them, to make or constitute Just Lawes, by which they 
will be regulated, and to depute from among themselves such 
Ministers as shall see them faithfully executed between Man 
and Man." 

"It was further ordered, by the authority of this present 
Courte, that none be accounted a delinquent for Doctrine : 
Provided, it be not directly repugnant to ye Government or 
Lawes established." 

The last order was subsequently ratified by the same court at 



HISTORY OF NEVrPORT COUNTY. 29 

another meeting. Other regulations of importance were passed 
at the date last mentioned, some of which are of interest suf- 
ficient to warrant their reproduction here. 

"It is ordered, that no Fiers shall be kindled by any what- 
soever to runn at randome, eyther in Medows or Woods ; but 
what by hiui that so kindled it shall forthwith be put out, that 
it damnifie none. And that if damage shall accrew, satisfaction 
to the utmost shall be awarded." 

"It is ordered, that a Manual Seale shall be provided for the 
State, and that the Signett or Engraving thereof, shall be a 
sheafeof Arrows bound up, and in tiie Lies or Bond, this motto 
indented : Amor vincet omnia." 

" It was then ordered, that a Line be draweii and a way be 
cleared between the Townes of Nuport and Portsmouth by re- 
moving of the wood and mowing it ; that drift Cattle may suf- 
ficiently pass." 

General courts of election were held annually in March ; they 
usually occupied two or three days. At this time officers for 
the coming year were elected, necessary regulations made and 
the trial of such individual cases as were brought before them 
attended to. Other general courts were held in September. At 
the latter court for 1641 setting of traps for deer was forbidden 
under a penalty of five pounds, except within private enclosed 
grounds. Indians were at the same time forbidden to peel the 
bark off from trees or to fall them. The following cui'ious and 
interesting acts were passed at the same sessi(m. 

"It is ordered, that Mr. Robert Jeoffreys shall be authorized 
to exercise the function of Chirurgerie." 

."It is ordered, that the Indian Corne shall goe at four shil- 
lings a bushell between man and man in all Payments for debts 
made from this day forward : Provided it be Merchantable." 

" The Court doth order and Proclayrae a General Pardon of 
all offences that have been presented to and given in this 
Pre.sent Sessions." 

Notwithstanding the liberality of this government, the char- 
acter and conduct of its citizens were closely investigated, and 
when they were found to deviate from the j^opular standard 
they were pi-omptly dealt with. This will be best shown by 
quoting from the records of the general court. In March, 1642, 
we find the following: 

It is ordered, that Richard Carder, Randall Holden, Samp- 



u 



30 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTy. 

son Shatton and Robert Potter, are disfranchised of the Priv- 
iledges and Prerogatives belonging to the Body of this State, 
and that their names be ciinrelled out of tlie record. 

"It is farther ordered, that George Parlver and John Briggs 
are suspended their votes till they have given satisfaction for 
their offences. 

" It is further ordered, that Mr. Lenthall being gone for Eng- 
land, is suspended his vote in Election." 

What the (^flenses charged against these men were does not 
fully appear in the record, but other evidences show that in the 
case of those mentioned in the first paragraph at least they 
were of a political character, viz.: that of denying the riglit of 
the people here to exercise the functions of a state as they were 
doing. There were men among the early settlers who held that 
English subjects had no right to organize a government of their 
own, as the settlers of several towns had done, and as those of 
Portsmouth and Newport were doing. These men claimed that 
no government could lawfully be erected here without the con- 
sent and authority of the crown. They opposed the idea of 
the democracy which the people of Aqnidneck had declared 
their government to be. Such ap[)ear to have been the views 
held by the company of men who made the settlement of War- 
wick, and such were the views of the five men — Holden, Weeks, 
Carder, Shatton and Potter — who were disfranchised here, as 
shown in the above paragraph, Tlie degree of bitterness to 
which this controversy arose is suggested by a subsequent act 
of the general court to the effect tliat should those men "come 
upon the Island armed they shall be by the Constable (calling 
him sufficiently aside) disarmed and carried before the Magis- 
trate, and there find sureties for theirgood behaviour; and fur- 
ther belt established, that if that course shall not regulate them 
or any of tliem, then a further dew and lawfuU course by the 
Magistrates shall be taken in their Sessions : Provided, that 
this order hinder not the course of Law already begun with J. 
Weeks." 

These men joined with others holding similar views, and in 
January, 1642-3, founded the settlement of Warwick, upon 
the site called by the Indians Shawomet. The Indian deed 
from Miantonomi to thatcompany, in which those names among 
others appear, bore date January 12th, 1642. The leading spirit 
in the founding of that plantation was one Samuel Gorton, one 



HISTOIIY OF NEWPOIIT COUNTY. 31 

of those restless, pushing men, wlio tlioiight for themselves, 
and had determination sufficient to prompt them to curry out 
their ideas, even in the face of violent opposition. Gorton 
denied the right of all government here that had not for its 
foundation the authority of the crown of England. As a con- 
sequence he denied the right of the colonies of either Aquid- 
neck or Providence to exercise any of the functions of govern- 
ment. This brought him into collision with the magistrates 
here, and he was banished from the island. He then disturbed 
the peace of Providence by his teachings, and finally withdrew 
with his followers and founded the plantation of Warwick. 
Greene, in his history of Rhode Island continues this subject 
in regard to him in the following words : 

" This brought him into open hostility with Massachusetts, 
which having alreadi^ cast longing eyes upon the commercial 
advantages of Narragansett Bay, was secretly endeavouring to 
establish a claim to all the land on its shores. Hostile words 
were soon followed b_y hostile acts. Gorton and his companions 
were besieged in their house by an armed band, compelled to 
surrender, carried by force to Massachusetts, tried for heresy, 
and barelj' escaping the gibbet, condemned to imprisonment 
and irons. A reaction soon followed. Public sentiment came 
to their relief. They were banished indeed from Massachusetts, 
but they were set at liberty and allowed to return to Rhode 
Island. At Aquidneck they were received with the sympathy 
which generous natures ever feel for the victims of persecution, 
and Gorton was raised to an honorable magistracy in the very 
colony wherein he had been openly whipped as a disturber of 
the public peace." 

Thn ideas of the Warwick men seemed to gain some root in 
the minds of others. Whilst the people of Aquidneck may not 
have questioned the lawfulness of their government, however, 
they shortly began to see the expediency of being founded on 
a charter from the crown. Accordingly^ the general court in 
September, 1642. appointed a committee, consisting of the gov- 
ernor, deputy, four assistants, secretary, and three others, viz., 
Capi. Jeoffreys, Capt. Harding and Mr. John Clarke, to con- 
sult about procuring a patent for this island and the neighbor- 
ing islands and lands adjacent. The committee were directed 
to address Sir Henry Vane on the subject, and to send a man 
on the proposed errand with petitions for its accomplishment, 



32 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

at the expense of " the Body." How far this project was 
pushed we do not know, but it was undoubtedly merged in the 
more comin-ehensive plan of securing a patent for the other set- 
tlements of Providence and Warwick in connection with those 
of this island, which was accomplished during the following 
year. 

Before leaving the history of that interesting period when 
Aquidneck was an independent state, let us notice briefly a few 
more of the customs and regulations of the time. Training was 
kept up with enforced regularity, and rules were annually 
made concerning the practice of military exercise. Training 
days were appointed on the first Monday of every month e.x- 
cept January, Februar)-, May and August. Wolves had be- 
come troublesome, and in order to exterminate them various 
means were used. Men were employed by the day to range the 
woods and hunt them down. A premium of thirty shillings 
each was offered for destroying them, in addition to the pay for 
time employed in hunting them. It appears to have been a 
custom with the state to furnish at public expense dinners for 
those who were in attendance at the general court sessions. 
This was soon regarded as a needless burden upon the public 
treasury, and in the year 1642 the custom was abolished. At 
this time great precautions were taken to prevent damage being 
done by the Indians by way of pei'sonal attacks as well as upon 
property, by withholding as much as possible the mealis of 
destruction from the hands of the Indians. To furnisli any In- 
dian who was offensive to the state with warlike weapons or 
ammunition was prohibited under penalty of two pounds for 
the iirst offense and live jjounds for the second offense. The 
pay of jurors was fixed in 1642 at twelve pence each for every 
cause upon which they sat. September IDtli Roger Williams 
was commissioned to agree with Miantonomifor the destruction 
of wolves on the island, but it was specified that they should 
" in no Avay damnifie the English." At the same time the gov- 
ernor and his deputy were authorized to make a treaty of 
commercial exchange with the Dutch. 

March 13th, 1644, the name of the island was changed by 
the following act of the general court : 

"It is ordered by this Court, that the ysland commonly 
called Aquethneck, shall be from henceforth called the Isle of 
Rhodes, or RHODE ISLAND." 



lirWTOHY OF N'KWl'OIiT CUKNTY. 33 

The patent for the Providence Phmtatioiis bears (hite Marcli 
14th, 1643-4. It gave to tlie inhabitants of tlie tovvns of Provi- 
dence, Portsmouth and Newport, a "free and absolnte Ciiarter 
of Incorporation, to be known by tiie name of tiie Incorpora- 
tion of Providence Phintations in the Nairagansett-P.ay, in 
New England. — Together with fnll Power and Anthority to 
rule tiiemselves, and such others as shall hereafter inhabit 
within any Part of the said Trac-t of land, by such a Form of 
Civil Government, as by voluntary consent of all, or the greater 
Part of them, tliey' shall lind most suitable to their Estete and 
Condition." 

At a meeting of the major part of the freemen of the colony 
at Portsmouth May IDtli, -iotli and 21st, 1647, unaniinons agree- 
ment and consent was made to the charter, and it was agreed 
also that Warwick should have the same privileges under the 
charter as were enjoyed by Pi'ovideiice. Laws were adopted 
similar in general tone to those which had previously been in 
force under the union of the two towns of Portsuioufii and New- 
poit, but very much more full and extending to many otiier 
subjects. An order was at this time passed that the seal of the 
i:)i'ovince should be an anchor, which design in general is still 
pieserved on the seal of the state. The moderator of this meet 
ing was John Coggeshall. Among other enactments then 
passed was the following: 

"It is agreed by this present Assembly thus incorp(n-ate and 
by this present act declared, that the form of Government es- 
tablished in Providence Plantations is Democratical ; that is to 
say Government held by ye free and volnntairie consent of all 
or the greatei' part of the free Iidiabitants." 

The first officers then elected were : John Coggeshall, presi- 
dent ; William Dyre, recorder ; Jeremy Clarke, treasurer : and 
Roger Williams, John Sanford, William Coddington and Ran- 
dall Holden, assistants. The latter represented the four towns 
of Providence, Portsmouth, Newport and Warwick. The 
island was then the principal part of the colony, as may be 
seen from the assessment on the different parts of the colony to 
pay the expense incurred by Roger Williams in obtaining the 
patent. Of the one hundred pounds which was raised for this 
purpose fifty was levied on Newport, thirty on Portsmouth, 
twenty on Providence, and nothing was e.xacted of Warwick, 
doubtless out of regard foi' the weak condition of that settle- 

3 



34 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

ment and the fact tliat it was not embraced specifically in tlie 
charter. 

The government of the colony was, however, far from being- 
settled on an established and firm basis. The jealousy of Massa- 
chusetts and her desire to absorb the little colony on the one 
hand, and the fear of Indian invasion on the other, furnished 
continual occasions for unrest to the people, while to still 
further complicate their position William Coddington in 1651 
obtained from England a commission appointing him governor 
for. life over the colony of Rhode Island, and Connecticut as 
well. This virtually opened a new form of government and for 
the time superseded the charter. The govornor was to be as- 
sisted by a council of six. 

The towns of Aquidneck island now sent John Clarke, their 
agent, to England, to secure if possible the annulment of Cod- 
dington's commission. At the same time the mainland towns 
sent Roger Williams to England to secure the confirmation of 
the charter. 

The general court of Providence Plantations November 4th, 
1651, imsrfed the following resolution, which hints at the con- 
dition of things at the time : 

" Whereas, it is evident and apparent that Mr. Nicholas Eas- 
ton being formerly cliosen President of the Province of Provi- 
dence Plantations, hath of late deserted his ofl!ice, and hee, to- 
gether with the two Townes upon Rhode Island, viz, Ports- 
mouth and Newport, have declined and fallen off from that es- 
tablished order of civill government and incorporation amongst 
us, by means of a commission presented upon the sayd island 
by Mr. William Coddington, AVee, the rest of the Townes of 
the sayd jurisdiction, are thereupon constrained to declare our- 
selves, that wee doe professe ourselves unanimously to stand im- 
bodyyed and incorporated as before, by virtue of our Charter, 
granted unto us by that Honorable State of Ould England, and 
thereby do according to our legall and settled order, choose 
and appoint our officers, institute lawes, accordinge to the con- 
stitution of the place and capassitie of our present condition, 
prosecutinge, actinge and executing, in all matters and causes, 
for the doinge of justice, preservation of our peace, and main- 
taininge of all civill rights between man and man, accordinge 
to the Honourable authoritie and true intent of our forsayed 
Charter granted unto us." 



HISTORY <>1<' NEWPOKT COUNTY. 35 

The people at this time seemed rather desirous of courting 
the favor of tlie English crown, for the reason perhaps more 
emphatically than they might otherwise have felt, that the con- 
dition of affairs in their new home was not at all satisfactory, 
and the prospect of maintaining here a government of any kind 
seemed enveloped in darkness, and the only source from which 
they could expect help was from the crown. The following act, 
passed in 1650, exhibits this desire to appear jealous of the 
honor of the crown. 

"Be it enacted by this present Assemblie, that whosoever 
shall speake wordes of disgrace contemptuoixsly undervaluing 
of that Honored State of England, he shall suffer a severe pun- 
ishment according to the judgment of his ])eers, tlieare fault 
being proved by two lawfull witnesses." 

The general court of 1650 ordered that a committee of six men 
from each town should meet four days before the meeting of 
the next general court, and be invested with the authority of 
the full court. They were to be paid by the town that should 
send them two shillings and six pence a day for each man. The 
plan of representation seems to have worked satisfactorily, as 
at the next meeting of the assembly, October 26th, 1650, the 
following record was made : 

"Ordered, that the representative committee for the Colonie 
shall alvvay consist of six discreet, able men, and chosen out of 
each Towne for the transacting of the affaires of the Common- 
wealth ; and being mett, they shall have powre to make and 
establish rules and i)enalties for the ordering of themselves dur- 
ing their sessions." 

From the year 1651 to 1654 the island towns maintained a 
government of their own, while the towns of Providence and 
Warwick claimed to exist under the former charter and main- 
tained as well as they could their charter jirivileges. We quote 
from " Staples' Annals" the following picture of the times : 

"The towns of Providence and Warwick appointed Mr. AVil- 
liams their agent to go to England and solicit a confirmation of 
privileges. In tlie mean time Plymouth and Massachusetts re- 
newed tlieir dis])ute before the United Colonies about Warwick. 
In Sejitember Plymouth was advised to take possession of that 
l)lantation by foice, unless the inliabitants would willingly sub- 
mit themselves to their jurisdiction. This undoubtedly hastened 
the appointment of an agent to England. The proceedings of 



36 IIISTOi;V OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Mr. Coddington were not approved bj^ all the inhal)itants of the 
islands over which he was appointed Governor. Forty-one oi" 
the inhabitants of Portsmouth, and sixty-five of the inhabitants 
of Newjiort joined in requesting Dr. John Clark, of Newport, 
to proceed to England as their agent, and solicit a repeal of his 
commission. Mr. Williams and Mr. Clark sailed together from 
Boston in November. The objects of their respective missions 
were different. Mr. Clark was the sole agent of the island 
towns, to procure a repeal of Mr. Coddington's commission. 
Mr. Williams was the sole agent of Providence and Warwick to 
procure a new charter for these two towns. It seems to have 
been admitted that the commission of Mr. Coddington had in 
effect vacated the previous charter." 

The commission of Coddington covered in its jurisdiction the 
islands of Rhode Island and Conanicut. This, it was said, was 
then the greater jiart of that which had been under the charter 
of the Providence Plantations. While the Gortonists (fol- 
lowers of Samuel Gorton at Warwick) and tlie people of 
Showomut were raising money to send Williams to England for 
the purposes already mentioned, Mr. William Arnold at the 
time wrote concerning the movement as follows : 

"It is a great petie and very unfitt that such a company as 
these are, they all stand professed enemies against all the United 
Colonies, that they should get a charter for so small a quantity 
of land as lyeth in and al)out Providence, Showomut, Pautuxit 
and Coicett, all which now Rhode Island is taken out from it, 
it is but a strape of land lying in betweene the colonies of Mas- 
sachusits, plymouth and Conitaquot, by which means if they 
should get them a charter, off it there may come some mischiefe 
and trouble upon the whole country if their project be not pre- 
vented in time, for under the pretence of liberty of conscience 
about these partes there comes to live all the scume tlie runne 
awayes of the country, which in tyrae for want of better order 
may bring a heavy burthen upon the land." 

In the midst of this period of disorganized government war 
broke out between England and Holland, and these hostilities 
affected quite directly the towns on Narragansett Bay, espec- 
ially Newport, which was then engaged in a profitable com- 
merce with the Dutch. Meanwhile the agents in England had 
obtained permission for the colony to act under tlie charter un- 
til a more thorough investigation of the questions in which it 



IlISTOUV (IF NK'.VroliT COUXTY. Si 

was involved could be had and a more mature derision l)e ar- 
rived at. The island towns, on account of their superior num- 
bers and importance tiow claimed the piivileges and riii,lits oT 
the charter, and that they were the proper descendants of the 
government which for about three years had been divided. 
They accordingly proceeded to act in the matter of prospective 
relations with the Dutch, and in the name and by the authority 
of the colony of the Providence Plantations, commissioned 
John Underhill, Edward Hull and William Dyre to make 
treaties with the Dutch or to provide for defense against them. 
Against this action Providence and Warwick strongly protested. 
They declared that if they were drawn into any such complica- 
tion by the unwarranted action of the island towns they would 
appeal to the crown. 

They then passed an edict disfranchising all those persons 
in the colonj^ who should own the commission of Underhill, 
Hall and Dyre. Thus the colony was sorely disquieted by the 
conilict of two factions, each claiming the heritage of the char- 
ter. Though tiie difficulty with the Dutch did not prove as 
great as might have been expected, yet the controversy on the 
priority of riglits between the governments centered at Newport 
on the one hand and at Providence on the other, was still main- 
tained, even after the news arrived that the English court had 
revoked the commission of Coddington and had reinstated th«^ 
charter. 

Many weary months passed in a vain attemi)t to reorganize 
the government under the charter. Each faction claimed the 
right to dictate terms upon which a. union under the charter 
should be made. Finally, in the summer of 1654 a committee 
representing the four towns was agreed upon to meet and form 
a plan or scheme of union. This committee was composed of 
Messrs. Olney and Williams from Providence ; Burden and 
Roome from Portsmouth ; Smith and Torrey (Joseph) from 
Newport ; and Weeks and Potter from Warwick. Tliis com- 
mission met at Warwick on the 81st of August, 16o4, and ad- 
justed the differences between their constituents. It was agreed 
that the acts of the two factions, as far as they concerned their 
own towns, should stand, but the acts of neither were to be in 
force in the towns of the other. Henceforth the colony, united 
again, should be governed under the charter of 16-13. Tk« 



38 IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

general iissembly of the colony was to be composed of six 
commissioners from each town. 

The government thus re-established, a period of comparative 
peacefulness was enjoyed, biif the people of this county were 
not permitted to fall into a condition of drowsy lethargy. What 
with the alarms of the Indians, the continual demands of Mas- 
sachusetts for territory that belonged to Rhode Island, and the 
defense of the persecuted Quakers, these people were kept 
awake to vital questions which daily pressed upon them. Not 
the least of these questions was that as to what might be the 
sentiments of the newly crowned King, Charles II., in regard 
to the religious freedom, which was a cardinal feature of the 
colonial policy of Rhode Island. At this juncture Greene de- 
clares in the following language complimentary to one of the 
men of Newport: "It was well for her that at this perilous 
moment she was represented at the new court by so earnest, 
clear headed and dextrous a diplomatist as John Clarke. By 
his exertions a new cliarter was obtained, and on the 24th of 
November, 1663, accepted 'at a very great meeting and assem- 
bly of the colony of Providence Plantations, at Newport, in 
Rhode Island, in New England.' " 

A new era now opens in the history of Rhode Island, of 
which the towns now of Newport county then constituted the 
principal part. The charter of 1663 was so liberal and complete 
in its provisions and so perfectly in accord with the sentiments 
of the colony that it remained in force during the remainder of 
the colonial period, and was accepted as the foundation of the 
state government down to the adoption of the constitution of 
1842. A document which could thus hold the respect of the 
people for nearly two hundred years deserves more than a 
passing mention. Our curiosity is at once aroused to know 
something of the details of such a document. We feel, there- 
fore, abundantly justified in quoting liere some of the most in- 
teresting passages and otherwise nuiking abstracts so as to pre- 
sent in condensed form the details of that charter. It begins 
with the following recital : 

" Charles the Second, by the Grace of God, King of England, 
Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c., to all 
to whom these presents shall come, greeting : Whereas, we 
have been informed by the humble petition of our trusty and 
well-beloved subject, John Clarke, on the behalf of Benjamin 



HISTOltY OK NEWPOUT COUNTY. 3'9 

Arnold, William Brenton, Williani C()(lin,<!,t(in, Nicliohis Easton, 
William Buulston, John Porter, John Smith, Samuel Gorton, 
John Weeks, Roger Williams, Thomas Olney, Gregory Dexter, 
John Coggeshall, Joseph Clarke, Randall llolden. John Greene, 
John Roome, Samuel Wildbore, William Field, James Barker, 
Richard Tew, Thomas Harris and William Byre, and the rest 
of the purchasers and free inhabitants of our island, called 
Rhode Island, and the rest of the Colony of Providence Planta- 
tions, in the Narragansett Bay, in New England, in America, 
that they, pursuing, with peaceable and loyal minds, their 
sober, serious, and religious intentions, of godly edifying them- 
selves, and one another, in the holy Christian faith and worship, 
as they were persuaded ; together with the gaining over and 
conversion of the poor ignorant Indian natives, in those parts 
of America to the sincere profession and obedience of the same 
faith and worship, did, not only hy the consent and good en- 
couragement of our royal progenitors, transport themselves out 
of this kingdom of England into America, but also, since their 
arrival there, after their first settlement amongst other subjects 
in those parts, for the avoiding of discord, and those many 
evils which were likely to ensue upon some of those our sub- 
jects not being able to bear, in these remote parts, their differ- 
ent apprehensions in religious concernments, and in pursuance 
of the aforesaid ends, did once again leave their desirable sta- 
tions and habitations, and with excessive labor and travel, 
hazard and charge did transj^lant themselves into the midst of 
the Indian natives, who, as we are informed, are the most 
potent princes and people of all that country ; where, by 
the good Providence of God, fiom whom the Plantations have 
taken their name, upon their labor and industry, they have not 
only been j^reserved to admiiation, but have increased and 
prospered, and are seized and possessed, by i)urchase and con- 
sent of the said natives, to their full content, of such lands, 
islands, rivers, harbors and roads, as are very convenient, both 
for plantations, and also for building of ships, supply of pipe- 
staves, and other merchandize ; and which lie very commodi- 
ous, in many respects, for commerce, and to accommodate our 
southern plantations, and may much advance the trade of this 
our realm, and greatly enlarge the territories thereof ; they 
having by near neighborhood to and friendly society with the 
great body of the Narragansett Indians, given them encourage- 



40 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUKTV. 

iiieiit of their own accord, to subject tlieinselves, their people 
and lands, unto us ; whereby, as is lioped, there may, in time, 
l)y the blessing of God npon their endeavoi's be laid a sure 
foundation of hapjiiness to all America: And whereas, in 
their humble address, they have freely declared, that it is much 
on tlieir hearts (if they maybe permitted) to hold forth a lively 
exjieriment, that a most flourishing civil state may stand and 
best be maintained, and that among our English subjects, with 
a full liberty in religious concernments ; and that true piety 
righth' grounded upon gospel principles, will give the best and 
greatest securitj^ to sovereignty, and will lay in the hearts 
of men the strongest obligations to true loyalty : Now know 
ye, that we, being willing to encourage the hopeful undertak- 
ing of our said loyal and loving subjects, and to secure them 
in the free exercise and enjoyment of all their civil and religious 
rights, appertaining to them, as our loving subjects; and to pre 
serve unto them that liberty, in the true Christian faith and 
woi'ship of God, which they have sought with so much travail, 
and with peaceable minds, and loyal subjection to our royal 
lirogenitors and ourselves, to enjoy ; and because some of the 
people and inhabitants of the same colony cannot, in their j)ri- 
vate opinions, conform to the public exercise of religion, ac- 
cording to the liturgy, forms and ceremonies of the Church of 
England, or take or subscribe the oatlis and articles made and 
established in that behalf ; and for that the same, by reason of 
the remote distances of those places, will (as we hope) be no 
breach of the unity and uniformity established in this nation : 
Have therefore thought fit, and do hereby publish, grant, ordain 
and declare. That our royal will and pleasure is, that no person 
within the said Colony, at any time hereafter, shall be any wise 
molesled, punished, disquieted or called in question for any 
differences in opinion in matters of religion, and do not actually 
disturb the civil peace of our said Colony ; but that all and 
every person and persons may, from time to time, and at all 
times liereaf ter, freelj^ and fully have and enjoy his and their 
own judgments and consciences, in matters of religious concern- 
ments, throughout the tract of land hereafter mentioned, they 
behaving themselves peaceably and quietly, and not using this 
liberty to licentiousness and profaneness, nor to the civil injury 
or outward disturbance of others, any law, statute, or clause 
therein contained, or to be contained, usage or custom of this 



IIISTOItV OF NKWPOUT COUNTY. 41 

realm, to the contnuy hereof, in any wise, notwithstanding." 
The charter then declares that the people of the new incor- 
poration shonld enjoy the benefit of the late act of " indemnity 
nnd free i)ardon " the same as other subjects of the crown in 
other dominions and territories had. The persons whose names 
have Already been given were then constitnted, togetiier with 
all such as should be admitted to their number, a body corpor- 
ate and politic by the name of " the Governor and Company of 
the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Planta- 
tions, in a^ew England, in America." The administration of 
the local government was placed in the hands of a governor, 
deputy governor and ten assistants. The first persons author- 
ized to hold these offices were named in the charter as fol- 
lows : — Benedict Arnold, governor ; William Brenton, deputy 
governor; William Boulston, Joliu Porter, Roger Williams, 
Thomas Olney, John Smith, John Greene, John Coggeshall, 
.Fames Barker, William Field and Joseph Clarke, assistants. 

The assistants were constituted a council to deliberate, advise 
and act with the acting governor on all public questions. A 
general assembly of the governor and assistants and deputies 
from the different towns was authorized to be convened twice 
in each year or oftener if occasion required, to "consult, advise 
and determine, in and about the affairs and business of the said 
Company and Plantations." The number of deputies to be 
sent from each town to this general assembly was six from 
Newport and four each from Providence, Portsmouth and War- 
wick, and two each from any other town or city that might af- 
terward be formed or added. To this general assembly was 
given power to change and appoint the times and places for 
holding their meetings; to admit freemen into the colony and 
invest them with the rights of citizenship ; to elect and consti- 
tute needed offices and officers and to commission the same ; to 
make and repeal all laws for the colony that should not conflict 
with the laws of England ; to appoint and establish courts, and 
define their powers; to regulate and order the manner of all 
elections ; to prescribe the bounds of towns and cities ; to im- 
pose fines and punishments and to alter, revoke and annul the 
same and grant pardons ; to make pui-chases and treaties with 
the Indians ; and to till vacancies in tlieir own numbers occa- 
sioned by deatii, removal or incapacity. 

Tlie acting governor for the time being was authorized, with 



42 IIISTOKV OF XKWI'dllT COUNTY. 

the assistants, at any time when tlie assembly was not sitting, to 
appoint and commission military officers for training the inhab- 
itants in martial ailairs, and also to place in hostile array and 
equipment the military forces of the colony and to lead the 
same in warlike enterprise foi' the defense of the colony against 
any and all forces or persons wiio should attempt the invasion 
of the territory or the injury or annoyance of its inhabitants ; 
and also for its protection to invade the native Indians or other 
enemies of the colony ; provided, however, that no invasion of 
the Indians within the territory of another English colony in 
New England should be pei'mitted without the consent of the 
colony within whose jurisdiction the natives inhabited. The se- 
curity of the charter was not to be so construed, however, as to 
afford protection against the power of the mother country to call 
to account any who should commit what might be deemed an 
iinjustitiable act of spoliation upon the high seas ; neither was 
the colony to use its liberal investment of power to deny to other 
English subjects the right of fishing in adjacent waters and land- 
ing on its shores for tiie necessary purposes of the business of 
curing, drying, salting and marketing fish, or for similar pur- 
poses in the taking of whales that might be chased by others 
into adjacent waters. "And further also, we are graciously 
pleased, and do hereby declare, that if any of the inhabitants of 
our said Colony do set upon tlie planting of vineyards (the soil 
and climate both seeming naturally to concur to the production 
of wines) or be industrious in the discovery of fishing banks, in 
or about the said colony, we will, from time to time, give and 
allow all due and fitting encouragement therein, as to others, in 
cases of like nature." 

The bounds of the jurisdiction of the charter were given in 
the following words: — "all that part of our dominions in 
New England, in America, containing the Nahantic, and 
Nanhyganset, alias Narragansett Bay, and countries and 
parts adjacent, bounded on the west, or westerly, to the 
middle of a channel or river there, commonly called and known 
by the name of Pawcatuck, alias Pawcawtuck river, and so along 
the said river, as the greater or middle stream thereof reacheth 
or lies up into the north country, nortiiward, unto the head 
thereof, and from thence, by a straight line drawn due north, 
until it meets with the south line of the Massachusetts Col- 
ony ; and on the north, or northerly, by the aforesaid south or 



HISTOKY OK NKWI'Oirr COllNTY. 48 

southerly line of the Massachusetts Colony or Plantation, and 
extending towards the east, or eastvvardly, three English miles 
to the east and northeast of the most eastern and northeastern 
parts of the aforesaid Narragansett Bay, as the said bay lyeth 
or extendeth itself from tlie ocean on tlie south, or soutliwardly 
unto the mouth of the river wliicli I'limieth towards the town of 
Providence, and from thence along tlie easterly side or bank of 
the said river (higher called by tlie n;ime of Seacunck river) up 
to the falls called Patuckett Falls, ))eing the most westwardly 
line of Plymouth Colony, and so from the said falls, in a 
straight line, due north, until it meet with the aforesaid line 
of the Massachusetts Colony ; and bounded on the south by the 
ocean ; and, in jiarticular, the lands belonging to the towns of 
Providence, Pawtuxet, Warwick, Misquamniacok, alias Paw- 
catuck, and the rest upon the main land in the tract aforesaid, 
together with Rhode Island, Block Island, and all the rest of 
the islands and banks in the Narragansett Bay, and bordering 
upon the coast of the tract aforesaid (Fisher's Island only ex- 
cepted), together with all lirni laiuls, soils, grounds, havens," etc. 
The charter confirmed the above described premises to the 
freemen of the colony, "as of the Manor of East Greenwich, in 
our couTity of Kent, in tVee and common soccage," reserving to 
the crown one-lifth of all riii> gold and silver ore that should af- 
terward be discovered there. By the charter the Narragansett 
river was made the dividing line between this colony and Con- 
necticut. In all matters of public controversy between this 
colony and the other colonies of New England the charter con- 
firmed to the people tiie right of appeal to the crown, and also 
the right "to i)ass and repass, with freedom, into and through 
the rest of the English Colonies, upon their lawful and civil oc- 
casions, and to converse, and hold commerce and trade with 
such of the inhabitants of our otiier English Colonies as shall 
be willing to admit tliem tliereunto, they behaving themselves 
peaceably among tliem." 

In good earnest tlie freemen now set about the work of re 
organizing the government conformably to tiie new ciiartei-. 
Two general coui'ts for the trial of causes were held annually 
at Newport, which was the chief town of the (;olony, and the 
seat of government. They were composed of the governor and 
not less than six of the assistants, with the deputy governor 
and as manv more assistants as might be present. The attend- 



44 HISTORY OF XEWPORT COUNTY. 

ance of the deputy governor was not essential. These courts 
were regularly held in May and October. Courts of trial were 
also held in Providence in September and in Warwick in 
March. Grand and petit jurors were chosen for these courts, 
five of each from Newport, tliiee of each from Portsmouth, two 
of each from Providence, and a like number from Warwick. 
For the management of the interests of Rhode Island before 
the court of England, and conducting the business to such a 
propitious result, in the face of such ^wwerfully opposing in- 
fluences, the colony was i^laced under a lasting debt of gratitude 
to their agent, Mr. John Clarke, one of the citizens of I^ewport, 
whose name the people of this county have not yet ceased to 
honor and to regard with a grateful veneration not excelled by 
that accorded to any other man known to its history. 

It has been already shown that the territory now occupied by 
Newport county was enlarged as to the Rhode Island jurisdic- 
tion by the charter of 1663. That charter, as we have seen, 
gave to Rhode Island the island of Block Island. This had 
already been settled, under Massachusetts patronage, having 
by the issues of the Pequot war fallen into the hands of that 
colony, by whom it had in 1658 l)een granted to Governor John 
Endicott and three of his associates. By them it was again 
transferred to a company of nine men, who in 1661 had made a 
-settlement there. Representatives from the island attended the 
meeting of the general assembly of the colony in May, 1664, 
and formally acknowledged the jurisdiction of Rhode Island 
and the " submission " of the inhabitants to the will of " His 
Majesty." A sort of town government was established there, 
in which three selectmen were the chief executives, legislators 
and judges. The town was authorized to send two representa- 
tives to the general assembly. This island was called by the 
Indians, Manasses, or Manisses, and was named Block Island 
by its discoverer, Adrian Block, the Dutch navigator, who in 
1614 sailed around it. November 6th, 1672, it was incorporated 
with more full privileges as a town, and at that time its name 
was changed to New Shoreham, the reason for this name being 
given by the people "as signs of our unity, and likeness to 
many parts of our native country." 

The claims of Massachusetts on the one hand and Connecticut 
<in the other hand, ujwn the territory of Rhode, Island were 
pressed with almost constant vigor by those colonies for many 



IIISTOltV iiF XKW roKT COUNTY. 45 

years. Into the details of the vicissitudes of that question it is 
not our purpose to go, since the subject becomes tedious in its 
monotony and its rehearsal would only serve to weary the 
render with nuitter that belongs more to the state than to county 
history. Sufhce it to .say that amid all the contentions of co- 
lonial claimants and the varying fortunes of political associa- 
tions the hand of Providence, which seemed always To exercise 
a guardian care over the little colony, did not permit her to be 
swallowed uj) b\' her more powerful and greedy neighbors. 
Disputes over the boundary lines continued to afford frequent 
causes of disturbance for two hundred years. The encroach- 
ments of Massachusetts and Connecticut were a grim skeleton, 
a menacing goblin, forever haunting the little colony, reaching 
out its long, bony, clutching fingers from every ambush and 
wayside whither she passed, and rising before her at every turn 
in the road of her progress. It dogged her steps at the in- 
stallation of the Duke's government in 1604 : it appeared in the 
smoke and flames of King Philip's war ; it clutched for her 
heart when in 1686 the charter was suspended for a term of 
three years ; and so it continued its threatenings during every 
decade of the two centuries. 

Thus far we have given a brief outline of the (urcumstances 
under which the settlement of this section of country was effect- 
ed. Such an outline must of necessity involve the history of 
the state, or colony at least. The county then had no existence 
as such. June 22d, 1703, the territory then occupied bj^ the 
colony was divided into two counties, respectively named Prov- 
idence Plantations and Rhode Island. The laltei* county em- 
braced the towns of Newport, Portsmouth, Jamestown and New 
Shoreham. June 16th, 1729, the name of Newport was substi- 
tuted for Rhode Island, and the county re-incorporated under 
that name with the same towns as before mentioned. The ex- 
istence of the colony had now become a settled fact and its 
foothold had assumed a more permanent appearance. A season 
of more peaceful enjoyment of its jjolitical rights had opened 
upon it and business and social prosperity seemed to light its 
I)athway. The growth of Newport soon resulted in the forma- 
tion of a new town, called Middletown, from the northern part 
of its territory, June 10th, 17411 The town of Jamestown, 
named in lumor of King James II., had been incorporated No- 
vember 4tli, 1678. By a royal decree dated May 28th, 1746, the 



46 



lIISTOr.Y OP' NEWPOKT COUNTY. 



borders of Rhode Island on the east and noitli were materially 
increased by the addition of the territory of five towns from 
Massachusetts. These were Bristol, Wari'en, Tiverton, Little 
Compton and Cumberland. Of these Little Compton and 
Tiverton were annexed to Newport county February 17th, 1747, 
they having been incorporated as towns, under the Rhode Is- 
land jurisdiction on the 27tli of the preceding month. Although 
minor changes have been made in its boundaries, the county has 
remained substantially the same in territorial limits, to the pres- 
ent time, with the exception of the town of Fall River, which 
was incorporated from the northern part of Tiverton October 
6th, 1856, and in the settlement of a boundary question was 
ceded to Massachusetts, March 1st, 1862. In 1860, the only 
censiis year during which Fall River existed as a distinct town 
within the jurisdiction of this county, it had a population of 
3,337. 

The growth of the different towns of this county is shown by 
the following table of population at different periods. The re- 
duction of the population of Tiverton between 1850 and 1860 is 
explained by the formation of Fall River from part of Tiverton 
in 1856. 



0) 


1 
B 


a 
<u o 

It 


1 

3 


1 


3 
^2 


i 


S 
> 


o a 


o 


>-5 


O 


% 


^ 


<ji 


Pm 


H 


EH 


1708 


206 






2,203 


208 


638 




3,245 


1730 


321 






4,640 


290 


813 




6,064 


1748 


420 


1,152 


680 


6,508 


300 


993 


1,040 


11,090 


1755 


517 


1,170 


778 


6,753 


378 


1,363 


1,325 


13,384 


1774 


563 


1,233 


881 


9,209 


575 


1,513 


1,956 


15,938 


1776 


322 


1,302 


860 


5,299 


478 


1,347 


2,091 


11.699 


1782 


345 


1,341 


674 


5,530 


478 


1,350 


1,959 


11,677 


1790 


507 


1,542 


840 


6,716 


683 


1,560 


2,453 


14,300 


1800 


501 


1,577 


913 


6,739 


714 


1,684 


2,717 


14,845 


1810 


504 


1,553 


976 


7,907 


733 


1,795 


2,837 


16,394 


1820 


448 


1,580 


949 


7,319 


955 


1,645 


2,875 


15,771 


1880 


415 


1,378 


915 


8,010 


1,185 


1,737 


3,905 


16,535 


1840 


365 


1,327 


891 


8,333 


1,069 


1,706 


3,183 


16,874 


1850 


358 


1,462 


830 


9,563 


1,363 


1,833 


4,699 


20,007 


1860 


400 


1,304 


1,012 


10,508 


1,330 


2,048 


1,927 


21,896 


1865 


349 


1,197 


1,019 


12,688 


1,308 


3,153 


1,973 


20,687 


1870 


378 


1,166 


971 


12,521 


1,113 


2,003 


1,898 


20,050 


1875 


488 


1,156 


1,074 


14,038 


1,147 


1,893 


2,101 


21,887 


1880 


459 


1,202 


1,139 


15,693 


1,203 


1,979 


2,505 


34,180 


1885 


516 


1,055 


1,166 


19,566 


1,267 


3,008 


2,702 


28,280 



IIISTOIIY OF NKWI'llKT COUNTY. 47 

Seine of the more important events connected with the history 
of the State, in wliich this county has been especially inter- 
ested, are grouped in the following pni'agraphs : 

Tlie island of Aquidneck, the first settled portion of the 
county, was purchased March 24th, 16:AS, and the settlement of 
Portsmouth immediately began. Newport was settled in May, 
1639. The union of these towns as a government was effected 
in March, 1640, and William Coddington was elected the first 
governor. 

The first public school was established at Newport August 
20th, 1640. 

The incorporation of the Providence Plantations, of which 
Portsmouth and Newport were a part, was affected by commis- 
sioners of Parliament March 14th, 1643. 

The name of Aquidneck was changed to "the Isle of Rhodes," 
or Rhode Island, March 13th, 1644. 

The first general assembly under the incorporation of 1643 
met at Portsmouth May 19th, 1647. Tiie colony was divided, 
and two governments, one comi)risiiig the mainland towns and 
the other the island towns, set in operation in 1651. This con- 
tinued until August 31st, 1654, when the united government 
was re-instated. 

The colonial charter was granted by Charles II., and the gov- 
ernment organized under it, in 1663. 

The first postal route from Boston to Rhode Island was es- 
tablished June 9th, 1693. 'J'he first census was taken in 1708, 
and the first printing press established in 1709 by one Bradford, 
who received fifty pounds a year for doing the public printing 
of the colony. This printing office was set up at Newport, 
where also the first newspaper in the colony was started under 
the name of the Rhode Island Gazette, by James Franklin, in 
1732. 

The first alms-house in Rhode Island was erected in Newport 
in 1723. 

Beaver Tail light house, said to be the first light house built 
on the American coast, was oidered built in February, 1749. 

The first number of the Newport Mercury was issued June 
12th, 1758. 

The first overt act of the colonies of America against theau 
thorities of Great Britain preceding the revolution was the de- 
struction of the British revenue sloop, " Liberty," which took 



48 HISTOltY OF NE\V1>I>KT COUNTy. 

place at Newport, July lOtli, 176i). Here also was enacted the 
first naval engagement of tlie war. This took place June 15th, 
1775. between a colonial sloo]) commanded by Capt. Abraham 
Whipple and a tender of th^ ]?ritish fri.uate "Rose," in which 
the latter was pursued till she grounded on the shore of Conan- 
icut and was there cai)tured. 

The general assembly of the colony formally lenounced al- 
legiance to Great Britain May 4th, 1776. 

A hospital for vaccination and treatment of small pox was es- 
tablished by law in the county in 1776. 

The declaration of independence having been formally ap- 
proved by the general assembly July 19th, 1776, the British 
army under General Clinton took possession of Newport on the 
8th of the following December. The island was now given up 
to the British, and the functions of local government and par- 
ticipation in the colonial government in an open manner were 
suspended. 

General Prescott, who was in command of the British forces 
on the island, was quartered at the house of a Mr. Overing, on 
the west side of the island, just north of the present town line 
which divides Middletown from Portsmouth. On tlie night of 
July 9th, 1777, he was suri)rised and cai)tured by a party of 
Americans headed by Col. William Barton. 

The French fleet arrived off Newport July 29th, 1778, and one 
month later, viz.: August 29th, the battle of Rhode Island took 
place. This engagement was the result of an eifort made by 
the Americans to dislodge the British from the island. The 
American forces, ten thou.sand strong, under General Sullivan, 
had moved over from Tiverton upon the north end of the island, 
on the 9th of August, where they occupied the abandoned forts 
of the British. The latter, in the meantime, fell back toward 
Newport. On the 15th Sullivan advanced with his army to a 
point within two miles of the British lines, which extended 
across the island, from Tonomy hill to Easton's pond. Here 
cannonading was kept up for several days, and so effective was 
the work that Sullivan was about to storm the enemy's works 
when his army became demoralized by the withdrawal of the 
French fleet which had been expected to afford assistance, so 
that the number of his effective troops was reduced to abf)ut 
fifty-four hundred. With these he began to fall back to the 
northward on the evening of the 28th, and at two o'clock that 



niSTOKY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 49 

night encamped on Butt's hill, in tlie northern part of Ports- 
month. The British forces marched out from Newport and 
pursued. A general engagement took 2)lace on the 29th upon 
the high lands of Portsmontli, in which the loss of the Ameri- 
cans was two hundred and eleven, while that of tiu^ enemy was 
one thousand and twenty-three. The Americans held their po- 
sition and repulsed the British. On the following day Sullivan 
withdrew his forces to Tiverton. 

Newport was evacuated by the British, Octohcu' ^.^jth, 177'J. It 
was incorporated as a city June 1st, 1784, and the charter was 
repealed in March, 1787. Another city <;harter was granted May 
6th, 1858. Here the federal constitution was adopted by the 
state, after a long and heated contest May 29th, 1790. 

The first trip of the steamboat "Firefly," the pioneer steam 
packet, was made between Newport and Providence May 28th, 
1817. 

The adoption of a state constitution was considered, and a 
ccmvention in 1824 at Newport adopted one, but the vote of the 
people rejected it. Another convention met at Providence in 
1834 and 1835, but nothing was matured. A third (convention 
met in 1842 and adopted what was called the " Landholders' 
constitution," which was also rejected by the vote of the peo- 
ple. In the meantime another convention was held which 
drafted tlie " People's constitution "' which it was claimed was 
subsequently adopted by the vote of the people. A government 
organized under it, with Thomas W. Dorr at its head, claimed 
the right to exercise the functions of government. The author- 
ities acting under the charter refused to accede to their demands, 
and preparations were made for hostile action. The rebellion 
culminated on the 28th of June, 1842, when a party of the in- 
surgents attempted to make a stand at Chepachet. The state 
troops moved upon them 'and they dispersed and gave up the 
contest. Another constitutional convention in 1842 adopted a 
constitution which was approved by the people, and govern- 
ment under it was organized May 2d, 1843. 

It will be interesting to note some of the men whom this 
county has given to prominent positions in the state. Among 
the governors we find the following were from this county : 
William Coddington, March 12, 1640, to May 9, 1647. 
John Coggeshall, May, 1647, to May, 1648. 
William Coddington. May, 1648, to May. 1649. 

4 



ilO HISTOKV OF XEWPORT COUNTY. 

Nicholas Easton, May, 1650, to August, 1651. 
John Sanford, May, 1653, to May, 1654. 
Nicholas Easton, May to September 12, 1654. 
Benedict Arnold, May, 1657, to xMay, 1660. 
William Brenton, May, 1660, to May, 1662. 
Benedict Arnold, May, 1662, to May, 1666. 
William Brenton, May, 1666, to May, 1669. 
Benedict Arnold, May, 1669, to May, 1672. 
Nicholas Easton, May, 1672, to May, 1674. 
-William Coddington, May, 1674, to May, WTQ^ 
Walter Clarke, May, 1676, to May, 1677. 
Benedict Arnold, May, 1677, to June 20, 1678*. 
^ William Coddington, August 28, 1678, to November 1, 1678*. 
John Cranston, Novembers, 1678, to March 12, 1680*. 
Peleg Sanford, March 16, 1680, to May, 1683. 

William Coddington, Jr., May, 1683, to May, 1685. 
Henry Bull, May, 1685, to May, 1686. 

Walter Clarke, May to June 29, 1G86. 

(The charter was suspended till 1690). 

Henry Bull, February 27, to May 7, 1690. 

John Easton, May, 1690, to May, 1695. 

Caleb Carr, May, 1695, to December 17, 1695*. 

Walter Clarke, January, 1696, to March, 1698. 

Samuel Cranston, Marcli, 1698, to April 26, 1727*. 

William Wanton, May, 1732, to December, 1733*. 

John Wanton, May, 1734, to July 5, 1740*. 

Richard Ward, July 15, 1740, to May, 1748. 

Gideon Wanton, May, 1745, to 1746, and May, 1747, to May, 
1748. 

Josias Lyndon, May, 1768, to May, 1769. 

Joseph Wanton, May, 1769, to November 7, 1775 ; at which 
date he was deposed. 

John Collins, May, 1786, to 1790. 

William C. Gibbs, May, 1821, to 1824. 

William C. Cozzens, March 3 to Mtvy, 1863. 

Charles C. Van Zandt, 1877 to 1880. 

George Peabody Wetmore, 1885 to . 



The following citizens of this county have held the office of 
deputy governor or lieutenant governor, the title being changed 
from the former to the latter term in 1799. 
*Died in office. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 51 

William Brenton, November, 1663, to May, 1666. 

Nicholas Easton, May, 1060, to May, 1669. 

John Clarke, May, 1669, to May, 1670. 

Nicholas Easton, May, 1670, to May, 1671. 

John Clarke, May, 1671, to May, 1672. 

John Cranston, May, 1672, to May, 1673. 

William Coddinofon, May, 1673, to May, 1674. 

John Easton, May, 1674, to April, 1676. 

John Cranston, May, 1676, to Novembers, 1678. 

James Barker, November, 1678, to May, 1679. 

Walter Clarke, May, 1079, to May, 1686. 

John Coggeshall, May to June, 1686; and after the suspen- 
sion of the charter, from May 1, 1689, to May, 1690. 

Walter Clarke, May, 1700, to May 22, 1714*. 

Henry Tew, Jnne IS, 1714, to May, 1715. 

John Wanton, May, 1721, to May, 1722. 

Jonathan Nichols, May to August 2, 1727*. 

John Wanton, May, 1729, to May, 1734. 

Richard Ward, May to July, 1740. 

Joseph Whipple, May, 1743, to May, 1745 ; and again from 
May, 1746, to May, 1747. 

William Ellery, May, 1748, to May, 1750. 

Joseph Whipple, May, 1751, to November 2, 1753. 

Jonathan Nichols, Jr., November 2, 1753, to May, 1754; and 
again, from May, 1755, to September 8, 1756*. 

John Gardner, May, 1754, to May, 1755; and again Septem- 
ber, 1756, to January, 1764*. 

Joseph Wanton, Jr., February 27, 1764, to May, 1765 ; and 
again, May, 1767, to May, 1768. 

Paul Mnmford, 1803 to 1805*. 

Isaac Wilbour, 1806 to 1807 ; and again from 1810 to 1811. 

Constant Taber, 1807 to 1808. 

Simeon Martin, 1808 to 1810 ; and again from 1811 to 1816. 

Charles Collins, 1824 to 1832. 

John Engs, 1835 to 1836. 

Joseph Childs, 1838 to 1839. 

Edward W. Lawton, 1847 to 1849. 

William Beach Lawrence, 1851 to 1852. 

Anderson C. Rose, 1855 to 1856. 

Samuel G. Arnold, 1861 to 1862. 
* Died in office. 



62 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Duncan C. Pell, 1865 to 1866. 
Pardon W. Stevens, 1868 to 1872. 
Charles C. Van Zandt, 1873 to 187.'5. 
Henry T. Sisson, 1875 to 1877. 
Henry H. Fay, 1880 to 1883. 



The following list contains the names of the men from this 
county who have held the office of secretary of the colony or 
state: 

William Dyre, March 12, 1640, to May 16, 1648. 

Philip Shearman, May 16, 1648, to 1651. 

William Lytheiland, May, 1653, to May, 1654, and September, 
1654, to May, 1656. 

Joseph Torrey, May to September, 1654, and May, 1661, to 
May, 1666 ; and again 1669 to 1671. 

John Sanford, May, 1656, to May, 1661 ; and again from 1666 
to 1669 ; and from 1671 to 1676 ; and again from 1677 to 1686. 

John Coggeshall, 1676 to 1677 ; and from May, 1691, to Au- 
gust, 1692. 

Weston Clarke, 1690 to 1691 ; and July, 1695, to May, 1714. 

John Easton, August, 1692, to 1695, or near that date, the 
record being obscure. 

Richard Ward, 1714 to 1733. 

James Martin, May, 1733, to February, 1746.* 

Thomas Ward, 1746, to December, 1760.* 

Henry Ward, December, 1760, to October, 1797.* 



Those of this county who have held the office of attorney 
general to the colonj^ or state have been as follows : 

William Dyre, 1650 to 1651. 

John Easton, May 17, 16.53, to May 16, 1654; May 20. 1656, 
to May 19, 1657 ; May 22, 1660, to May 22, 1663 ; May 4, 1664, 
to May 4, 1670 ; and 1672 to 1674. 

John Cranston, May 16, 1654, to May 20, 1656. 

John Sanford, May 22, 1663, to May 4, 1664, and May, 1670, 
to 1671. 

Joseph Torrey, May, 1671, to 1672. 

Peter Easton, 1674 to 1676. 

Weston Clarke, 1676 to 1677; 1680 to 1681; 1683 to 1684; 
1685 to 1686 ; and 1714 to 1721. 

* Died in office. 



mSTOKY OF NKWI'OHT COUNTY. 53 

Edward Richmond, 1077 to 1680. 

John Pococke, 1682 t,o 1088; 1084 to 1085 ; 1690, for a year 
or more^the records are missing; 1698 to 1700; and 1701 to 
1702. 

John Williams, 1086 to the suspension of the charter. 

Nathaniel Dyre, 1702 to 1704. 

Joseph Sheffield, 1704 to 1706. 

Richard Ward, 1712 to 1713. 

John Hammett, 1713 to 1714. 

Henry Bull, 1721 to 1722. 

James Honey man, Jr., May, 1782, to December, 1740 ; and 
1741 to 1743. 

Augustus Johnston, 1758 to 1766. 

Henry Marchant, 1741 to 1777. 

William Channing, 1777 to 1787: and again 1791 to 1798. 

Henry Goodwin, 1787 to 1789. 

Dutee J. Pearce, 1819 to 1825. 



The honorable offiice of treasurer of the colony or state has 
been held by citizens of this (county as follows: 

Jeremy Clarke, May 19, 1647, to May 22, 1649. 

John Clarke, May 22, 1049, to 1651. 

John Coggeshall, May 17, 1653, to September 12, 1654 ; and 
1664 to 1672. 

Richard Burden, September 12, 1054, to May 22, 1655. 

John Sanford, May 22, 1655, to May 21, 1661 ; and May 22, 
1662, to May 4, 1664. 

Caleb Carr, May 21, 1661, to May 22, 1662. 

Peter Easton, 1672 to 1677. 

Thomas Ward, 1677 to 1678. 

Peleg Sanford, 1078 to 1681. 

Weston Chii-ke, 1681 to 1685. 

John Woodman, 1685 to the suspension of the charter by 
Andros, in 1086. 

John Holmes, February, 1090, to May, 1703 ; and 1708 to 
1709. 

William Hiscock, 1 703 to 1705. 

Nathaniel Sheffield, 1705 to 1708. 

Edward Tliurston, 1709 to 1714. 

Joseph Borden, 1714 to 1780. 

Abraham Borden. 1730 to 1733. 



54 HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Gideon Wanton, 1733 to 1743. 
John Gardner, 1743 to 1748. 
Thomas Richardson, 1748 to 1761. 
Joseph Clarke, 1761 to 1792. 
Henry Sherburne, October, 1792 to May, 1808. 
Constant Taber, 1808 to 1811. 
William Ennis, 1811 to 1817. 
Thomas G. Pitman, 1817 to 1832. 
Jolin Sterne, 1832 to 1838 ; and again, 1839 to 1840. 
William S. Nichols, 1838 to 1839. 
Stephen Cahoone, 1840 to 1851. 
Edwin Wilbnr, 1851 to 1854. 
Samuel B. Vernon, 1854 to 1855. 

Samuel A. Parker, 1855 to 1856 ; and March, 1868, to Feb- 
ruary 4, 1872. 

George W. Tew, May, 1866, to March, 1868. 



The following citizens of Newport county have been honored 
with the position of speaker of the house of representatives in 
the legislature of the colony or state. 

Jonathan Holmes, Newport, October, 1696, to October, 1698 ; 
and April, 1700, to May, 1703. 

Benjamin Newbury, Newport, February, 1699, to April, 1700. 

William Wanton, Newport, May, 1705, to May, 1706 ; and 
October, 1708, to May, 1709. 

Benjamin Arnold, Newport, May, 1706, to February, 1707. 

John Wanton, Newport, February to May, 1707 ; May, 1710, 
to October, 1710 ; and May, 1713, to October, 1713. 

Abraham Anthony, Portsmouth, October, 1709, to May, 
1710. 

Ebenezer Slocum, Jamestown, May, 1712, to May, 1713. 

William Wanton, Newport, May to October, 1715 ; October, 
1716, to October, 1717; May to October, 1718; May, 1719, to 
May, 1722; and February, 1723, to May, 1724. 

John Cranston, Newport, May to October, 1716. 

Nathaniel Sheffield, Newport, October, 1718, to May, 1719. 

William Coddington, Newport, October, 1722, to February, 
1723 ; May 5, 1724^, to May 6, 1724; October, 1724, to October, 
1725; and May to October, 1726. 

Henry Bull, Newport, April to October, 1728; and April 30, 
1734, to May, 1734. 



HISTORY OF NKWl'OKT COUNTY. 55 

Joseph Whipple, Newport, October, 1728 to February, 1729; 
and June to August, 1741. 

Samuel Clarke, Jamestown, May to October, 1729 ; May, 
1730, to October, 1731; May to October, 1732; October, 1733, to 
April, 1734; October, 1734, to October, 1735; October, 1736, to 
May, 1737; and May, 1740, to May, 1741. 

Peter Bours, Newport, October, 1744, to Octoljer, 1746; and 
October, 1757, to May, 1759. 

Samuel Wickham, Newport, May, 1747, to October, 1747. 

Thomas Cranston, Newport, October, 1748, to May, 1749 ; 
May, 1750, to May, 1757; and May, 1760, to May, 1702. 

Benjamin Wickham, Newport, May, 1757, to October, 1757. 

Daniel Ayrault, Jr., Newport, May, 1762, to October, 1762 ; 
and May to October, 1764. 

Metcalfe Bowler, Portsmoutli, February, 1767, to May, 1767; 
and October, 1767, to November, 1776. 

George Champlin, Newport, June, 1793, to October, 1793; May, 
1797, to June, 1797; and October, 1797, to October, 1798. 

Archibald Crary, Newport, June to October, 1797. 

Constant, Taber, Newport, October, 1802, to October, 1805. 

Isaac Wilbour, Little Compton, October, 1805, to May, 1806. 

Nathaniel Hazard, Newport, May to October, 1810; and May, 
1818, to May, 1819. 

William Hunter, Newport, May, 1811, to February, 1812. 

Benjamin Hazard, Newport, October, 1816, to May, 1818. 

Job Durfee, Tiverton, October, 1827, to May, 1829. 

Henry Y. Cranston, Newport, May to October, 1835; May, 
1839, to May, 1841; May to October, 1854; and January to May, 
1855. 

Richard K. Randolph. Newport, May to October, 1842. 

George G. King, Newport, 1845 to 1846. 

Robert B. Cranston, Newport, 1846 to 1847. 

Charles C. Van Zandt, Newport, 1858 to 1859; 1866 to 1869 ; 
and 1871 to 1873. 

John P. Sanborn, Newport, May, 1881, to November, 1882. 



During the transition period, when the American colonies 
were preparing to assume their character and title as states, the 
continental congre.ss was the legislative and e.vecutive body of 
the central government. The following citizens of the county 
were members of that body : 



56 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

Jolin Collins, of Newport, 1778 to 1783. 

William EUery, of Newport, 1776 to 1781; and 1783 to 1785. 

Henry Marchant, of Newport. 1777 to 1780 ; and 1783 to 
1784. 

John Gardner, of Newport, 1788 to 1789. 

George Champlin and Panl Mnmford, of Newport were 
elected in 1785, bnt the congressional records do not show that 
they were seated there. 



Newport county has been lio'i'^'ed by the election of her 
citizens named in the following list to represent Rhode Is- 
land in tlie United States senate : 

Christopher Ellery, of Newport, 1801 to 1805. 

Benjamin Rowland, of Tiverton, 1804 to 1809. 

Francis Malbone, of Newport, March, 1809; died in June. 

Christopher G. Champlin, of Newport, June, 1809, to October, 
1811, when he resigned. 

William Hunter, of Newport, October, 1811, to March, 1821. 

Asher Robbins, of Newport, December 5, 1825, to March, 
1839. 

Samuel G. Arnold, of Middletown, September, 5, 1862, to 
1863. 

William P. Sheffield, Newport, November 19, 1884, to Jan- 
uary 21, 1885. 



Newport county men have from time to time been elected 
to the lower house of Congress. The following list contains 
the names of such as have been thus honored : 

Francis Malbone, of Newport, 1793 to 1797. 

Christopher G. Champlin, of Newport, 1797 to 1801. 

Isaac Wilbour, of Little Compton, 1807 to 1809. 

John L. Boss, Jr., of Newport, 1815 to 1819. 

Nathaniel Hazard, of Middletown, 1819 to December 17, 1820. 
Died in office. 

Job Durfee, of Tiverton, 1821 to 1825. 

Dutee J. Pearce, of Newport, 1825 to 1837. 

Robert B. Cranston, of Newport, 1837 to 1843. 

Henry Y. Cranston, of Newport, 1843 to 1847. 

Robert B. Cranston, of Newport, 1847 to 1849. 

George G. King, of Newport, 1847 to 1853. 



HISTOIJY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 57 

Nathaniel B. Durt'ee, of Tiverton, 1855 to 1859. 
William P. Sheffield, of Newport, 18G1 to 1863. 



The following Newport county men have served the state as 
presidential electors. It will be remembered that at the time 
of the first presidential election Rhode Island had not ac- 
cepted the Federal constitution, hence had no part in the elec- 
tion. 

1792, 1796 and 1800, George Champlin of Newport. 

1804, Constant Taber, of Newport. 

1808 and 1812, Christopher Fowler, of Newport. 

1816, Thomas Pitman, of Newport. 

182(1, Dntee J. Pearce. of Newport. 

1824 and 1828, Stephen B. Cornell, of Portsmouth. 

1832, Nathaniel S. Ruggles, of Newport. 

1836, Henry Bull, of Newport. 

1840, George Engs, of Newport. 

1844, Benjamin Weaver, of Middletown. 

1848, George C. King, of Newport. 

1852, George Turner, of Newport. 

1856, Edward W. Lawton, of Newport. 

1860, David Buffum, of Middletown. 

1864, Robert B. Cranston, of Newport. 

1868, George H. Norman, of Newport. 

1872, Benjamin Unch, of Newport. 

1876, Samuel G. Arnold, of Middletown. 

1880 and 1884, George Peabody Wetmore, of Newport. 



In the administration of the cause of public education this 
county shares in the advantages of the excellent system under 
which the state dispenses elementary instruction to its develop- 
ing citizens. It will, however, be of interest to notice in brief 
outline the various stages of gi'owth and progress here, by which 
tliat system has reached its present degree of efficiency. As in 
all the New England colonies so in Rhode Island, the early set- 
tlers gave their attention with much earnestness to the matter 
of educating their children. Tliis subject seemed to them only 
second in importance to the maintenance of religious worship. 
But from the peculiarly unsettled state of the government of 
this colony in the eai'ly years of its existence, the matter of 
education was not treated by the colony in general, but local 



58 IIISTOHY OF NKWPORT COUNTY. 

circles managed it, each in their own way, and in accordance 
with the particular circumstances by which each was surround- 
ed. As a natural consequence of this independent action of 
different towns and communities there was no necessary uniform 
ity in such action, hence the data from which we may learn of 
the early condition and progress of public education are meagre 
and fragmentary. 

To Newport is given the credit of being the leader among the 
towns of this county, and perhaps of the state, in providing 
liberally for the education of its children. As early as 1640 we 
find that town employing a school teacher, one Mr. Lenthal, 
" to keep a public school for the learning of youth.'" For his 
compensation the town granted him four acres of land for a 
house lot, and two hundred aci'es more for his use and benefit 
while engaged in this work. Of this land one hundred acres 
were permanently devoted to the support of schools, being sold 
or leased, and the proceeds appropriated to the support of pub- 
lic schools. At what time the first school house was erected is 
not known, but it appears to have been in use at least as early 
as 1685, and is spoken of in 1700 as an old school house, that 
had fallen down, and was about to be replaced by a new one. 
But the new one does not appear to have been built until some 
thirty or forty years later. The cause during that period doubt- 
less progressed but slowly. 

Public education in Rhode Island, reduced to anything like a 
uniform and general system, appears to have been the outgrowth 
of influences which originated with John Howland, of Newport, 
nearly at the close of the last century. In February, 1800, an 
act to establish free schools throughout the state passed the 
legislature. This required that every town should estalilish and 
maintain one or more free schools, at the expense of such town, 
to be kept open during periods of each year, corresponding in 
general to the number of children there were to be educated. 
These schools were provided for all white inhabitants of the 
town between the ages of six and twenty years, and the list of 
studies specified by the law was reading, writing and common 
arithmetic. Every town council was to divide their town into 
school districts. Each town was entitled to receive annually 
from the general treasury, for school purposes, twenty per cent, 
of the sum it had the previous year paid into the general treas- 
ury, provided not more than six thousand dollars should be 



IlISTOKY OK NK\VP0I:T COUNTY. 59 

distributed in this way out of the state treasury. Under this 
law Newport was required to nuiintain three schools eight 
months each; Portsmoutli, Tiverton and Little Conipton were 
each to maintain tliree sciiools for four months each; and iMid- 
dletown, Jamestown and New Shoreiiam were each to maintain 
one school four months. Tiiis law was so strongly opposed that 
in February, 1803, it was repealed. 

A decadence of interest in school matters seemed now to fol- 
low, but after a quarter of a century a revival of sentiment ap- 
peared, and in 1828, after many a hard fought battle of intellect, 
with the varied weapons of argument, a new school law was 
passed. This act provided that a sum, not exceeding ten thous- 
and dollars, to be derived from certain specified sources of 
revenue, should annually be paid from the state to the towns 
for the support of schools, and authorized each town to supple- 
ment within specified limitations such sum as it received from 
this source, by a tax upon its people to an amount sufficient to 
support its schools. The superintendence of schools was placed 
in the hands of a school committee in each town. On this act 
the present school system of the state has been builded. 

At that time Newport had one free school with about two 
hundred scholars, and forty-two private schools with about one 
thousand one hundred scholars, supported the year round. 
Portsmouth then had four school houses in which schools were 
kept somewhat regularly throughout the winter, and in one or 
two of them during the summer. Middletown had five school 
houses in which schools were taught regularl3^ during the win- 
ter and irregularly during the summer. Jamestown had three 
school houses, one of which was unoccupied, and schools kept in 
the other two only during the winter. Little Comptcm had eight 
school houses open in winter, and most of them open in sum- 
mer. In New Shoreham there was but one school house, though 
four schools of about thirty scholars each, on an average, were 
kept four mcmths in winter, and six months in summer. In 
Tiverton there were ten school houses in which schools were 
kept with much regularity, and a few other small schools. The 
school law of 1828 was amended in 18:30. 

The first official report of the schools of tlie slate, and the re- 
sults of the operation of the system, was made in 1832. In it 
appears the following comment: 

"There is not a town in wliich all the children may not have 



60 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 



the means of acquiring a common school education; and when 
we consider the nature of uur institutions, and how much their 
preservation depends on the general spread of information, and 
on the correct morals of our youth, we have much cause to re- 
joice at the present favorable prospects, and we look forward to 
the period when Rhode Island shall be as celebrated for the 
facilities afforded to education as she now is for her industry 
and manufactures." 

From the statistical tables of that report is compiled the fol- 
lowing, by comparing which with other tables printed further 
on a good idea of the growth of the schools of this county un- 
der the fostering care of the state may be gained : 









•— < -4^ 
















OX 


•T" 


, 




ox. 




m 

3 


CM 


7^^ 


■a c 


m 

"o 
o 


o p- 


"5 i 




o 


feS 


wh 


-1 


J3 


gs 


co^ 




o 

03 


11 


O !^ 

213 

■S 3 






11 






.n 




a s 


M 






a a 




3 




° a 


Cl, 


•^ 




o la 




PL, 




^< 


< 


^ 




S<! 


Newport 


3 


400 


13 


$800 


33 


900 


12 


Tiverton 


12 
8 


600 
360 
245 


4 
2 

1 




20 
3 

7 


400 

60 

175 


3 


Port!5raouth 


2 


Little Couipton 


6 


New Slioreham 


3 

5 
2 

39 


100 
310 
100 


2 
4 
3 




•i 


155 




Middietown 


6 


.lainestown 








Totals 


2,015 




$800 


67 


1,690 









The following table shows the condition of the schools in 1844: 



Newport 

Portsmouth 

New Shoreham. 

.latnestowu 

Middietown. . . . 

Tiverton 

Little Compton 

Totals 



*^ o 

a£ 



$1,766.59 
374.42 
299.83 
66.33 
198.39 
804.43 
323.21 



13,833.19 











*; 








^^ 






<«-! 

O m 


^i 


?r..2 


01 2 


5i1S 


0/ 


11 

=^0 




c « 


» 


w 


■^ 


11,600.00 


2 


11 


13 




8 


H 


10 




5 


9 


8 


16.32 


1 


5 


9 


41.00 


3 


5 


5 


639.37 


16 


19 


19 


41.29 


9 


9 


18 
83 


$3,337.98 


43 


66 



gl 



$3,095.00 
1,020.00 
2n!).S2 
l.iG.OO 
239.39 
1.09.5.77 
364.50 



$6,270.48 



Q) O 

MM 

boo 
Ml 

< 



690 
282 
232 
94 
93 
698 
285 



3,374 



HISTOKY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 



61 



The school law of the state was again amended in 1845. Other 
amendments and changes in the law have since been made, but 
the law of that year formed the general basis on which the law 
as it exists to-day has been built. 

The following table, compiled tVoni the school reports of the 
year ending May 1, 1855, gives another landmark in the prog- 
ress of popular education here : 



.o " o 

So 

= s u 

s, » s 

>- c 



Newport 

Portsmouth . . . . 
Middletowii. . . . 

Tiverton 

Little < 'onipton. 
New Sliiirciiam. 
Jamestown 

Totals 



858 
334 
194 
1.239 
350 
366 
54 



3,395 



19,933.62 

2,115.23 
1,135.71 
4.744.81 
1,9.53.07 
885.78 
276.13 



$21,044.35 






M 



•Jl 

= i 

oil 



.E; M 

OH 

D 

» ? 

2S 
S g 



20 1 .f2.318.53 f6,.500.00 

8 ! 723.84 300.00 

10 3S5.71 200.00 

30 1,069.86 1,.500.00 

18 , 749.47 2.50.00 

5 I 565.61 100.00 

3 I 145.80 25.00 



94 $6,858.83 |8,875.00 



eceived 
Special 
unds. 


8 


« fe 


=«■= 


lal 


0).- 

■op. 


°°lk 


Q 




3 


< 


Z 


125.75 


5 




7 


40.00 


5 


1,092.22 


18 




10 




5 
2 






.$1,257.97 


52 



O) o 



17 

7 

5 

21 

10 

5 



The school reports for 1886 show the following figures: 





•oo 


oJ cfi 
















•a o 


•^ " 


















i 2 

2'o 






1 


o 


—4 03 

ts-a 


X 




■■' o 

l5^ 


£-5 


O . 

IS 


■6 

to (U 


-a * 
•3^5 


is 


§1 

a8 


(t-t 

o 

4J 




§ l< 


^ci 


a p 




s 


S-g 


s 




iz; 


<5S 


HW 


f^ 


• ca 


fcix 


o 


Jamestown 


99 


86 


3 


6 


$438.63 


.$,500.00 




$896,80 


Little Coinpton. 


203 


385 


10 


15 


1,299.36 


2.040.00 




3,315.97 


Middletown 


310 


163 


5 


6 


7.57.68 


1,8,50.00 




2,469.80 


Newport 


3,639 


2,310 


39 


45 


6,498.98 


38.000.00 


$2,820.94 


39,6.50.87 




282 


348 


5 


11 


833.46 


868.46 




1,843.36 




289 


341 


10 


13 


1,372.62 


3,351.00 




4.327.80 


Tiverton 


603 


567 


13 


30 

116 


2,061.65 


3,800.00 


33.74 


5,845.26 


Totals 


.5,324 


3..S50 


85 


$13,262.38 


$50,409.46 


$2,844.68 


$.58,349.36 



We append the following statistics relating to different sub- 
jects and periods, which are of interest chiefly in .showing the 
comparative growth and importance of the different towns of 
the county. 



62 



history of newport county. 
Census of 1730. 



" In the year 1730 there was by the King's order an exact ac- 
count taken'of the number of souls in the colony." 

In this census the four towns which then constituted New- 
port county were reported as follows : 



Towns. 


Whites. 

3,843 
643 
232 
350 


Negroes. 

649 
100 

80 
30 


Indians. 


Total. 




148 
70 
19 
30 


4,640 
813 


Portsruouth. ... 




331 


New Shoreham 


390 






Newport County 


4,958 


849 


257 


6,064 






Total of the Colony 


15,303 


1,648 


985 


17,935 



The census of 1748-49 showed the following figures : 



Towns. 


Whites. 


Negroes. 


Indians. 


Total. 




5,335 

807 
360 
284 
586 
842 
1,004 


1,105 
134 
30 
110 
76 
99 
63 


68 
51 
30 
26 
18 
99 
86 


6,508 
992 


Portsmouth 


New Shoreliatn 


300 


Jamestown 


420 


Middleto wn 


680 


Tiverton . . . 


1,040 


Little Compton 


1,152 




Newport County 


9,118 


1,606 


368 


11,092 





The number of families in the county in 1774 were : Newport, 
1,590; Portsmouth, 220; New Shoreham, 15; Jamestown, 69; 
Middletown, 123 ; Tiverton, 298 ; Little Compton, 218 ; the 
whole county, 2,593. 

The census of 1775 showed the population, distributed among 
the different classes mentioned, as follows : 

White. 



Towns. 


Men Able to 
Bear Arms. 


Enlisted 
Soldiers. 


Men. 


Women. 


Boys. 


Girls. 


Newport 


534 
88 
17 
30 
55 
109 
110 


969 

120 

66 

58 

83 

159 

134 


1,696 
243 
83 
86 
153 
377 
344 


1,633 

238 
77 
100 
206 
217 
243 


1,099 

261 

52 

103 
157 
378 
261 


1,091 


Portsmo^ith 


440 


New Shoreliam 


53 


Jamestown 


72 


Middletown 


165 


Tiverton 

Little Compton 


323 
295 






Newport County 


993 


1,588 


3,782 


3,703 


2,311 


2,438 







iiistoky of nkwpoitt county. 
Black. 



63 



Towns. 


Men. 


Women. 


Boys. 


Girls. 


Newport 

Portsmouth 


400 
51 
29 
42 
29 
44 
28 


341 
60 
41 
41 
26 
67 
43 


248 
50 
22 
36 
19 
58 
29 


345 
30 
22 


Jamestown 


37 




23 


Tiverton 


61 




30 






Newport County 


623 


619 


462 


448 







Tlie valuations of the several towns of the county in 
1796 were as follows : Newport, £257,200 ; Portsmouth, £110,- 
207, 9s.; New Shoreham, £33,472, 2s.; Jamestown, £45,599, 18s.; 
Middletown, £55,747, 16s.; Tiverton, £111,272, 18s., 9d.; Little 
Compton, £88,082, 16s. 



War Expenses, 1861-65. 





Total amount jiaid 
for Bounties. 


Total amount paid 
for Enlisting 
Volunteers. 


Total amount paid 
for Aid of Fami- 
lies of Volun- 
teers. 


Aggregate Dis- 
bursements for 
War Purposes. 


Actual Expenses 
for War Pur- 
poses. 




$11,511 
780 
3,093 
34,454 
93,086 
19,000 
16,358 


1439 

8 

300 

567 

435 

30 

77 




$11,950 
788 
3,393 
35,021 
98,388 
19,030 
16,634 


$7,150 


Jamestown 




788 






3,393 

12,871 


Tiverton 




Newport 

Portsmouth 


$4,861 


61,483 
10,030 




200 


11,234 







CHAPTER II. 



THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 



By Henry E. Turner, M. D.* 



IN presenting the following sketches of the medical men of 
Newport county, the writer desires to state tliat he has 
been actuated by no motive but the desire to present the exact 
truth, so far as information could be obtained (in a compact 
form) and also to make it as exhaustive as possible. lie also 
desires to acknowledge his gratitude to Doctor H. R. Storer, 
G. C. Mason, Esq., Hon. William P. Sheffield and many 
others for valuable aid in liis work. 

Doctor Albro, born at Portsmouth, R. I., studied medicine 
with Doctor S. W. Butler, of Newport, graduated at the I'ni- 
versity Medical School, New York city, in 1879, and has not 
since been a resident in this county. 

Doctor John Almy was born in Tiverton, R. I., in 1757. He 
studied medicine in the office of Doctor Isaac Senter, of New- 
port, and settled in Little Compton, R. I., in 1797. His wife 
was Abigail, daughter of Isaac Bailey. He was a very popular 
and successful piactitioner in Little Compton for 40 years or 
more. He died in Little Compton in 1844, at the very advanced 
age of 87 years. 

Doctor Caleb Arnold of Portsmouth, R. I., was a son of Gov- 
ernor Benedict Arnold, of Newport, and was a delegate to the 
general assembly from Portsmouth in 1684 ; was, the same year, 
appointed an assistant and declined. Of his profes-sional career, 
nothing is known. 

Doctor Edmund S. F. Arnold came to Newport some years 
since and purchased a fine residence, and lived here for several 
years, but did not resume practice from which he had previously 

*The following sketches in this chapter were not prepared bj- D(ictor Tur- 
ner, viz.: Doctors James Tyler Bnttrick, David King, David King, Jr.. David 
Olyphant, F. H. Rankin, Austin L. Sands, William Turner, and Henry E. 
Turner.— Ed. 



HISTOKY Ob' NEWl'OUT COUNTY. 65 

retired. He, however, was a consulting jihysician to tlie medi- 
cal staff of the Newport Hospital from 1874 to 1877. 

Doctor Avery F. Angell, son of Job and Alcey (Leach) Angell, 
was born in Scituate, R. I., May 5th, 1811. His early life was 
passed in farming and mechanical pnrsnits ; from 18B3 to 1847 
he was a school teacher and afterward was a dentist until 1864. 
He subsequently practised medicine, having graduated in a 
western medical school. For about ten years he resided in 
Newport, practising medicine and dentistry. About 1880 he 
went south and is believed now to be in Florida. Doctor An- 
gell has two sons. He was an oiiginal member of the Newport 
Medical Society. 

Doctor Pierre Ayrault was a prominent member of the French 
Huguenot colony, which purchased a considerable tract in East 
Greenwich, R. I., being refugees from the paternal government 
of Louis XIV. after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. 
In 1699, he appears as one of the founders of Trinity church, 
Newport, and it has been thence inferied that he was a resident 
of Newport, but this conclusion is not sustained by any other 
evidence. His will was proved in East Greenwich, June 4th, 
1711, and this proves him a resident there at the time of his 
death. Directly after, his son Daniel sold his house in Green- 
wich and came to Newport, where for a century or more, he was 
represented by a numerous and influential progeny, of whom 
George C. Mason, Esq., and his son, George C. Mason, Jr., are 
still his worthy representatives in Newport. The will of 
Dr. Pierre Ayrault, above mentioned, was executed in 1711. 
He died June 4th, 1711. There is reason to believe that a 
grandson of Dr. Ayrault, also named Pierre, studied medicine 
in Newport, but died early. 

Miss Mary Baldwin, M.D., has been practising medic'ine iu 
Newport for about three years, having received the degree of 
M.D. at Blackwell College", New York, in 1874. 

Doctor Christopher Franklin Barker, son of Robinson P. and 
Julia Ann (Peckham) Barker, was born in Middletown, R. I., 
October 31st, 1849. After preliminary education in local schools 
he prepared for college at the Newport High School, graduating 
there in 1871. He received the degree of A.B. at Brown Uni- 
versity in 1875, after which he passed two or three years in 
private tuition. In 1879 he entered the office of Dr. Samuel W. 
Butler of Newport, as a medical student, and graduated in medi- 
5 



66 lirSTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

cine at the University of New York in March, 18S2, and imme- 
diately established himself in practice in Newport, where his 
preceptor, Dr. Butler, had died in the previous year. He has 
acquired a large business and an enviable position. He was mar- 
ried in May, 1881, to Helen E., daughter of Jolin and Hannah 
(Barker) Peckham, of Middletown, and has two children. 

Doctor Richard Bartlett came from Mendon, Mass., in 1769, 
and advertised as surgeon, bonesetter and physician, and seems 
not to have remained very long. 

Doctor Charles F. Bartlett came to Newport in 1800, and ad- 
vertised to inoculate for kine pox, then a new thing. The 
frigate "General Greene" arrived at Newport July 21st, 1800, 
from the West Indies, bringing yellow fever. Dr. Bartlett was 
called upon bj' the town council, with John Wanton, health 
officer, to investigate the subject and report, which he did; but 
he was antagonized by the other physicians, and the coun- 
cil failed to prosecute the plan which he recommended. "Whether 
or not for that reason, a quite alarming and fatal epidemic 
ensued, in which 82 cases occurred at Newport, Providence and 
East Greenwich, and quite a large proportion of the cases were 
fatal. Doctor Bartlett soon after disappeared. While here he 
had a portrait of Washington painted, which is described in 
"Mason's Reminiscences of Newport" (page 291). He died at 
Darien, Georgia, June 22d, 1800. 

Doctor John Bartlett, from Charlestown, R. I., was in New- 
port in 1770. 

Doctor Gustavus Baylies was at Thomas White's, Church 
street, opposite Trinity Church gate, in 1798. He staid a short 
time, removed to Bristol, and married a daughter of Lieutenant 
Governor William Bradford, who was the father of Doctor 
Hersey Bradford, late of Astoria, Long Island. 

Doctor William Hunter Birckhead, son of James and Eliza 
(Hunter) Birckhead, grandson of Hon.Wm. Hunter of Newport, 
and great-grandson of Doctor Wm. Hunter, of Newport, of pre- 
revolutionary fame, was born at Rio de Janeiro, his grandfather 
being then U. S. minister plenipotentiary at the court of Brazil. 
His father was a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and was son of 
a distinguished physician of that city. Doctor Birckhead grad- 
uated A.B. at Trinity College, Hartford, Conn., in 1861, and A. 
M. in 1863. He studied medicine in the city of New York from 
1861 to 1863, took his medical degree at the College of Physi- 



HISTORY OV NEWPORT COUNTY. 67 

cians and Surgeons, New York, in 18G4, and was liouse physi- 
cian at Bellevue Hospital from 18G4 to 1866. lit; was house sur- 
ffeon of the Woman's Hospital, New York, in 1867-G8. He com- 
menced practice in Newport in January, 1868, and retired from 
practice in 1885. Doctor Birckhead was one of tiie visiting 
staff of Newport Hospital from its establishment to 1877, when 
he retired. He is a member of the R. I. Medical Society, and 
of the Alumni Association of the Woman's Hospifal. He also 
did some hospital service at Fortress Monroe during the war. 
He has a winning address, by which he soon acquired wonder- 
ful popularity among his fellow townsmen, and rapidly acquired 
a large practice of a lucrative character. 

Doctor John Brett settled in Newport about 1741J, and was for 
many years a very prominent member of the profession here. 
He was a graduate of Ley den, and attended I he lectures of the 
great Boerhaave. He was highly esteemed among his cotempo- 
raries, not only as a highly accomplished and able physician, 
but as a man of fine literary tastes, of large pretensions as a 
man of science. He was an intimate friend and associate of 
Redwood, and was an active friend of the Redwood library, to 
which he gave many valuable books, all of tlie highest order. 
Mr. Sheffield says: '"Dr. John Brett came to Newport in 1743." 
Doctor Waterhouse says " in 1749." 

Doctor Benjamin Brown lived opposite Daniel Ayrault's, in 
Thames street, Newport, opposite the foot of Ann street, prior 
to 1770. 

Doctor Richmond Brownell, son. of Sylvester Brovvnell of 
Little Compton, was born in that towi) in 1790, and died at 
Providence October 29th, 1864. Dr. Brownell never practiced 
in Newport county, but settled, as a physician, in Providence, 
and was a prominent figure there for many years, and highly 
esteemed. He was president of the R. I. Medical Society from 
1840 to 1843. 

Doctor William Tillinghast Bull, son of Henry and Henrietta 
S. (Melville) Bull, and great-grandson of Dr. William Tilling- 
hast, was born at Newport. May 18th, 1849, and graduated 
A.B. at Harvard College in 1869. He studied medicine at the 
College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, under the pri- 
vate instruction of Dr. Henry B. Sands, then professor of anat- 
omy in the institution. He received his medical degree in 
March, 1872, with a prize of §50 foi- best graduation thesis, oq 



68 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

" Perityplilitis." He was, immediately after graduation, ad- 
mitted into surgical service in Bellevne Hospital, remaining 
tliere until October, 1873. He passed the two years succeeding 
in professional study in England, France and Germany. He 
commenced practice at 39 West 35tli street. New York city, in 
September, 1875. In March, 187(3, he was appointed house 
physician to the New York Dispensary, in which position he 
remained two years. In December, 1877, he was appointed at- 
tending surgeon to Chambers Street Hospital, which place he 
still holds. From 1879 to 1888, he was attending surgeon to St. 
Luke's Hospital and demonstrator of anatomy to the College of 
Physicians and Surgeons. In 1883, he was appointed surgeon 
to the New York Hospital, which place he still holds. He is 
at present consulting physician to St. Luke's Hospital, Hospital 
for Ruptured and Crippled, Ward's Island Kmigrant Hospital, 
and the Manhattan Hospital. He is also a trustee of the New 
York Dispensary, and one of the managers of the New York 
Cancer Hospital, and adjunct professor of the practice of surgery, 
at the College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Bull has dis- 
tinguished himself in operative surgery, and holds a high posi- 
tion in the profession. He is unmarried. 

Doctor Samuel W. Butler, of Newport, was born in Farm- 
ington, Maine, February 2d, 1816. He was a son of Samuel 
and Mary (Pease) Butler, of Farmington, but originally from 
Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard, Mass. He acquired his medical 
education in Boston, and received the degree of M.D. from 
Harvard College, He settled in Newport in 1842, where he re- 
sided the remainder of his life, with an interval of two years, 
passed in partnership with Di-. Baker, in Providence. He died 
April 7th, 1881, in consequence of injuries incurred by passing 
into the stall of an untried and dangerous horse, which he had 
lately purchased. He was married in 1843, to Amelia, daugh- 
ter of Holden Backus of Farmingron, Me., and had one daugh- 
ter; both still survive. Doctor Baker was a member of the R. I. 
Medical Society, and of the American Medical Association. He 
was for a time hospital surgeon at Portress Monroe, during 
the rebellion. He was a member of the Baptist church, a dili- 
gent and faithful man in his profession, and had the confidence 
of a large number of citizens. 

James Tyler Buttrick, M.D., the third son of Eli and Polly 
Jledden Buttrick, was born in Hudson, New Hampshire, March 





v*^«^'^»v, V *wis-\v 



IlIsrnKV OF NKWl'OltT COUNTY. 69 

6tli, 182.0. His grandfather, Oliver Biitlrick, of Concord, 
Massachusetts, joined the aiwny before his twenty-first year, 
was at the battle of Bunker Hill andserved through the i-evolu- 
tion. His father, Eli Buttrick, was a farmer, respected by all 
who appreciate the higher instincts of veracity, honesty and 
the amenities of a rural life. His mother was of an old and 
highly respectable Vermont family, a woman of great piety 
and truly evangelical sentiments. Dr. Buttrick was a direct 
descendant of Major John Buttrick, who at the battle of Con- 
cord Bridge gave the order (in the ever memorable words) 
"■^ Fire— for God's saTce, Fire and protect your homcH," for tiiat 
first shot which Emerson says " was heard around the woild." 
In person and character the doctor had pre.served the type of 
those hardy, uncompromising men who laid the foundation of 
our republic. He despised the effeminate hi.xury of modern 
life and had a truly Spartan relish for that austere simplicity 
so much admired in theory and so little appreciated when prac- 
ticed. His reverence for God and man were shown in high in- 
tegrity and large benevolence. He kept no telephone between 
his right hand and his left, the secret of his constant giving 
and serving being hardly known beyond those benefitted. His 
sympathy and skill were always for the poor, and in many 
cases he improvised a hospital, and in addition to medical and 
surgical aid performed the duties of nurse and steward. Doctor 
Buttrick pursued a preparatory coui'se of study in Boston and 
graduated with honor in 1853 at the College of Physicians and 
Surgeons, New York. He later took a supplementary course 
at Woodstock, ^'ermont, and then received jn-ivate instruction 
in general, descriptive and surgical anatomy, surger}^ practice 
of medicine, physiology, chemistry, materia medictt, midwifery, 
etc., etc., under Prof. Whittaker of New York. He was several 
times interrupted in his studies for want of means, provided by 
days and nights of toil and deprivation. He would not Itorrow 
lest death or accident should overtake him and cause anotiier 
to suffer. He not only travelled over a rough mad but built 
the road himself. He possessed much mechanical skill which 
greatly aided him in the piactice of surgery. As an operator 
he was self-possessed and careful, using equally well both the 
left and right hand. He applied himself very closely to the 
best works on medicine and surgery during the whole of his 



70 HISTORY OF NKWPOUT COUNTV. 

professional career, and kept well abreast of the times in medi- 
cal literatnre. 

He first settled in Westford, Massacluissetts, and afterward 
in Wilton, New Hampshire. In 18G2 he removed to Block 
Island, and in 1807 settled in Newport. He was a member 
of the Massachusetts Medical Society, and in 1863 connected 
himself with the Rhode Island Medical Society. On the 6th 
of March, 1867, he married Mary E., daughter of Hon. George 
G. Sheffield of Lyme, Connecticut, formerly of Block Island, 
who with a son and daughter survive him. His dtjath occurred 
July 26th, 1880. A leading practitioner said of him in his 
remarks before the Rhode Island Medical Society, "Dr. Butt- 
rick was a self reliant and laborious practitioner in the 
various branches of medicine, a man of perseverance, of sin- 
cerity and integrity." Another member of his profession wrote 
thus: "Dr. Bnttrick was retiring in manner, modest in the 
extreme, but fearless and self-reliant in the performance of 
duty. He shrunk from no responsibility when the welfare of 
his patients required his services. Had he settled in a large 
city the world would have known him better." 

Doctor Benjamin WaiteCase was born in North Kingstown in 
1772 and died in Newport November 7th, 1834. He married 
Sarah, d;inghter of Hon. Henry Marchant, who was a member 
of the continental congress from Rhode Island. They had no 
children. Doctor Case studied medicine with liis uncle. Doctor 
Benjamin Case of South Kingstown, and came to Newport about 
1800. He soon acquired a large practice, and retained it until 
his last illness. He was cotempbrary with Doctors William 
Turner, David King, Edmund T. Waring and Enoch Hazard, 
and died at ver\' near the same time with the three former, Doc- 
tor Hazard djing in 1842, several years later, the community 
being thus deprived of the services of a whole generation of 
physicians, which they had enjoyed for 35 j'-ears or more, to 
each of whom a large clientelle was devotedly attached. Doc- 
tor Case was very positive and heroic in his methods, and made 
himself veiy conspicuous by the extremely liberal use of cold 
water at a time when the opposite practice prevailed. He was 
also thought to be extravagantly free in the use of the lancet. 
Foi' these and perhaps other reasons, he was not exactly en rap- 
port with his compeers, but the people who habitually em- 
ployed him had the most implicit confidence in him. In his early 



HISTORY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 71 

career he was a very active Freemason, but, had differences and 
dissension with the regular fraternity, and afterward established 
a h)clge which was always spoken of as Doctor Case's lodge, 
which finally became defunct, and in his later life he became an 
active and leading spirit among Rhode Island anti-masons. He 
was a remarkably fine looking man. 

Doctor Paul Castel advertised the practice of medicine and 
surgerj' in Newport. He was from Cape Pi'ancois, and in 1786 
had rooms at Widow Lillibridge's, North Side Parade. 

Doctor Nathaniel Ray Chace is now practising in Newport. 
He was born at New Shoreham, Newport county, R. I., .fuly 
8th, 1842, and was a son of Isaac and Celina (Littlefield) Chace, 
of New Shoreham. He acquired his academic and classical educa- 
tion at Lombard University, in Illinois, and received there, his 
degree of A. B. in 1870, and his M. D. in Hahneman College, 
Philadelphia, in 1872, as a Homoeopathic physician. He prac- 
tised in Providence one year, and came to Newport in June, 
1873, where he has since resided. He is unmarried. 

Doctor Stephen Champlin. Among the young gentlemen 
who were under the instruction of Doctor William Turner of 
Newport, was Doctor Stephen Champlin, from Lebanon. 
Conn., who married Alice, daughter of George Armstrong, of 
Newport, who, at the conclusion of his pnpilage, settled in his 
native town, and practised there foi- many years, and died, 
leaving no children. 

Doctor Walter Channing, son of Hon. William and Lucy 
(Ellery) Channing, was born in Newport, April l.ltli, 1780, in 
the house southeast corner Mary and School streets, afterward 
for many years the residence of Charles Gyles, Esq., now oc- 
cupied as a children's home. His father was a very prominent 
lawyer and attorney-general ()f Rhode Island from 1777 to 1787. 
His maternal grandfather was Hon. William Ellery, one of the 
signers of the declaration of independence. He was a brother 
of Rev. William E. Channing, D. D. Doctor Channing was a 
student of medicine witii DoiUor Barton, of Piiiladelphia, and 
a graduate of the Philadelphia Medical School, University of 
Pennsylvania. He was professor of midwifery and medical 
jurisprudence at Harvard, from 1815 to 1854, nearly 40 years. 
He studied also, at the Universities of Edinburgh and London. 
He settled in Boston in 1802, and became, in a short time, one 
of tlie most prominent members of the profession in that ci I y. 



72 IIISTOTIY OF NEWPOirr COUNTV. 

wliere he continued to practice until his deatli. Doctor Chan- 
ning published many books, and was especially interested in 
ajtherization soon after its introduction. He was physician to 
the Massachusetts General Hospital for nearly twenty years. 
He came to Newport, on the occasion of the reunion of the sons 
and daughters of Newfjort, x\ugnst 2;}d, 1859, and deliveied an 
address. Soon after he died. 

Doctor John Clarke was the earliest iihysician known to have 
belonged to the settlement of Rhode Island, having been a 
signer of the original compac-t, on settlement at Pocasset, now 
Portsmonth, in March, 1638. He was evidently one of the 
principal factors in that movement, as he was one of the most 
active, energetic, and efficient in the promotion of the radical 
ideas which undeilaid it, and of I'esistance to the influences 
which never relaxed on the part of the home government, to de- 
feat its prime objects, in which resistance no aid was wanting, 
which could be given by a considerable party among his fellow 
colonists. He was a prominent figure in all the negotiations 
between the colonists, and the parliament, and the king, and 
is supposed to have been chiefly instrumental in procuring from 
Charles TT, the charter of 1663, the first gi-mt of perfect reli- 
gious freedom ever impressed with a royal seal, or signed by a 
royal hand, and under which the people of Rhode Island prof- 
ited by its beneficent provisions, and enjoyed the nujst unex- 
ceptujuably good government ever known among men for 180 
years. We have not space to dilate on the political history of 
John Clarke. It has been sufficiently and very frequently ven- 
tilated, and no additions can be made to what is thoroughly 
known. 

Medical business never brings a man's name into public rec- 
ord, and generally his other business transactions are limited, 
and we only know of John Clarke's professional relations very 
little. He was in London from 1651 to 1653, as is said, engaged 
in practice, as he probably was during all his residence in Ports- 
nioutli and Newport. His signature was "John Clarke, Physi- 
cian," although he was the founder and benefactor and Hrst 
pastor for many years of the iirst Baptist church in Newport, evi- 
dently prosecuting his ministrations to the bodies as well as to 
the souls of his parishioners at the same time. D(jctor Clarke had 
three wives but left no descendants. He was boru in 1608, and 



IlISTOItY OK NKWI'OKT COUNTY. 73 

(lifd April 2(»rli, I CiTO, and was at the timi> of tlie exodus from 
Massachusetts ba^-, 30 years of age. 

Doctor Henry Tisdale Coggeshall was l)oru in Newport June 
2d, 1858. His father was Thomas, son of Timothy and Alice 
(Almy) Coggesliall, and his mother was Ellen Frances, daughter 
of George Knowles, all of Newport. He was educated in tlie 
l)ul)lic schools of Newport, preparing for college at the Rogers 
high school. He entered Yale College in 1880, and after one 
year there entered Harvard Medical School, where he graduated 
in medicine in 1883. He passed one year as house surgeon in 
the Hospital for Women, in Boston, previously to graduation, 
and one year subsequently, as resident physician of the New 
York Infant Asylum, Mt. Vernon, N. Y. In 1884 he practised 
for five months in Newport, after which he passed two years in 
medical studies in Europe. While in Europe he attended the 
third international congress as representative of Rhode Island, 
by appointment of Governor Wetmore, ut Rome, Italy. After 
his letnrn he served again, for nine months, as resident physi- 
(Man at the New York Infant Asylum. He was appointed Ger- 
man secretary to the section of diseases of children at the Ninth 
International Medical Congress, at Washington, in 1887. He 
settled in New York city in the antumn of 1887, and is now 
assistant to the chair of diseases of children at Bellevue Hospi- 
tal Medical School, and iihysician to out-patients, section of 
diseases of children, Bellevue Hospital. 

A Doctor Simon Cno[)er was a resident of Newport in 1678, 
probably the same who was admitted as freeman of the colony 
in May. 1606. No othei- re(H>rd of him is known to e.xist. 

Doctor Dwight Eleazer Cone, of Fall River, Mass., son of Ben- 
jamin and S. Rosalie Cone, was born at Brooktield, Madison 
county. New York, August 18th, 1854. He received his educa- 
tion at New Berlin Academy, and taught school for five years. 
He studied medicine in the office of his uncle, Doctor Frank D. 
Beebe, at Hamilton, Madison county, N. Y., and graduated in 
medicine at the University Medical School, New York city, in 
.May, 1875. He became a member of the Chenango Medical 
Society in June, 1875. and practised for three years at Coventry, 
Chenango county. He came to Rhode Island in November, 
1878, and settled in the townof Portsmouth, where he practised 
until December, 1882, having joined the Rhode Island Medical 
Society i.n March, 1870. He removed thence to Fall River, 



74 iriSTOKV OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

where he has since practised, giving especial attention to gy- 
naecology and obstetrics. In November, 1883, he became a 
member of the Massachusetts Medical Society, and is secretary 
and treasurer of the Fall River Medical Society, of whicli he 
was an original member. 

Doctor Charles Cotton, son of Rossiter and Priscilla (Jackson i 
Cotton, of Plymouth, Mass., was born in that historic town on 
the 7th of October, 1788, and died in Newport February 3d. 
1870. in his 82d year. He graduated as A. B. at Harvard in 1806, 
and A.M. 1812. February lSth,1811,he received orders, signed by 
Paul Hamilton, to join the frigate "Constitution" as surgeon's 
mate, and April 2d following he received his commission as 
surgeon's mate in the U. S. navy, signed l\v President Madison. 
October 21st, 1812, he received orders from Commodore Bain- 
bridge to report toCapt. Lawrence on board U. S S. " Hornet" 
for duty. Ajjril 26th, 1813, he was commissioned as surgeon 
U. S. navy. August 2d, 1813. he received notice of the coniir- 
mation of his commission by the senate. March 25th, 1823, he 
was ordered to the ship "Hornet,'' at Norfolk, and November 
12th, 1823, to the ship "Cyane." February 10th, 1820, he re- 
ceived a silver medal, by act of congress, for gallant services. 
He was in the battle between the U. S. S. " Hornet" and H. B. 
M. S. " Peacock," when the latter was captured, and is said to 
have been severely censured by Commodore Bainbridge for un- 
necessarily exposing himself in the action. He resigned his 
commission in the navy in 1823. He was on board the "Con- 
stitution" when she carried Hon. John Jay to France. After- 
ward he was stationed at Charlestown navy yard, and in 1817 
had charge of the naval hospital at Newport, R. I., where he 
married, at that time, Mary, eldest daughter of Captain 
Stephen T. and Mary (Langley) "Northam. By her he had 
a large family, of whom the only surviving son is William R. 
Cotton, Esq., of Newport. Doctor Cotton became a member of 
the Medical Consociation of Brown Univei'sity March Oth, 1813, 
and of the Rhode Island Medical Society September 2!)th, 1817, 
as ai)pears by diploma, signed P. Bowen, Praeses, but was re- 
commended for election by the censors March 0th, 1816. He 
was a studious man, and accomitlislied in historical and literary 
lore. He was genial and companionable, and had a keen appre- 
ciation of humor and a fund of local anecdote, which made his 
Rocietv agreeable and instructive. He was highlv esteemed as 



IlISTdUY Ol' NEWPORT COUNTY. 75 

a surgeon and was a wortliy representative of tlie profession. 
He was a member of tlie R. I. Historif-al Society, and of the Pil- 
grim Society, and delivered an address before them on the occa- 
sion of the removal of a portion of Plymouth Rock to the 
society's premises, which has since been restored to its original 
position. lie was a jnipil of Dr. James Thatcher of Plymouth. 

Doctor Lsaac B. Cowen, son of Jesse and Anna Cowen, was 
born in Canandaigua, New York, March lOth, 1855. His youth 
was passed, princiiially, at Mattapoisett and New Bedford, 
Mass. After graduating from the high school he attended a 
commercial school at Boston, but his ambition led him to pre- 
fer a profession, and he entered the office of Dr. Charles L. 
Swazey, of New Bedford, as a student of medicine, and he re- 
ceived his medical degree at the College of Physicians and Sur- 
geons, at New York, in March, 1873. January 1st, 1874, he 
entered upon the practice of his profession in Little Compton, 
where he died, March 3d, 1886, leaving a widow and two chil- 
dren. He was town clerk of Little Compton from June, 1876, to 
March, 1881, when the pressure of his professional duties com- 
pelled his resignation. His early decease afforded him only 
twelve years of professional life. 

Doctor John Cranston was born in Scotland, in 1625 or 1626, 
and died in Newport, March 11th, 1680. He came to Rhode Is- 
land early, and was elected drummer in March, 1644. In 
1656, he is catalogued as a freeman of the colony, from both 
Portsmouth and Newport, but in the same year was a deputy 
to the general assembly from Newport. He was afteward at- 
torney general, and his name, for many years, is con.spicuous 
in colonial affairs. In 1676, he was the military chief of the 
colony, with the title of major, and so remained during King 
Philip's war. He was deputy governor from May, 1676, to 
November, 1678, and governor from November, 1678, to March 
12th, 1680. In March, 1663-4, in consideration of " the blessing 
of God, on the good endeavors of Captaj^ne John Cranston of 
Newport, both in Phissicke and Chirurgei-y lie is licensed and 
commissioned to administer Phissicke and practice Chirurgery 
throughout tliis entire ('olony, and is, by this court, styled and 
recorded Doctor of Phissicke and Chirurgery." This is un 
doubtedly the first medical degree ever conferred in Rhode Is- 
land, if not on this continent. With pain we have to acknowl- 
edge that we have no other means of judging of his iiroticiency. 



76 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

or of his degree of medical education. As he came to this locality 
at the age of nineteen, his European advantages were probably 
limited. He was a near relative of Lord Cranston, and of royal 
blood, one of his ancestors being John Cranston, Prior of Cold- 
ingham, a natural son of James V. of Scotland. His wife was 
Mary, daughter of Jeremiah and Frances (Latham) Clarke. 
His eldest son, Samuel, was governor of Rhode Island from 
March, 1698 to xipril 26th, 1727, 29 years, dying in office, 
like his father. 

Doctor William Crooke was the son of William and Mary 
(Malbone) Crooke, of Newport, and was baptized by the rector 
of Trinity church, September 27th, 1803. He died in Ports- 
mouth, K. L, in 1843. He studied medicine with his uncle, Doc- 
tor Waring, in Newport, whose wife was his mother's sister, 
they being daughters of the Hon. Francis Malbone. He settled at 
Bhjck Island, and until March, 1842, had almost the entire 
liiactice of fjiat community, where lie was greatly esteemed. 
At that time he came to Newport, where he remained about a 
year, but not pi-actising. He then i^urchased a small place at 
Law ton's valley, in Portsmouth, and very soon after died there. 
He married a Miss Champlin. of Charlestown, R. I., and left 
one son, William Crooke, who is still living. 

Doctor John P. Curley was born at Newport, March 8th, 
1856. was educated at Newjjort, graduated in medicine at Har- 
vard College, in 1877, and spent two years following at St. 
Peter's Hospital, at Albany, New York, as resident physician 
and surgeon, and commenced practice in Newport, in May, 
1879. In 1880, he was elected a member of the Newport Hos- 
l)ital medical staff, and served in that capacity for several years. 
He lias left Newport since. Although not long here, he gave 
an impression oL' great capacity and promise. Doctor Peter F. 
Curley, brother of Doctor John P., was born in Newport, Sep- 
tember 18tli, 1861, was educated at Newport, and graduated at 
Albany Medical School, in 1883. He was two years resident 
l)hysician and surgeon at St. Peter's Hospital, Albany, N. Y. 
Hi- opened nn oHice in Providence, R. I., in Pebi'uary, 1884, and 
pi-actised there until August. 1887, when he removed to New- 
port. 

Doctor Samuel Danfortli, son of Samuel, probate judge of 
Middlesex county, Mass., was born at Cambridge, in 1740, mar- 
ried tirst Watts, second Margaret Billings, third Maitha 



HISTOKY OF NEWrOUT COUNTY. 77 

Gray. Seven of his ancestors and relatives were graduates of 
Harvard College before him. TTegi'ndnated in 1758, stndied med- 
icine with the elder Doctor Read, and afterward probably with 
Doctor Kast. He came to Newport, and after remaining there 
a short time, he went to Boston, where he became very prom- 
inent, especially as a disciple of the ultra-heroic school, and 
might be styled the Boanerges of the medical profession, in 
Boston. On the evacuation of Boston by the Britisli, he was 
made prisoner, as a loyalist, but his services were so desirable 
he was soon released. He was much interested in chemistry, 
and had a very complete laboratory in Boston. He died No- 
vember 16th, 1827, having retired from practice years before. 
Thatcher says of him, " rfe was tall, erect, penetrating eye, 
aquiline nose, very prominent cliiii, and sagacious expression." 

Doctor James Puritan Donovan, son of James J. and C. A. 
Donovan, was born in tlie city of New York in 18G4, and gradu- 
ated in medicine, at New York College of Physicians and Sur- 
geons, in 1886. He settled tlip same year in Newport, and lias 
since been a resident and practitioner in that (^ity. Doctor 
Donovan is a promising young man. 

Doctor Theophilus C. Dunn was tiie only son of Rev. Thomas 
Dunn, a Baptist minister, who came from County Devon, Eng- 
land, in 1795, to America, and his wife, Mary, daughter of 
Doctor Puddicome and Mary, his wife, of the same county. Doc- 
tor Dunn was born in New York, July 8th, 1800, and died at 
New York, February 26th, 1871. He married Elizabeth, 
daughter of Captain Robinson and Frances (Gibbs) Potter. 
Doctor Dunn's father lived for many years at Germantown, 
Pennsylvania, and tlie doctor received his academic education 
at Mount Airy chiefly, though he had at some time been un- 
der tlie tuition of Rev. William Rogers, of Philadelphia, who 
was one of the first class of graduates at Biown I'nivei'sity, in 
1769. Doctor Dunn attended his college course at Princeton, 
and graduated there, after which he entered the otlice of Doc- 
tor Corson, at New Hope, Pennsylvania, and received the de- 
gree of Doctor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 
at about which time his father's family removed to Newport, 
and remained here duiing the remainder of their lives. Doctor 
Dunn also came to Newport and married here, entering im- 
mediately into the practice of his profession, of which he was 
a worthy and active member for nearly fifty years. He was a 



78 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

most genial and companionable man. He was an optimist of 
the best variety ; without anj^ tendency to levity, his kindly 
manner and bright countenance brought relief into the sick 
room, and gloom was dissipated, iinless the gravity of the case 
demanded gravitj^ of demeanor, when he instinctively graduated 
liis address to the requirements, lie was perfectly frank and 
straightforward; no sham found any [)lace with liiiu If any- 
thing questionable were suggested, instantly tlie r(q)Iy came, 
"I wouldn't condescend." In his relations with his profes- 
sional brethren no suspicion of selfishness ever attaclied to him, 
and he accordingly had their warm affection. He was fond of 
general literature, and conversed on all .subjects with great in- 
telligence and in a very acceptable manner. Doctor Dunn was 
an active member of the R. I. Medical Society, was its first 
vice-president from 1840 to 1843, and president from 184'3 to 
1846. 

Doctor Ezra Dyer, son of Ezra C. and Caroline E. ^Tiffany) 
Dyer, was born in Boston, Mass., October 17th, 1836. and grad- 
uated A. B. at Harvard, in 1857. Before entering college he had 
given some time to the study of medicine, under Doctors Wy- 
man and Ware. He entered Harvard Medical School in 1857, 
and graduated in 1859, having passed tlie previous year as 
house surgeon in the Massachusetts General Hospital. Directly 
after graduation he went to Europe and passed two years in dil- 
igent study in the various medical centers, and giving especial 
attention to diseases of the eye and ear, in which he afterward 
became distinguished as a specialist. Returning home, in 1861, 
he established himself in Philadelphia. In 1862 he was ap- 
pointed to have charge of all eye and ear cases in the Phila- 
delphia army hospitals, and he retained this position until 1865. 
He was an original member of the American Ophthalmological 
Society, formed January 9, 1864. In 1873 Doctor Dyer removed 
to Pittsburg, Pa., where he remained until 1883, having a large 
practice, but his health being inipiiired by two serious surgical 
injuries, he removed toNew[i()rt, R. I., where he resided during 
the remainder of Ills life, practising exclusively in diseases of 
the eye and eai'. He was attached to the medical staff of the 
Newport Hospital, having charge in his specialty of all cases of 
disease or injury of eye and ear. Doctor Dyer had published 
several hospital papers, and was a man of brilliant parts and of 
a genial and amiable temper, and a great favorite with his as- 



HISTOKY OF NKVVl'ORT COUNTY. 79 

sociates. He died at sea, on his ret urn from Florida, where he 
liad gone with the liope of improving liis liealtli, February 9th, 
1887. 

Doctor Jonallian Iviston, son of ■lon;tfhan imd liulli (Cogges- 
liall) Easton, fifth in descent from Governor Nicliolas, an origi- 
nal settler, was hoin in Nevvjjort, August (5tli, 1747, married 
Sarah Thurston, daughter of Peleg and Sarah, December 3d, 
1778, and died March 13th, 1813. He had three children : Doc- 
tor Jonathan, Peleg and Sarali. His residence was the house in 
Broad street lately occupied by Miss Ellen Townsend, now the 
property of the city, and used for an industrial school. Doc- 
tor Easton was a Quaker, as were most of his relatives, and as 
people of that persuasion abounded on the island, very natur- 
ally he absorbed a large part of their patronage and did a large 
business during all his natural life. iVccording to George 
Channing, vs'ho remembered him well, his appearance and dress 
were such as adapted him well to secure and maintain the con- 
fidence of his fellow worshippers. Mr. Channing says, "He 
blended so much benignity of manner with his medicine as to 
render the bitter comparatively sweet. He introduced inocu- 
lation for small pox into Newport, in 1772, his being the first 
three cases in Rhode Island. He was an original Fellow of the 
R. I. Medical Society. Doctor Parsons says, he commenced his 
professional career ten years before the revolution, and con- 
tinued it for nearly fifty years." 

Doctor Jonathan Easton, Jr., son of Doctor Jonallian and 
Sai'ah (Thurston) Easton, was born in Newport about 1780. 
He studied medicine with his father, and attended lectures in 
Phihulelphia, after the eslablisnnipnt of the medical school in 
that city by Doctor Ship[)en and his compeers, Doctor Rush, 
etc. He remained in Newjiort but a short time, and removed to 
Cumberland, R. I., and died early. He also was an original 
member of the R. I. Medical Society 

Doctor Peter Easton died at Newport, September IGtii, 1817, 
aged 51 years. 

A Doctor John Easton is mentioned as having incurred sus- 
picion, at the breaking out of the revolution, and being put 
under arrest bj' order of the general assembly, for royalist 
leanings ; but nothing more is known of him. He probably be- 
came a refugee, on the evacuation of Rhode Island by the 
Brifisl). 



80 JIISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Doctor Henry Ecroyd, Jr., eldest, son of James and Rachel 
Ecroyd, was born at Muncy, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, 
May ()th, 1858, of Quaker parentage. He attended the Friend's 
school at Muncy until the age of 14, then entered an ad- 
vanced Friend's school at Westtown, ten miles from Phila 
delphia, where he graduated in 1879, having in the interval 
spent two years at a commercial college, and at the Muncy 
Normal school. He studied medicine foi' a j'ear and a half in 
Doctor William M. Rankin's office, in Munc}', and then entered 
the medical depaitnient (jf tlie University of Pennsylvania, 
spending the summers in the Friends' Insane Asylum, at 
Frankfort, and the Pennsylvania Hospital for Insane in West 
Philadelphia. After a three years' course, he graduated in 
1883, and passed the following year in district work and lec- 
tures. After a few weeks as resident physician in the Univer- 
sity of Pennsylvania Hospital, he was elected to a similar posi- 
tion in the Pennsylvania Hospital at Eighth and Pine streets, 
Philadelphia. After the expiration of his term he passed a few 
weeks on the Jersey coast, and (;ame to Newport, October 1st, 
1885. Here he has made an encouraging beginning, and is one 
of the attending physicians of the Newport Hospital. 

Doctor Edward Ellis. Nothing is known of him, except that 
in the newspaper report of the celebration of King George Third's 
coronation, in Newport, the route of the procession is said to 
be "from Dr. Ellis' house to the state house," and an adver- 
tisement, not very long after, of the house of " Dr. Edward El- 
lis," describing the house at foot of Pope street, corner Spring 
wharf, latterly known as the Handy house, earlier as the Over- 
ing house, gives his Christian name, and makes the route of the 
parade a very natural one, tliat being then the south end of 
the town. 

Doctor J. J. Ellis was born in Boston in 1826, graduated A. B. 
at Harvard University in 1847, and took his medical degree at 
Hai-vard in 1852. He was house surgeon for one year in the 
Massachusetts General Hospital. He settled at Portsmouth, 
R. I., and after two years, removed to Bristol, R. I. in 1854. He 
remained at Bristol until, in 1862, he became an assistant sur- 
geon of volunteers, attached to the 37th Massachusetts Regi- 
ment. He was sick three months at Washington, and was honor- 
ably discharged for disability, being in an advanced stage of 
Phthisis. He returned to Newport, and lingered for a few 



niSTORV OF XKWPOKT COUNTV. 81 

weeks in a liopeless condition, and died March 17tli, 180:3, aged 
37 years. He married tlie only cliild of Rev. Jolin 0. Clionles, 
D. D., by whom lie had one son, wlio is still livinp;. Doctor El- 
lis was a man of more than ordinary ])roniisc. 

Doctor Geoi'ge Engs, son of Snnniel and P^lizahctli (Stanhope) 
Engs, was born in Newport, Febrnary 24th, 1840, and died in 
JS'ewport. Jnly 7fh, 1887. The family of Engs was of a good 
old Pnritan stock, its first representative in America having 
been a deacon in the old Soutli clinrcii in Boston, in very early 
times. Fonr en- five generations of the family have been among 
the substantial citizens of Newport. Doctor Engs early indica- 
ted scholarly tastes and acquired studious habits, and in 1860, 
received the degree of A. B. at Yale College, and began the 
study of medicine in the office of Doctor David King, of New- 
port, graduating in medicine at the College of Physicians and 
Surgeons, New York, in 1863. He commenced practice in New- 
port as physician and obstetrician, but always eschewing surg- 
ery, as not congenial with his tastes. In 1860 he went to Eu- 
rope, passing two years in the diffei'ent medical capitals, but 
chiefly in Vienna, making himself an acconii)llslied German 
scholar, and perfecting himself in professional lore. In 1882, 
he again visited Europe, on a tour of travel for si.x months, and 
resumed practice on his return. Doctor Engs was a man of 
great intellectual power and an intense love of truth. He in- 
vestigated thoroughly and reasoned ably, and his analyses 
were valuable because his mind was always dominated by that 
instinctive regard for truth and rejection of any evidence which 
admitted of doubt. Although reticent and retix'ing, he was 
genial among his associates, who were not numerous. He had 
a strong hold on the confidence and kindly appreciations of the 
community, and gave promise, until his health failed, of an un- 
usually successful career. He was unmarried. 

Doctor Thomas Eyres was a son of Rev. Nicholas Eyres, pas- 
tor of the Second Baptist church in Newport, a native of 
G-reat Bi'itain, born August 22d, 1691, died in Newport 
February 13th, 1759. Doctor Eyres was born August 2d, 173'), 
married Amey Tillinghast, August 2d, 17o9, and died February 
23d, 1788, in Newport, leaving a daughter who married AVil- 
liam Briggs, of Newport. His race being long e.vtinci, little 
more can be gathered concerning him. He attended Henry 
Collins in his last illness. He left Newport during the revolu- 

6 



82 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

lion, and practised in Providence. Doctor Eyres received the 
degree of Bachelor of Arts from Yale College in 1754, and was 
the first secretary of Rhode Island College, afterward Brown 
Uuiversity, from i76-4 to 1776. 

Doctor Joseph J. Fales was born at Wrenthani, Mass., Jan- 
nary 27th, 1797. He was gradnated from Brown University in 
1820, attended lectures at Piiiladelphia and Boston, was grad- 
nated in medicine at Boston, and settled in Newport in 1822. 
In 1825 he married Miss Terry, an English lady. She died in 
1830, having had two children, who died young. He left New- 
port in 1832, and afterward lived in Boston. In 1835 he mar- 
ried Caroline L. Hammett, sister of Doctor George A. Hammett, 
and daughter of Deacon Nathan B. Hammett, of Newport. His 
M'idow survived, and with four children, Mary E., George H., 
Edwin M. and Emma G., resides in East Boston. 

Doctor Havela Farnsworth, with his brother Oliver, came to 
Newport in 1798, from A^ermont, and with him established a 
a democratic newspaper, styled the "Guardian of Liberty." 
After a j'ear or two the publication was abandoned, and the 
doctor became a practitioner of medicine in Newport, and, at 
one time, in Portsmoutli. Oliver continued the paper under 
the name of "Rhode Island Republican," and published in 
1800 a book entitled, "Memory of Washington." Of Doctor 
Farnsworth's subsequent history nothing is known. 

Doctor Moses Fifield, son of Rev. Moses and Celia (Knight) 
Fifield (the father being an itinerant minister of tlie Methodist 
Ejiiscopal church) was born December 23d, 1823, at Warehouse 
Point, Conn. The Reverend Moses was from New Hamp- 
shire, his wife from Providence, R. I Doctor Filield at- 
tended school at Centreville, R. I., at theWesleyan Academy, 
Wilbraham, Mass., and at East Greenwich Methodist Seminary. 
He commenced the study of medicine with Doctors George and 
Charles W. Fabyan, at Providence, R. I., and was graduated 
from the University of the City of New York in 1846. He mar- 
ried Hannah A., daughter of Christopher and Sarali (Congdon) 
Allen, of North Kingstown, in 1846. He practised medicine in 
Fall River, Mass, and Little Compton, R. I., until 1852, when, 
on the decease of Doctor Keith, he removed to Portsmouth, 
R. I. He practised there for several yeai's, when on account of 
his father's ill health, he removed to Centreville, R. I., where 
he became cashier of the Centreville Bank, afterward Centre- 



HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 83 

ville National Bank, and of the Warwick Institution for Savings, 
combining tliese financial duties witli the practice of medicine, 
which lie prosecutes with equal assiduity and interest. Although 
64 years of age, he still enjoys good health. He has been a 
member of the R. I. Medical Society since 1855, and is a mem- 
ber of the American Medical Association. 

Doctor Henry Collins Flagg was the son of Ebenezer and 
Mary (Ward) Flagg, who were married in Newport February 
8th, 1740. His grandfather, Richard Ward, was governor of 
Rliode Island from July, 1740, to May, 1743. Doctor Collins 
was born at Newj^ort, at what date is not precisely known ; he 
was a brother of Major Ebenezer Flagg, of Col. Greene's R. I. 
Regiment of the continental line of the revolution, wlio was 
killed with his colonel on Croton river, New York. Doctor 
Collins was surgeon on General Greene's staff, in South Carolina^ 
where he I'emained and married, and became prominent in his 
profession. 

Doctor William Fletcher came to Newport in 1785, as surgeon 
in the British navy, but was transferred, while here, to the 
army. At the close of the war he retired on half pay, and re- 
mained here and practised until his death, March 9th, 1788. 
He was born in Lancashire, England, in 1742. His epitaph says, 
"He lived like a gentleman and died like a philosopher." 

Doctor Samuel Ward Francis, fourth son of D(jctor John W. 
and Eliza M. (Cutler) Francis, was born in New York city, De- 
cember 26tli, 1835. He acquired his preliminary education in 
Joshua AVorth's school, in New York, and graduated A. B. at 
Columbia College in 1857, having received five or six prizes dur- 
ing his undergraduate course. He studied medicine in his 
father s office, and at the school of Doctors T. P. Thomas and 
AVilliam Rice Donaghe, and graduated in medicine at the New 
Y'ork University Medical College in 1860. He married June 
16th, 1859, Harriet H., daughter of Judge M. H. McAllister, of 
the U. S. District Court of California. After graduation he 
commenced practice in New York, where he was physician to 
the Dispensary for diseases of head, abdomen and skin. He 
was in Newport from 1862 to 18G4, again passed two years in 
New York, and in 1866 took up his permanent residence in 
Newport, where he remained until Ids decease, March 25th, 
1886. The cause of his death was diabetes mellitus. On grad- 
uation in medicine, he took the Mott bronze medal for best 



84 HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

clinical report. Doctor Francis wrote voluminously for the 
medical journals and other jieriodicals, and was author of two 
novels. He was a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, 
and of the Victoria Institute of Great Britain, and of many 
other medical and scientific societies, and was vice-president of 
the New2:)ort Medical Society. He was gifted with a remarkably 
inventive genius, and obtained several patents. He was the 
original inventor of the typewriter. He was the founder of the 
jVewport Society of Natural History. Doctor Francis was 
faithful and diligent in the performance of his professional 
duties, and was highly esteemed and deeply beloved by his em- 
ployers and his professional brethren ; he was a man of most 
amiable temper and cliarming social qualities, and his demise at 
the early age of 51 years, produced an impression of shock and 
sadness quite unusual ; he left five children. 

Doctor Valentine Mott Francis, third son of Doctor John W. 
and Eliza M. (Cutler) Francis, was born in New York city April 
25th, 1834. He attended the schools of Rev. Doctor Hawkes, 
and of R.T. Huddard of New York, and some others, and studied 
medicine with his father, and at the same school as his brother, 
that of Thomas & Donaghe, and took his degree of M.D. at New 
York University Medical College in March, 1859, and in June 
following received his diploma as practical analytical chemist. 
He also had a diploma for six months' attendance on wards in 
Bellevue Hospital. He published the first work on hospital 
hygiene, and also a poem on the fight for the Union, and did 
much work as a newspaper correspondent. He practised in New 
York for two and one-quarter years, and then retired and re- 
moved to Newport, where he still lives, passing his summers at 
Conanicut. He was a member of the New Y^'ork Sanitary Asso- 
ciation in 1861, and is a life member of the New Y^'ork Historical 
Society. Doctor Francis married, first, Sarah Faulkner, eldest 
daughter of Charles Carville, Esq., April IGtli, 1857. They had 
two sons, both dead. February 7th, 1865, he married Anna M., 
daughter of Doctor Rene de La Roche, of Philadelphia. She 
is still living. They had three sons, one of whom survives. 
Doctor Francis has not resumed practice since his removal to 
Newport, but has acquired a large number of attached friends 
by his sterling qualities. 

Doctor Sylvester Gardiner was the son of William Gardiner, 
Esq., of South Kingstown, R. I., and was born there in 1707. 



HISTOKY OF XEWPOUT CoUXTY. 85 

He early developed studious iuflinations, and under the direc- 
tion of Rev. Doctor MacSparnin, who had married his sister, 
his bent was encouraged, and lie was sent to Boston and studied 
medicine with Doctor Gibbons, an English physician, whose 
daughter he married. After two years he went to Europe, 
studied four years in Paris, and afterward spent two years in 
studying opthalniology in France. He returned and settled in 
Boston, where he became famous, and had a most extensive 
practice in medicine and operative surgery. He was reputed to 
have the most extensive obstetrical practice in New Enghvnd. 
He acquii-ed a large fortune, was largely engaged in purchases 
of land, and was a member of the Plympton Land Company. 
He was owner of an extensive tract, now (rardiner, Maine. He 
is reputed to have erected churches, and to have supported 
Episcopal clergymen from his own private means, but his pros- 
perity came to an end at the revolution. Being an active loyal- 
ist, he became a refugee, his property was confiscated, and he 
was impoverished. After the war he came to Newport, and 
practised his profession, and died here in 1786, aged 80 years. 

Doctor William Gibson did not practice in Newport, except 
when visiting here in summer, when he occasionally performed 
operations. He was particularly distinguished as a surgeon. 
After his retirement he came to Newport, and made his resi- 
dence here in his latter years. He was born in Baltimore in 1788, 
and died at Savannah, Georgia, March 2d, 1868, aged 80 years. 
He was educated first at Annapolis, Md., then at Princetcjn, N. 
J., and last at Edinburgh, where he attended the high school, 
and where he received the degree of M.D. in 18(>9. He was 
jiresent at the battle of Corunna, and received a slight wound 
at Waterloo. He settled at Baltimore in 1810. He married, in 
1810, Sarah Charlotte Hollingsworth. In 1812 he tied the com- 
mon Iliac artery. He was successively professor of surgery in 
the University of Maryland, and the University of Pennsylvania, 
where he officiated for many years, and was very much admired 
for his distinct and lucid demonstrations, and for his marvelous 
skill in preparations and drawings for the illustration of his 
lectures. He was at Lundy's Lane, and extracted a bullet from 
General Winfield Scott. He performed the CfPsarian section 
twice on the same woman, who recovered both times, and both 
children were saved. 

Doctor John Bernard Gilpin, son of .lolin Bernard and Mary 



86 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

(Miller) Gilpin, was born in Newport, E. I., September 4th, 
1810. He was prepared for college at Judge Joslin's academy 
in Church Street, formerly noted as John Frazer's classical 
school. He took the degree of A.B. at Trinity College, Hart- 
ford, Conn., about 1831, studied medicine in the office of Doctor 
T, C. Gunn, and gi'aduated in medicine at the University of 
Pennsylvania in 1834. About this time his family had removed 
to Annapolis, Nova Scotia, where he settled, and practised for 
eight years, when he removed to Halifax. There he became a 
prominent practitioner until about ten years ago, when he re- 
tired from active 2:)ractice, and returned to Annapolis, where he 
now resides. Doctor Gilpin is a younger brother of Hon. Wil- 
liam Gilpin of Newport. 

Miss Gertrude Gooding, M.D., daughter of Josepli and Mary 
(Howland) Gooding, was born at Bristol, R. I., July loth, 1855. 
She acquired her education in Bristol, graduating in the high 
school of that town in 1873, and afterward graduated at Mt. 
Holyoke Seminary in 1876. The five succeeding years she was 
eraploj'ed in teaching the natural sciences in the Maiden, Massa- 
chusetts, high school. She received the degree of M.D. from 
Boston University Medical Scliool (Homeopathic) in 1884. She 
then practised in Philadelphia for two years, and was a resi- 
dent physician in West Philadelphia Hospital for infants, in 
Women's Homeopathic. Maternity and Surgical Hospital, West 
Philadelphia Presbyterian Home for Old Women, and Rosine 
Home for Girls. Miss Gooding came to Newport in 1886, and 
still practises here. 

Dr. Ebenezer Gray i)ractised medicine at Newport in 1752-3, 
of which the only evidence obtainable is a bill for services to the 
family of John Stevens, ancestor of the famous stonecutter 
family of Newport, from May, 1752, to February, 1753— 
£10 12s. Od. 

Doctor Benjamin Greene, son of Hon. Isaac and Eliza (Kf^nyon) 
Greene, of Exeter, R. I., was born in that town October 30th, 
1833. In 1856 he began the study of medicine under the tute- 
lage of his uncle, Doctor Job Kenyon, al Antliony, R. I., and 
in 1857 matriculated at the University Medical School, in 
the city of New York, where he graduated in 1859. He com- 
menced iDractice directly after at Portsmouth, R. I., and has 
continued to practice there to the present time. In 1860 he be- 
came a member of the R. I. Medical Society. Besides his prac- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 87 

tice he has been successfully and extensively engaged in real 
estate transactions in and about Fall River, which is eight 
miles from iiis iiome. Doctor Greene married November 26th, 
1860, Eunice A., daughter of Philip B. and Sarah E. (Cooke) 
Chase, of Portsmouth, R. I. He is an active member of the 
Methodist cliurch, and of the order of Freemasons. lie enjoys 
the respect and conHdence of the community in which lie lives, 
and of his professional brethren. 

Doctor Nathaniel Greene, the eldest son of Nathaniel Ray 
Greene, who was the eldest son of Major General Nathaniel 
Greene of the revolutionary army, was born at Dungeness, the 
patrimonial estate of his family, on Cumberland Island, 
Georgia, June 22d, 1809. His mother, who was born November 
8th, 1784, died January 9th, 1886, at her residence in Middletown, 
R. I., at the extreme age of 102 j^ears, was a daughter of Ethan 
and Anna (Ward) Clarke. She was a very remarkable woman. 
She retained her mental faculties unimpaired until her decease, 
and those faculties were by no means of a common order. She 
delighted in literary pursuits, and her familiarity with the best 
class of English authors, of an earlier period especially, was 
phenominal to her last years ; she would converse in a wonder- 
fully intelligent manner on the productions and authors oii the 
golden period of English literature, as Addison, Johnson, Gold- 
smith, Bolingbroke, etc. She spent some of her latter years, 
and until her eyesight failed, in reading Hume and t)ther 
authors of that stamp ; at the same time she kept up a vivid 
interest in current event.s, and was familiar with neighborliood 
incidents, and whatever concerned the interests of her friends. 
No effort of memory was ever evident. Her conversation 
flowed as easily as that of young persons. She was a very 
conscientious, judicious and wise person, and thoroughly kind- 
hearted. Very few persons are permitted to be as interesting 
at a time of life when they are regarded as monuments of by- 
gone days. Iler husband, the father of the doctor, was a most 
amiable, genial and generous specimen of those '' rara aves,'" 
the gentlemen of the old school ; his habits of reading were in 
harmony with those of his wife, who outlived him many years. 
Exce|)t the doctor their only child was I'rofessor George Wash- 
ington Greene, who held professorships in P>rown and Cornell 
Universities, and who holds high rank among American 
Literati. He left one son and three daughters. Doctni- 



88 HISTOKY OF NEVVPOirr COUNTi'. 

Nathaniel Greene passed liis boyhood in East Greenwich, R. I., 
which became the residence of his parents soon after his birtli, 
and so remained until 183G, when they purchased a farm in 
Middletown, R. I., about five miles from Newport, on the west 
shore of Rhode Island, where his i:)arents passed the remaining 
years of their life, and whei-e he still resides. December 17th, 
1827, he married Miss Marj^ Jane, eldest daughter of Col. Wil- 
liam and Harriet (Gibbs) Moore, of Newport. She still sur- 
vives. She have had no children. His school education was 
pursued chiefly at the academy at East Greenwich. In 1824 he 
entered the freshman class at Amherst College, and in 1825 the 
Sophomore class of Brown University, which being, at that 
time, in rather a languishing condition, it was not thought ex- 
pedient to complete his course there, and he accordingly left 
before the completion of his Junior year. He then entered as a 
student of medicine the office of Doctors Peck and Clarke, one 
of whom. Doctor Welcome Clarke, was a relative, at Whites- 
town, Oneida county. New York, where he remained about a 
year ; he afterward returned to East Greenwich, where he 
completed his professional education in the office of Doctor 
Charles Eldredge of that town. His family being large land- 
owners, he employed several years after the conclusion of his 
medical studies, in the congenial pursuit of farming, in which 
he has the reputation of being proficient, and which he has 
never entirely abandoned, but which became secondary and 
collateral after he had taken up tlie practice of medicine, which 
he did about 1848. He has prosecuted his profession with more 
or less vigor, to the present time, in the towns on Rhode Island, 
as a disciple of the School of Hahneman. As a physician 
among the people of those tenets, he has enjoyed a large prac- 
tice and great popularity, and in the whole community is 
looked upon with much respect as a man of high character and 
tone, and as a man of thoroughly gentlemanly instincts, and 
worthy his race and antecedents. His great-grandmother was a 
daughter of Rest (Perry) Mott, wife of Jacob Mott of Portsmouth, 
and daughter of Edward Perry of Sandwich, who was the an- 
cestor of Commodores Oliver H. and Matthew C. Perry, thus de- 
riving from an identical source part of the blood of two of the 
prominent families of Rhode Island. In 1842 Doctor Greene com- 
manded a company of volunteers raised in Middletown and 
Portsmouth for the service of the state against the revolutionary 




c 



Acd^x^ k'^-UJ'i'O^ 



iriSTOKY OK NKWPOUT COUNTY. 89 

organization called the Dorr government, and althouf^h no 
blood was shed, he proved his willingness and his capacity for 
the service which might have been required ; after this he was 
captain of a conipany of cavalry, organized at that time, on 
the state establishment, with the rank of colonel ; after a year 
or two this company was disbanded. 

He was for several years i)resident of the Aquidneck Agri- 
cultural Society. 

He was in 1848-49-50 and 1851 senator in the general assembly 
of Rhode Island, and filled that position honorably and ac- 
ceptably. At the preliminary meeting, held at Providence, 
December 12th, 1877, for the rehabilitation of the Khode Island 
Society of the Cincinnati, which had been in abeyance, from 
various causes, since 1835, he was unanimously chosen its 
president pro tem., and at the annual meeting, on July 4th, 
1878, its charter having meanwhile been recognized by the 
general assembly as having full force, he was unanimously 
elected its president, and has since, on every fourth of July, 
been re-elected. He has also been, every year, elected as one 
of the society's delegates to the meetings of the general society, 
which meetings are triennial, and has attended four of those 
meetings, and is very highly esteemed and regarded by the 
members of that organization. 

Doctor John Haliburton came to this county, Doctor Parsons 
says, "in 1750," but as he died in 1807, aged 69 years, he was 
born in 1738, and was then only 12 years old. He probably 
came about 1760, as he married, January 4th, 1767, Susanna 
Brenton, daughter of Jahleel Brenton, Esq., of Newport. He 
had five children born in Newport, of whom John, the eldest, 
was an officer in the British navy ; Brenton, the tiftli child, was 
an eminent Jurist, chief justice of Nova Scotia for many years, 
was knighted in 1859, and died in 1860, aged 85 years. Doctor 
Haliburton took high rank in his profession, and being con- 
nected with the most influential families of Newport, then in 
its palmiest days, had a most brilliant and successful career, 
and is said to have accumulated a handsome fortune, but dur- 
ing the revolution, in 1780, becoming suspected of correspond- 
ence with the enemy, he retired to Halifax, wliere he passed the 
remainder of his days. 

Doctor Castill O. TTamlin came to Portsmouth, R. I., in 1833, 
directly after Doctor James \'. Turner had removed to New- 



90 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

porf. He was from northern New England. He was a promis- 
ing man, but was cut off in a few months, dying April 8th, 
1834, at the early age of 36 years. 

Doctor George Alfred Hammett, son of Deacon Nathan and 
Mary (Billings) Hammett, was born in Newport, September 
20th, 1809, was baptized December 17t.h, 1809, and died in New- 
port, February 6th, 187o, aged 65 years. Doctor Hammett, 
after leaving school, was clerk in a large grocery, at the south- 
east corner of Thames and Mill streets, but having a studious 
turn of mind, after a few years he entered Doctor T. C. Dunn's 
office as a student, and Doctor Dunn often said that the avidity 
with which he devoured medical books was perfectly phenome- 
nal. This was carried to such a degree that he once asked the 
doctor to allow him to occupy his office on Sundays ; t(^ this he 
did not, accede. After the completion of his studies he offered 
his services to the public, but he never had any considerable 
practice, and afterward took charge of a lumber business which 
had been his fathei^'s. This he prosecuted with no great energy 
until his father died, leaving him a competence. He then re- 
tired, and thereafter devoted his entire time to the pursuit to 
which he had always been devoted, to oniniverous reading, 
never of trashy books, but of substantial literature, with a de- 
cided preference for speculative subjects. In his later years he 
was a constant "habitue" of the Redwood library, to which 
he, from time to time, gave generous aid. Doctor Hammett 
married late in life, but had no children. 

Doctor William Handy, son of Cliarles and Ann Brown 
Handy, was born at Newport, and was baptized in Trinity 
church, September 29th, 1766. He married in June or July, 
1788, being then of Newport, Abby Saltonstall, daughter of 
Rosewell Saltonstall, Esq., merchant, of New London. He was 
for many years a prominent and successful practitioner at New 
London, Conn. 

Doctor Enoch Hazard was born in Newport, January 2d, 1773, 
and died in Newport, May 7th, 1844. He was a son of Thomas 
and Mary (Easton) Hazard. Doctor Hazard married a 
daughter of Nicholas Easton and had an only son, General 
John Alfred Hazard, who bequeathed a large estate to the 
Newport Hospital. Doctor Hazard i)ursued his medical 
cal studies with his uncle, Doctor Jonathan Easton, attended 
lectures in the Philadelphia Medical School, and graduated 



HISTUUV OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 91 

there. Alfhongh not a member of the Friends' Society, as his 
uncle liad been, he had acquired by habit a close assimilation 
with their habits and modes of thought, and he always re- 
tained their favor. He did a large business until his death, at 
the ripe age of 73 years. He was a tall, hard favored man, 
angular not only in his appearance but in liis methods, and veiy 
positive. Nevertheless, he was very popular, and inspired a 
high degree of affection and implicit conlidence in his habitual 
em^iloyers. He was a very M'orthy man, but very decided in 
his prejudices. He represented, through his father and mother, 
two of the most important and influential of the original set- 
tlers of Rhode Island. 

Doctor Jonathan Easton Hazard was the son of Godfrey and 
Ruth (Easton) Hazard. He was Doctor Enoch Hazard's first 
cousin, their mothers being sisters, and also sisters of Doctor 
Jonathan Easton, and daughters of Jonathan Easton, the direct 
descendant of Governors Nicholas and John Easton. The doctor 
was always'known as Doctor Easton Hazard, altiiough he never 
practised, being engaged in other avocations. His wife was 
Mary, daughter of George Lawton. They had one daughter, 
who died in 1870, unmarried. Doctor J. E. Hazard had studied 
medicine in his youth, under the direction of his cousin, Doc- 
tor Enoch. 

Doctor Rowland Robinson Hazard was a son of Thomas 
Hazard, of South Kingstown, R. 1., distinguished as Little 
Neck Town. He was brought up, from early youth, in the 
family of Doctor William Turner, and educated as a physician, 
but never practised, except indoors, having established himself 
as a druggist, in the shop of Charles Feke, directly after his 
death, on the parade. Later he moved three doors east, and 
for many years he was a very industrious and highly esteemed 
citizen. He married Anna, daughter of Lieut.-Governor Charles 
Collins, but had no children. He was always known by his 
title as Doctor Rowland, in distinction from Doctor Enoch. 

Doctor George Hazard, of South Kingstown, was a son nf 
Carder Hazard of that town, who was a brother of George Hazard, 
tlie first mayor of Newport. Doctor Hazard began the study 
of medicine in Narragansett with Doctor Joshua Perry, an 
uncle of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, but soon went to 
Newport, where he completed his medical studies uiid(U- the 
tuition of Doctor Jonathan E;iston. aiul wliere he married in 



92 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

October, 1790, Sarali, widow of Captain Daniel Gardner, and 
daugliter of his uncle, H(jn. (reorge Hazard. Doctor Hazard 
attended medical lectures in Philadelphia, and settled in his 
native town after a period of practice in Newport, and practised 
there until he died in September, 1828. His second wife was 
Jane Maria, a daughter of Edward Hull, Esq., of Jamestown 
and New Shoreham. Their children were Doctor William 
Henry Hazard, of Wakefield, R. I., and Hon. Edward H. 
Hazard, one of the lights of the Rhode Island bar. Doctor 
Hazard was a lifelong friend of Doctor William Turner, of New- 
port. 

Doctor William llenr^- Hazard, son of Doctor George and 
Jane M. (Hull) Hazard, of South Kingstown, was born February 
12th, 1808, the eldest of eight children. In 1824 he entered the 
office of Doctor William Turner, at Newport, as a medical 
student, and lived in his family for three years, and afterward 
attended lectures in Boston. He commenced practice in South 
Kingstown in 1828, and still practises there, although in his 
eightieth year. He married Louisa Lyman, eldest child of the 
late Governor Lemiiel H. Arnold, of Rhode Island, March I5th, 
1841, but has no children. 

Doctor Thomas Arnold Hazard, son of Arnold Hazard, of 
Jamestown, came to Newport in 1832, studied medicine in the 
office of Doctor Ale.xander P. Moore, and graduated in medicine 
in March, 1835, at the University of Pennsylvania. He settled 
at Kingston, R. I., where Doctor D. Watson, who came to 
Newport, had ])reviously practised, and I'emained there until 
he died, December Sth, 1886, aged 73 years. He had never 
married. Doctor Hazard took high rank as a physician, and 
had a large and successful practice, and had verj^ great influence 
as a man of affairs, and enjoyed the entire confidence of the 
community surrounding him. 

Doctor Henry Hooper was a son of Doctor Richard, of Water- 
town, Mass., who died at Watertown in 1765, very old. Doctor 
Henry was born at Watertown in 1687,died at Newport February 
17th, 1757. His wife, Deborah, died May 2d, 1750, aged 65 years. 

Doctor Henry Hooper, Jr., son of Doctor Henry and Deborah 
Hooper, was born in Newport in 1716, and died in Newport 
October 15th, 1745, aged 29 years. Nothing further can be 
traced, by recoi'd or tradition, relative to this family. 

Doctor William Hunter. The latter half of the eighteenth 



HISTOKY ()!■' NKWl'OKT COUNTY. 93 

century may be properly accounted tlie golden age of medicine 
in Newport. Sheliad been uncommonly prosperous, and liada 
community of merchants who had accumulated large estates, for 
the period. She was then, as now, a favorite resort for people of 
wealth and leisure. She had a large aristocratic element, such 
as success always engenders, and was an acknowledged center 
of literary and artistic taste and of social and mental refinement. 
The Redwood libiary, comparatively small as it appeal's now, 
was far in advance of any library in the country, in the num- 
bei-. and especially in the character of its books, unless, pei'haps, 
some few of the collegiate institutions miglit be excepted. The 
merchants of Newport were noted for their generous hospitality, 
and for their elegant style of living and theii' inagnilicent enter- 
tainments. Newport then, from n'yi) to 177.'1p, presented a field 
extremely tempting to those aspiring debutantes for success in 
the medical profession, who for various reasons had found it 
e.xpedient to emigrate from Europe, and who had had such ad- 
vantages of education as assured them advancement in a wealthy 
and exceptionally refined comnninity as that of Newport then 
was. We find, accordingly, that quite a number of young phy- 
sicians, who had enjoyed the instruction of the most eminent 
medical men of the period, and the eclat of degrees from the 
best scliof)ls in Euroi)e, liesides the hospital experience of Lon- 
don, Edinburgh and Leyden, became residents of Newport, and 
earned the reputation here which their accomplishments deserv- 
ed. Among those particular!}^ prominent wtiva Hunter, Brett, 
Moffatt and Halibiirton, and others of whom we are able to 
rescue less material for biograjjliical account. Doctoi- William 
Hunter, who was of the same family as the celebrated William 
and John Hunter, of Edinburgh and London, was a native of 
Scotland, and acquired his medical education at Edinburgh, 
where the most brilliant luminaries of the medical woi-ld were 
then at the zenith of their glory, and who.se .school of medicine 
was, almost without dissent, deemed the center of medical 
science. Doctor Hunter was born in Scotland in 1781. and died 
in Newport January Blst, 1777. It has been generally believed 
that he was a refugee from Scotland, on account of penalties 
incuiTed from participation in the rebellion of 174i5. This idea 
seems to be entirelj^ Illogical, because if he was born in 17:U he 
would be, at the time of Culloden (174G) when the revolt col- 
lapsed, 15 years of age, too young, probably, to engage in such 



94 HISTORY OF XEWPORT COUNTY. 

an enterprise, and certainly too young to have commenced the 
prosecution of a medical education, which he could not have 
done afterward, with penalties as a rebel against tiie British 
government hanging over him. He must have received his 
medical degree as late as 17o2. This fond delusion must, 
therefore, be dismissed as untenable. Doctor Parsons says 
Doctor Hunter came to America in 1752, which is probably 
true, and would be directly after receiving his degree of M.D., 
although some authors have placed his arrival as early as 1750. 
However tliat may be, he seems to have ingratiated himself 
rapidly into popular estimation, for the general assembly elected 
him, in March, 1758, physician and surgeon-general to the Rhode 
Island troops. He served in the unfortunate campaign against 
the French in Canada, in General Aljercrombie's expedition, and 
probably also in the more propitious one which succeeded under 
General Amherst. From this time, the war being concluded by 
the capture of Quebec and Montreal, he pursued the practice of 
his profession in Newport with great success. In 1756 he de- 
livered the first cour.se of lectures on a medical subject, viz., 
Anatomy, ever delivered on this continent, at the state house at 
Newport. He was married September 13tli, 1761, to Deborah, 
daughter of Godfrey Malbone, Esq., of Newport. The children 
of this marriage were: Eliza, born July 20th, 1762, died at Paris 
in 1859; Anne, born April 20th, 1766, married John Fancounet, 
died 1859; William, born April 20th, 1768, died November 18th, 
1772; Katharine, born June 2d, 1770, died October 1st, 1770 ; 
Katharine, born February 2Sth, 1773, married Count de Portalis, 
died 1860; William, born November 26th, 1774, died December 
3d, 1849, in Newport. This last child, and only surviving son, 
was a lawyer of very great classical and scholastic attainments, 
and stood very high at the Rhode Island bar, and was celebrated 
especially for brilliant forensic abilities. He was senator in 
congress from October, 1811, to March, 1821, from Rhode Island. 
Later he was appointed, by President Jackson, charge de affairs 
to the court of Brazil, which position he adorned and dignified 
for many years. He was a student of Inner Temple, London. 
Doctor Hunter was active and very positive in his adherence to 
the cause of the crown in all the troubles preceding the revolu- 
tion, and was, consequently, very obnoxious to the other party, 
but he died while the British forces were in possession of New- 
j)ort, and in the full persuasion of the final triumph of the royal 



HISTORY OK NKWroKT COUNTY. 95 

cause. He was outspoken in liis denuuciation of those he was 
pleased to style the "dommed rubbles." 

Doctor Fi-ank Hunter, son of Henry and Rebecca (Eells) 
Hunter of Newport (who were nuiri'ied in Stouington, Conn., 
December 9th, 1773), wns a student at the University of Edin- 
biiriili, and graduated in tlie same class in medicine with Doctor 
William Gibson, former professor of surgery in the University 
of Pennsylvania, and who, in his old age was a resident of New- 
port in 1809. It is supposed that Hunter died young and with- 
out returning home, as nothing more is known of him. He was 
spoken of by Doctor Gibson as a man of wonderful talent and 
acquirements, but as of an eccentric and mercurial disposition. 

Doctor John Francis Hurley, only son of Patrick and Mary 
(Donovan) Hurley, was born at Boston January '2Sth, 1839, mar- 
ried Anna Louisa Burke September 1st, 1863, at Boston, and 
died of Phthisis at Newjwrt December 2d, 1885. Doctor Hur- 
ley took his medical decree at Cambridge in 1863, and was ad- 
mitted as fellow of the Massachusetts Medical Society August 
1st, 1863. He practised in B(^ston for a short time, tlien he went 
to Springfield, Mass., where he practised until 1867, when he 
came to Newport and practised here until his death. 

Doctor Robert JeoftVeys. Although not on the roll of those 
who signed the comjjact of settlement at Pocasset, Robert Jeof- 
freys, who may have lieen the Mr. Jeoff reys admitted August 23d, 
1638, with Mr. Dummer's party, appears on the roll of freemen 
at Newport Septendter 1st, 1639, and he was elected treasurer for 
one year, and was reelected for 1640-41 and 1642. In 1642 he 
was elected captain for Newport. Tliat he was the Mr. Jef- 
fpieys who came with Mr. Duminer s(-ems probable from the fact 
that the name William Jeil'reys does not appear until IGoo, 
when the whole roll of the freemen of the colony is engrossed, 
and the name Robert Jeffreys does not appear. If two Jef- 
freys had been here the record would have been more explicit. 
In 1641 this entry in the colonial record appears : "26. It is or- 
dered, that Mr. Robert Jeoffieys shall be authoiized to exercise 
the function of Chirurgerie." Robert Jeffrey received a part 
of Rocky farm in the first division of lands in 1641. He is said 
to have removed in 1646. As he does not appear later on the rec- 
ord, it is probable, as he had previously been quite conspicu- 
ous. 

Doctor Cyrus Johnson, son of Isaiah and Ruth (Leonard) 



96 HISTORY OF NEWPOIIT COUXTY. 

Johnson, was born at Falmoutli, Mass., October 13th, 1779. His 
grandfather was Daniel Johnson, many years jiidge of the conrt 
of Plymonth county, Mass. Doctor Johnson married, IMarch 
11th, 1804, Hannali (Plaisted) AVarren, daughter of David War- 
ren, Esq., and Sarah, his wife, of Saco, now state of Maine. She 
was born April 19th, 1787 and died at Newport June 13th, 1826. 
They had three sons and two daughters. The youngest 
daughter was Eliza N., the third wife of James Horswell, Esq. 
Doctor Johnson had a certificate from his medical instructor, 
attesting his good character and diligent application as a 
student, and highly commending his qualifications for the prac- 
tice of physic, surgery and midwifery, signed by "Jeremiah 
Barker, M. D., P. M. M. 8.," and dated ''Falmouth, May 1, 
1803." 

He seems to have settled first in Saco, then in what was called 
the district (now state) of Maine, where he married, and where 
his first child, Charles C. P. was l)orn February 3d, 1805. 
Shortly afterward he was in Portland, his second child, Maria M., 
being born tliere July 0th, 180G. In 1810 he came to Newport and 
remained tliere until he died, January 17th, 1861, a period of 51 
years. He married for his second wife Miss Henrietta B. Lazell, 
daughter of Isaac and Jane Lazell of Bridgewater. She died 
August 26th, 1859, aged 62 years. Doctor Johnson had an of- 
fice and dispensary in his residence on the east side of Thames 
street, the third house above the Parade, for thirty years and 
probably more. He was a very mild and unobstrusive man. 

Doctor John Melvin Keith, son of a Baptist minister from 
Scotland, who, nearly sixty years ago taught a school in what 
was then known as Trinity Church school house, corner School 
and Mary streets, Newport, and who was reputed a man of 
learning, was born in 1808. He commenced the study of medi- 
cine with Doctor William Turner about 1828, and after the con- 
clusion of his studies he settled in Providence county, R. I. 
After the death of Doctor Hamlin in 1834, he withdrew from 
his chosen locality and settled himself in Portsmoutli, R. I., and 
practised there until his death, which occurred July 9th, 1852, 
a period of eighteen years, he being 44 years of age. His wife 
was Frances, daughter of Capt. Robinson Potter of Newport, 
and sister of Mrs. Doctor T. C. Dunn. Doctor Keith was a man 
of fine appearance and attractive manners, and enjoyed the full- 
est confidence and regard of tlie community in which he lived. 




'-y/zt^a 



e> 



ITISTOIiY DK NKWI'Oirr COUNTY. 97 

He was buried in the chiiiThyanl of S(. Man-'s, Portsnioiitli. 
His only child, a son, is still living. 

Doctor Thomas Alphonso Kenefick, son of William and Ann 
(O'Mealley) Kenefick, was born at Lawrence, Mass. He studied 
medicine in the office of Doctors Garland and Chamberlain at 
Lawrence, Mass., received the degree of M. D. at tln^ College of 
Physicians and Surgeons in New York in 1885, when he settled 
at Newport, where he still practises, occupying the office of the 
late Doctor S. W. Bntlei' in Pelliam street. TTe has been for 
two years a member of the active medieval staff (if fhe Newport 
Hospital. 

Doctor David King was born in ilaynhani, Mass., in the year 
1774. His ancestry were of Puritan origin, and were distin- 
guished for their public spirit, and for their Christian and social 
virtues. His early life was passed amid influences auspicious 
to the growth of the best elements of character. He was pre- 
pared for college at a grammer school, under the direction of 
the Rev. Feres Forbes, LL. D. In September, 1792, Doctor 
King entered Rhode Island College as a student under the pre.s- 
idency of Manning, and graduated in 1796, under the presi- 
dency of Maxcy. 

After graduating, choosing medicine for his profession, he, to- 
gether with his classmate, Shurtleff, became the pupil of Doctor 
James Thatcher of Plymouth, ^^fass. Do(;tor King, by his dili- 
gence and assiduity in his medical studies, soon acquired the 
necessary elements of a medical education. Diverted by some 
accidental circumstance from the navy, which he was inclined 
to enter as surgeon, he, in tlie autumn of 1799, sought profes- 
sional employment in Newport, Rhode Island. 

In the early period of his professional career, his attention 
was drawn to the consideration of the vaccine disease, then tirsb 
introduced into the United States. Regarding it as an invalu- 
able discovery, he proceeded, notwithstanding the strong oppo- 
sition of popular prejudice, to benefit his fellow citizens by the 
application of the newly discovered principle in his science. In 
October, 1800, he vaccinated Walter Cornell of Newport, who 
was the first i)erson vaccinated in the state of Rhode Island. 

In thus early adopting the views of the immortal Jenner, and 
carrying them out in practice, he displayed a decision and inde- 
pendence of mind which strongly characterized him thi'ongh 
life. For several years lie held tlie appointment of surgeon to 



o 



98 HISTOKV OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 

a detachment of United States troops stationed at Fort Wolcott. 
In 1819, during the prevalence of the yellow fever in this place, 
his great skill and experience were actively and successfully 
called into operation in repelling tliat terrible malady. At 
that time it was the part of humanity to refute the errors of 
those who regarded that disease as invariably and certainly 
l^ropagating itself, and as exposing those who attended upon 
the sick to almost certain death. Not admitting the contagious 
character of the disease, he attributed it to a more general and 
pervading cause ; and by his intrepidity and free personal ex- 
posure attested his confidence in the truth of his theoretical 
views. He was one of the earliest promoters of the Rhode Is- 
land Medical Society, in which he successively held the offices 
of censor, vice-president and president. He was elected presi- 
dent in June, 1830, and continued in that office until July, 1834. 
In the revival of Redwood librarj^, he was an active co-oper- 
ator with other public spirited men, and he was long a director 
and at last president of that institution, until ill health com- 
pelled him to resign that office. It was his pride to advance 
those enterprises which might benefit the town in which he 
lived ; and he regarded it with an attachment which, in general, 
is appropriated only to the spot of our bii'th. The uprightness 
of his character and the strength of his judgment induced 
many to consult him as a friend, to whom, nothwithstanding 
the pressing cares of his professional life, he rendered valuable 
services. The warm sensibilities of his heart ever prompted 
him to disinterested action, which made him the object of i)re- 
eminent respect while living, and will forever perpetuate his 
memory in the hearts of his friends. In private life his char- 
acter was adorned by every quality which constitutes goodness. 
A perfect faith in God was ever an ennobling i^resence in his 
mind. In August, 1834, he suffered an attack of paralysis, 
brought on from exertions in the discharge of his professional 
duties. His constitution gradually failed until his death, which 
occurred November 14th, 1836. Few men have lived more re- 
spected or died more lamented. 

David King, M. D., died in Newport, March 7th, 1882, at the 
age of 69 years, 9 months and 25 days. He was the second son 
of Doctor David and Ann (Grordon) King, of Newport, and was 
born May 12th, 1812. He pursued "his preparatory studies at a 
classical school in Newport, at that time taught by Hon. Joseph 




JjiA^Vld i.AJ7l 




HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 99 

Joslen, who still survives at a venerable old age. He graduated 
at Brown University, in 1831. with tlie second lionors of his 
class. His father and two of his brothers were also educated 
at the same university. He immediately began the study of 
medicine under the direction of his father, who was a leading 
physician of Newport. lie also attended lectures at the Jef- 
ferson Medical College, in Philadelphia, where he received his 
degree as Doctor of Medicine, in 1834. 

He commenced the practice of his profession in his native 
town, and there continued it to the end of his life. He entered 
upon his career just as Newport was beginning to assume the 
position which it has now long occupied, as the leading place of 
summer resort in the United States. His i)ractice early became 
extensive, not among his fellow townsmen alone, but also among 
the visitors of the season, who would naturally compare its 
methods with those of the eminent physicians of oilier cities. 
He prepared himself to meet the conditions thus prescribed, 
and won the confidence and esteem of families from nearly 
every part of the country, and even from foreign lands. 
Thoroughly educated and devoted to his profession, he also 
possessed in an unusual degree the kindly disposition, the 
varied intelligence and the exalted character which made him 
not only the trusted physician, but also the valued friend of 
persons in every condition of life. In 1850 he went abroad for 
professional improvement, and spent a year and a half largely 
among the hospitals of London, Paris and Dublin, and in ob- 
serving the most approved methods of medical practice. He 
also made important additions to his well stored medical library. 
In 1872 he again visited Europe for a somewhat longer period, 
with his famih', making this visit ti'ibutary to still wider pro- 
fessional observations, not only in Great Britain and France, 
but also in Italy and Germany. Doctor King became a member 
of the Rhode Island Medical Society in 1834, and soon began to 
make special investigations as to medical science and practice. 
He won prizes offered by the society in 1836, 1837 and 
in 1839. His prize essays were all published. He also filled in 
succession nearly every office in the society, has been repeatedly 
chosen its president, and has three times delivered the address 
at its annual meetings. He was also one of the founders of the 
American Medical Association and a frequent attendant at its 
meetings. On the erection of the state board of liealth by the 

L.ofC. 



100 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

legislature of Rhode Island in 1877, be was appointed one of its 
members and filled the office of president to the end of his 
life. He felt a warm interest in the objects which this board 
was designed to promote, and in 1880 went a third time to 
Europe, and informed himself fully as to sanitary methods and 
regulations. 

Thovigh occupied through life with a large professional prac- 
tice, lie also gave much attention to the study of American his- 
tory, especially of the history of his native state, with which 
no man of his time was more familiar. He read numerous 
papers before the Rhode Island Historical Society, on characters 
and events in colonial history. He was also the leading founder 
of the Newport Historical Society, in 1853, and was its presi- 
dent to the end of his life, and while in England prosecuted 
important inquiries relating to the local history of the town. 
He was also a member of the New England Historical and Gen- 
ealogical Society, and a contributor to its journal. He devoted 
much time to the Redwood library, in Newport, of which he 
was long the president, and to which he left a legacy in his will, 
as he did also to the Newport Historical Society. In the crea- 
tion and organization of the Island cemetery, in his native city, 
he took a leading part, and by his jiidicious counsel and ex- 
ertions he contributed very largely toward making it the beau- 
tiful spot it has now become. He was chosen president of its 
corporation at its organization, in 1848, and continued to hold 
the office till his deatli, a period of nearly thiyty-four years. 

In addition to his medical library he made a large and costly 
collection of books of general literature, esi:)ecially of English 
and American history. He was a member of the ancient parish 
of Trinity church, and did much to promote its prosperity, and 
to all the higher social and moral interests of his native city he 
was warmly devoted. 

He was much attached to the place of his educVition, and at 
the college commencement in 1881, less than a year before his 
death, he attended the meeting of his class on the fiftieth anni- 
versary of their graduation, and prepared for that occasion a 
touching tribute to the memory of his deceased classmates, and 
to the honored instructors of his college days. Doctor King, in 
1837, married Sarah Gibbs, daughter of the Rev. Salmon 
Wheaton, D. D., of Newport, who died in the same year. They 
had three sons and four daughters. One of his sons graduated 



IIISTOItV OF NKWI'OKT COUNTY. 101 

at Brown University in the class of 1859. Another, while en- 
gaged in his preparatory studies, joined the 1st Riiode Island 
Regiment that went to the defense of the national capital, and 
was mortally wounded in the first battle of Manassas Junction, 
in July, 1861, and taken to Richmond as a prisoner of war. 
His father was permilled to pass the rebel lines and to bi'ing 
him away. He was able to travel as far as Philadelphia, where 
he died of the wound he had received. A third is a well known 
resident of Newport, and was formerly a merchant in Cluna. 

John Brown Ladd was a native of Little Compton, R. I. He 
studied medicine with Doctor Senter, in Newport. He after- 
ward went to Charleston, where he was soon after killed in a 
duel with a Mr. Isaacs. A small volume of his poetical effusions 
was published by his sister after his death. 

Doctor Francis Lucena, from Lisbon, was in Newport in 1764, 
at his brother James' on the Point. 

Doctor Henry Goodwin MacKaye now practises medicine in 
Newport, and has done so for two years. He is the son of 
James and Maria (Goodwin) MacKaye, and great-grandson of 
Hon. Asher Robbins, of Newport, formerly United States sen- 
ator from Rhode Island, and was born in Marcii, 1856, in the 
city of New York. He received the degree of A. B. at Har- 
vard University, in 1878, and his medical degree at Harvard 
Medical School in 1883. He was married in January, 1887, to 
Ellen G., daughter of William Bailey, Esq., of Middletown, R. I. 

Doctor W. Duncan McKim, resided and practised in New- 
port in 1882 and 1883. He is now a prominent practitioner in 
New York city. ^ 

Doctor Thomas Henry Mann, son of Levi and Lydia Laurana 
(Ware) Mann, was born at North Wrenthani, Mass., April 8th, 
1843, eldest of six children. He was at the high school at Wal- 
tham, Mass., when Sumter was fired on. On the 20th of May, 
1861, he enlisted in Company I, 18th Mass. Volunters, and was 
in the battles of Yorktown, Hanover Court House, the Seven 
Days Battles before Richmond, Second Bull Run, Antietam, 
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and at the battles 
of the Wilderness. He became a i>risoner May 5th, 1864, fif- 
teen days before the expiration of his term of enlistment, and 
was exchanged ten months afterward, March 1st, 18G5. He had 
l)een made corporal and sergeant. He studied medicine with 
his uncle, Doctor H. M. Paine, of Albany, X.Y., and graduated 



102 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

in medicine December 24th, 1870, at the Albany Medical Col- 
lege. He then commenced practice at Willimantic, Conn., but 
in the autumn of 1872 removed to Block Island, where he prac- 
tised for four years, when he removed to Woonsocket, R. I., 
where he still practises. He was married, March 3d, 1869, to 
Julia, daughter of Salmon and Caroline (Burgevin) Backus, of 
Ashfoid, Conn., and has several children. 

Dr. John P. Mann was born in Attleboro or Rehoboth, 
Mass., in 1755, and died in Newport September 24th, 1837. 
He was an early graduate of Brown University, and came 
to Newport and settled as a physician, in early life, and 
probably practised somewhat in the earlier part of his career, 
but not at all in his later years. Doctor Mann married Miss 
Clarke, daughter of Hon. Joseph Clarke (wlio had been general 
treasurer of the colony and state from 1761 to 1792, 31 years) 
and of Rebecca, daughter of Abraliam Redwood. She had for- 
merly been the wife of Doctor Walter Rodman. He married, 
second, Ann, widow of William Robinson, and daughter of 
George and Mary (Ayrault) Scott, who survived him. Doctor 
Mann will be remembered by many still living as a dignified 
and stately gentleman of the old school, very much resembling 
the pictures of General Washington. He lived in the house in 
Broadway, now Mr. Kimber's, and superintended tlie cultiva 
tion of a tract of land of considerable extent, now divided and 
constituting an important section of the town, and north and east 
from the house. To the ordinary mind he represented the an- 
cient aristocratic element, then fast disappearing. 

Dr.Curtis E.Maryott,son of Rev.Ichabod B.and Almira(Miner) 
Maryott, was born in the city of New York, May 3d, 1841. He 
is descended from Rev. Samuel Maryott, a Sabbatarian, who 
was born in England in 1706, and for many years was minister 
to the congregation which occupied the old building on Barney 
street, now occupied by the Newport Historical Society, and 
who died in Newport in 1802. Doctor Maryott passed his early 
years in North Stonington, Connecticut. He took his medical 
degree at the University of New York in 1866, and in December 
of that year commenced practice at Block Island, where he re- 
mained until 1872. He then removed to Wakefield, R. I., where 
he now lives. He mari'ied, November 2d, 1867, Maria Louise, 
daughterof Asa and Louisiana (Inman) Hawkins, of Gloucester, 
R. I. 



HISTORY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 103 

Doctor Benjamin Mason was the son of Benjamin Mason, 
merchant, of Newport, and Mary (Ayrault) Mason, his wife. 
He was born in Newport in Marcli, 1762, and married, Novem- 
ber 8th, 178S, Margaret Champlin, daughter of Col. Christopher 
and Margaret (Grant) Champlin, of Newport. He died Septem- 
ber 18th, 1801, aged 40 years. He studied medicine in the office 
of Doctor Isaac Senter, and completed his medical education in 
London. His career was short but brilliant, being cut off in the 
early prime of manhood, and leaving a family of young chil- 
dren. Of these, Benjamin died in youth. George C, the father 
of the present George C. Mason, Senior, a long-time clerk of the 
supreme court of Rhode Island, for Newport county, and after- 
ward cashier of the Rhode Island Union Bank, being of a frail 
constitution, died at about the same age as his father. Elizabetli 
was the wife of the distinguished hero of Lake Erie, Commodore 
Oliver Hazard Perry. Doctor Mason outlived his preceptor, 
Doctor Senter, two years, and succeeded him as director and 
purveyor-general of the Military Hospital in Rhode Island, and 
naturally succeeded to a considerable part of his practice. He 
was an honoi-ary member of the Massachusetts Medical Society. 
Doctor Parsons says: "He flourished many years before the 
last century, and was at the head of the profession in Newport." 

Doctor Thomas Moflfatt was one of the galaxy of medical men 
of European education who made their home in Newport dur- 
ing the eighteenth century, and siied lustre on the medical his- 
tory of that ancient and then flourishing town. Doctor Moffat t 
was a Scotchman, and had tlie best advantages f)f education 
then attainable. He was reputed to have been an adherent of 
the Jacobite cause in 1745, and to have come to America about 
1746, to escape the penalties of rebellion. In 1750 he was in 
Rhode Island, and appears to have been in practice in Newp(jrt 
until, in 1765, when having become obno.xious to the people 
from his activity in promoting the execution of the stamp act, 
his liouse was attacked by a mob, his property tlanmged. liis 
books and papers scattered, iiimself paraded and hung in effigy, 
and obliged to take refuge in one of the kings vessels in the 
harbor, and finally to go to New London, where he was made 
comptrollei' of the king's customs. In the beginning of the rev- 
olutionary troubles liis pronounced adhesion to the royal cause 
again made him obnoxious to popular sentiment, and he return- 
ed to Newport and resumed his practice, but after tlie evacu.i- 



KM HISTOKY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 

tiou of Rhode Island by the British troops, disappeared and 
never returned. In 1777 Duncan Stewart, who had been royal 
collector of customs at Xew London, iiad leave to remove to 
New York, and to take with him the effects of Doctor Thomas 
Moffatt, which latter was revoked on learning of Doctor Mof- 
fatt's adhesion to trhe crown. Miss Calkins says (Hist. N. Lon- 
don): "In 1778 Rev. Mather Byles conveyed to his friend, Doc- 
tor Thomas Moffatt, his house in N. London, to secure 240£due 
the church, from which he had retired, for certain contingent 
claims." He was in London in 1779, and signed an address to 
the king, and no mention is made of him afteward. He made a 
claim on the colony of Rhode Island for damages sustained in 
the riots in Newport, which the general assembly agreed to pay, 
after a liberal scaling down, whenever their account with the 
British government, for expenses incurred in the French war, 
was settled, as it never was. A long history of this affair may 
be found in Bartlett's R. I. Colonial Records. At one time, dur- 
ing his residence in Newport, Doctor Moffatt was associated 
with the elder Gilbert Stuart, in tlie manufacture of snuff, in 
North Kingstown, at the place now known as Hamilton, R. I. 

Doctor Alexander Pojie Moore practised in Newport about 
10 years, and died here, April 22d, 1836, of smallpox. He mar- 
ried Mary, daughter of Nicholas Easton, of Newport, and left 
one son. 

Doctor Thomas Paine Moore, brotlier of Doctor Alexander P., 
of Newport, came here after his brother's death, from WaiTen, 
R. I., where he had previously practised, and was appointed 
surgeon to the Marine Hospital in Newport. About 1841 he re- 
turned to Warren, and practised there until his death. 

Doctor Frankland Morton died in Newport July 25th, 1720, 
aged 33 years. Nothing further can be learned of him. 

Doctor Moyes, probably an itinerant, advertised ten lectures 
on natural science at the court house, Newport, in 1785. 

Miss Annie News, M.D., a native of the state of New York, 
was graduated in medicine at Ann Arbor, Michigan. She came 
to Newport about 1873, and practised successfully here until 
1885, when she went to Europe and studied for two years in 
the schools there. On her return she established herself in the 
city of New York, where she now practises. 

Doctor George Mountain Odell was born in Frederickton, New 
Brunswick, Dominion of Canada, in 1818. He received the 



IIISTOltV OI' XKWl'OUT COUNTY. 105 

degree of A.B. at King's College, at Frederickton, in 1836. In 
1841 he took the degree of Doctor of Medicine at the University 
of Edinburgh, Scotland. In 1842 he received the diploma of 
the Royal College of Surgeons at Edinburgh. From 1842 to 
1876 he practised his profession in Frederickton, his place of 
nativity, and in the latter year came to Newport, where he has 
since prosecuted the practice of his profession. Doctor Odell 
is a gentleman of fine accomplishments and high tone, and has 
established an enviable position. 

Doctor David Olyphant was born in Scotland, in 1720, at 
•' Pitheaoles," the house where his ancestors had lived for 
many generations. The house, or castle, as it is called, is about 
one and one-half miles from the railway station at Perch, and 
is still owned by one of the descendants of the family in the 
female line. In common with nearly all the branches of his 
race, he warmly espoused the cause of the Stuarts. After the 
battle of Culloden, in which he took an active part, his life was 
in danger, but he succeeded in escaping from Scotland, and 
coming to this country landed at Charleston, South Carolina, 
where he lived for many years, practising his profession and 
rising in it to the highest eminence. Here, too, as was natural 
from his early training, he took a leading part in the political 
discussions of the time. In General Moultrie's "Memoirs of 
the Revolution" we find his name among the list of members 
of the provincial congress held at Charleston. He was also a 
member of the legislative council of February, 1776, of which 
that revered patriot, the Hon. John Routledge, was president, 
and, at a later date, in a letter to General Moultrie, the Hon. 
Charles Pinckney says: "The senate, I hope, will act wisely, 
though it is to be lamented they are obliged to act now without 
the assistance of your-self, Olyphant and others, whose aid 
would give a lustre to their proceedings." On the breaking 
out of the revolution he at once offered his services to the gov- 
ernment, and on the 4th of July, 1776, received his commission 
as director-general of the southern hospitals, the duties of 
which he discharged with the highest honor, integrity and abil- 
ity, until the surrender of Charleston, when he became a 
prisoner of war and, perhaps because of his Scotch birth and 
early history, was subjected to treatment that called forth a 
protest from General ^Moultrie to the English commanding 
officer. In addition l<> ()tll^-^ offices, he was repeatedly elected 



106 HISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

to the senate of South Carolina as representative of St. George, 
Dorchester. His health failing, in the year 1785 he removed to 
Newport, R. I., the climate of which, more like that of his 
native land, proved a complete restorative, and decided him to 
remain there permanently. In the year 1786 he married Miss 
Ann Vernon, granddanghter of Governor Ward, of Rhode Is- 
land, one of the belles and brightest wits of her time. She was 
Doctor Olyphant's third wife. He had a son by a previous 
marriage, who was accidentally killed. He lived in Newport, 
continuing there the practice of medicine until his death, in 
1804, at the age of 84 years. One who knew his history well 
thus wrote on hearing of his death: " Still will he continue to 
live in the remembrance of those who knew him, and the annals 
of our country will teach succeeding generations to stamp a high 
value upon his character. In private life he was an easy, polite 
and well-bred gentleman; an agreeable and instructive compa- 
nion, he was always sure to command the esteem and regard 
of society according to the proportion of their acquaintance 
with him, and those who knew hira best valued him most." 
He left one son and one daughter. In the naming of his son he 
showed the same loj'alty of nature that led to his banishment 
from Scotland. On the rolls of the Societ}^ of Cincinnati, of 
which Doctor Olyphant was one of tlis original members, it 
stands printed in full, David Washington Cincinnatus Oly- 
phant, the first a family name, then that of the friend whom he 
considered the noblest of earth's lieroes, and then that name 
which enrolled under its banner those friends who were the 
dearest, and nearer to him because of the trials and struggles 
through which they had pas.sed together. While anxiety may 
be felt for a child weighted with such a name, we can sympa 
thize with the feelings that prompted it, and rejoice thar in 
this case it was carried without stain or l^lemish through long 
years of an honored life as an eminent merchant of New York, 
and the founder of American missions to China. The name, as 
indicated above, was but a sign of love and loyalty, the dis- 
tinctive traits of the old Scotch family, and which led its histo- 
rian to write: "but even the sternest foe of the Olyphant 
T)olitics (in Scotland) will not grudge, I hope, some meed of 
praise to that unflinching steadfastness whicb was ever ready 
to give life and lands, home and health, in behalf of a race of 
doomed kings." The subject of this sketch was true and 




Cp ^ ao-iJ CyZyA ^a^-^^' 



IIISTOKY OF NF.WPOUT COUNTY. 107 

steadfast to what he believed to be the best for his native 
land, and then for the land of his adoption. There may be a 
doubt, perhaps, which was the deepest feeling of his heart, 
love of freedom, or hatred of the " Geor<?es." Perhaps the two 
were. unified to him, but the Jacobite tradition was with him, 
wonder at it as we may, an abiding one. It seems proper, in 
closing this sketch, to state that Doctor Olyphant apparently 
thought himself the proper heir to the title of Lord Olyphant, 
after the death of his uncle in 1770 — the last who bore the title 
— and he had many papers in his po.ssession that seemed to vin- 
dicate his belief. In his will, Lord Olyphant bequeathed to 
him the family plate, and then, providing that the residue of 
his estate should be invested for Lady Olyphant during her 
life, directs that at her death it should be transferred to his 
nephew. Doctor David Olyphant, of Charleston, South Carolina. 
The doctor, however, never entered his claim, perhaps thinking 
that the events which led to his leaving Scotland would be used 
as a bar to his success. He doubtless hoped that his son would 
secure it. That son, however, had other and higher purposes 
marked out for his life's work. Let his descendants emulate 
his example; and never waste wealth, if possessed of it, in the 
pursuit of a title, however noble; but rather, which is far nobler, 
endeavor so to live as to be worthy of it. 

Doctor Horatio Palmer was born in Boston, Mass., in 1815, 
graduated at Dartmouth College, and received his medical ed- 
ucation in Boston. He married and established himself in 
Little Compton, R. I., about 18'?4, and died there, in 1848, aged 
34 years, having i:)rosecuted the practice of medicine in Little 
Compton fifteen years. 

Doctor James D. Peckham was a native of Little Compton, 
belonged to a Quaker family, and was born in 1799. He studied 
medicine with Doctor William Wilbour, of Hopkinton, R. I., 
and attended lectures in New York city. He commenced prac- 
tice in Little Compton, R. I., in 1821, and was a successful and 
popular practitioner in that place for 28 years. He died in Lit- 
tle Compton December 23d, 1849, aged 50 years. 

Doctor William Thornton Parker, son of William Thornton 
Parker, A. M., M. D., of Boston, Mass., grandson of Benjamin 
Parker, A. M., M. D., of Bradford, Mass., and of Vii'ginia, and 
great grandson of William Jackson, M. D., of London and of 
Boston, was born in Boston December 24th, 1849. He attended 



108 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Mr. Vinson's academy at Jamaica Plains, Mass., afterward 
fonr years at St. Paul's Scliool, Concord, New Hampshire, and 
three years at the Highland Military Academy at Worcester, 
Mass. While a private pupil of Professor Dixi Crosby of Han- 
over, New Hampshire, Doctor Parker entered the medical de- 
partment of Dartmouth University in 1868, and in 1870, the 
medical department of the llniver-sity of Vienna, Austria, where 
he studied upward of two years, and graduated with honors at 
the Royal University of Munich in 1873. He afterward took a 
post-graduate course in the medical schools of Paris, France, 
and was for some time Interne in the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, 
Ireland. In 1874 he was appointed surgeon of the steamers 
" Hammonia " and " Cimbria" of the Hamburg line. He mar- 
lied in 1875, Miss Elizabeth R., daughter of Hon. John B. Steb- 
bins, president of the Institution for Savings, Springfield, Mass. 
He again went to Europe in 1875, to study in the hospitals of 
Paris and London. Returning, he practised for nearly three 
years in Lenox, Mass. In 1880 he was appointed government 
surgeon at White Earth Indian reservation, and surgeon in 
charge of Bishop Whipple's Hospital for Indians, and in 1882, 
was appointed acting assistant surgeon, U. S. Army, serving in 
Texas, New Mexico, Indian Territory and Colorado. In 1885 
he was appointed by Secretary Manning in charge of the na- 
tional quarantine against cholera at Fisherman's island, Vir- 
ginia. In 1885 Doctor Parker settled in Newport, R. I. for 
practice in civil life. In 1887 he was appointed by Governor 
Davis medical examiner for third district, Newport county, 
R. I. During the international congress he was vice-president 
of the section of anatomy and member of the council of the sec- 
tion of climatology. At one time, since his residence in New- 
port, he was associated witli Horatio R. Storer, M. D., in prac. 
tice, and at ail times has shown himself an active and energetic 
man. He is captain of a company in the military establishment 
of the state of Rliode Island. 

Doctor George B. Penrose was a surgeon in the British army 
at the time of its occupation of Newport. While here he was 
attracted by the charms of Miss Mary, daughter of Joseph and 
Mary Dunbar Cowley and married her. Soon afterward he was 
ordered home on some business arising from the vicissitudes of 
the service and died on the passage. His widow remained in 
Newport and lived to extreme old age, drawing a pension 



IIISTOHY OF NKWl'OKT COUNTY. 109 

from the British government until she died in 1848, sixty 
years. Mrs. Penrose lived and died in an old fasliioned man- 
sion standing next but one to tlie i'oot of Church street on the 
spot now occupied by the residence of Col. John Seaburj'. Dur- 
ing tlie British occupation this house was known as the "Crown 
Coffee House," as is shown by numerous notices in the news- 
papers of the time, inviting officers and gentlemen to partici- 
pate in the delights of Mrs. Cowley's genteel and elegant danc- 
ing assemblies at the "Crown Coffee House.'' Mrs. Cowley 
herself familiarly dubbed it "Dunbarton Castle." Later, and 
until its destruction, it was always known as "Penrose Hall," 
Mrs. Penrose having continued those charming reunions for a 
long time after her mother, and given her attention to teaching 
several generations of the lads and misses of Newjwrt how to 
"trip the light fantastic toe." Mrs. Penrose died in Newport 
October loth, 1848, aged 93 years. 

Doctor Christopher Grant Perry, son of Commodore Oliver 
H. and Elizabeth (Mason) Perry, was born iu Newport, April 
2d, 1812. After graduating at Brown University in 1830, he 
made a voyage to the East Indies in 1834, and on his return en- 
tered the office of Hon. William Hunter as a student of law, 
and was admitted to the Bar of Rhode Island in 1836. With- 
out taking up the practice of that profession he entered upon 
the study of medicine in the office of Doctor T. C. Dunn in 
Newport, attended lectures at the University of Pennsylvania, 
and took his medical degree there in 1837. He then settled in 
his native town and commenced the practice of medicine, which 
he continued for several years, but tinding medicine not con- 
genial wirli his tastes, or perhaps witli his physical condition, 
whicli was not very vigorous, he returned id his first love, and 
went into the practice of the law, which he prosecuted with 
diligence and success, until disabled l)y ill health, dying of con- 
sumption, April 7th, 1857. He took an active part in sustain- 
ing the state government in the Dorr troubles in 1842, and af- 
terward succeeded Col. William B. Swan as commander of the 
Newport artillery company, which position he filled for nine 
years and until his decease, and in which he enjoyed the full 
confidence and most enthusiastic affection of his men, which 
feeling of affection was met on his part by the most devoted 
loyalty to his command, and the most generous friendship for 
its individual members. Doctor Perry's especial traits were 



110 HISTOIiY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

a most rigid conscientiousness and high sense of honor. Al- 
though sternly governed by the sense of right, he was unob- 
trusive and retiring, and was characterized by a gentleness 
and suavity of manner, almost feminine. He was a most 
worthy and exemplary man in all his relations, and although, 
possibly for lack of occasion, he did not develop any remark- 
ably heroic traits, was a worthy scion of a noble stock. He 
was married May 31st, 1838, to Miss Frances, daughter of Hon. 
Thomas Sargeant of Philadelphia, and had two sons and two 
daughters, one of whom is the wife of William Pepper, M. D., 
provost, and professor of the theory and practice of medicine 
in the University of Pennsylvania. The other daughter married 
John La Farge, Esq. 

Doctor Francis Huntington Rankin was born at Fishkill-on- 
the-Hudson, New York, September 25tli, 1845. His grandfather, 
Henry Rankin, was a Scotch merchant, who came to this 
country in early manhood, and became a successful and promi- 
nent merchant in New York city. He was a man of stern in- 
tegrity and strong religious devotion, traits of character for 
which the family were distinguished. His son, Robert Gosman 
Rankin, the father of Doctor Rankin, was born in New York 
city in 1806, graduated at Yale College, and studied law in the 
office of Chancellor Kent, and after his admission began prac- 
tice in New York city. He there married Laura Wolcott, a 
daughter of Hon. Frederick Wolcott, a man noted for his intel- 
lectual gifts and high moral character. Mr. Rankin was an 
ardent student of natural science, fond of literarj'and scientific 
pursuits, a great promoter of educational enterprises, public 
spirited, generous and active in every philanthropic and reli- 
gious work, a man of culture, fine sensibilities and extensive 
reading. For thirty years he was a regent of the University of 
New York, and was also connected with several of the promi- 
nent railroads and scientific enterprises of the day. Doctor 
Rankin's mother belonged to a family distinguished in the 
colonial and revolutionary history of the country, and con- 
nected with many families of distinction throughout New Eng- 
land. Her grandfather, Oliver Wolcott, was one of the signers 
of the declaration of independence, and his son, Oliver, was 
secretary of the treasury during Washington's administration. 
Her mother was a daughter of Col. Joshua Huntington, of 
Norwich, Connecticut, whose family was also represented among 






^^^^ 




-^. 





/TttVv^ 7y<^i^'Vv^(o^^ 



.>OM»\., V *\**\'\V0\ ' 



lirSTOKY 0I<' NEWPORT COUNTY. 11] 

the signers in the person of Samuel Huntington. Both families 
took a conspicuous part in the military and political history 
of New England, and live of Mrs. Rankin's ancestors were gov- 
ernors of Connecticut. Doctor Francis Huntington Rankin is 
one of a large family of sons and daughters. In eaily manhood 
.he manifested a decided preference for the profession which he 
luis since adopted. He pursued his classical studies at the Col- 
lege of the City of New York, and took his diploma as doctor 
of medicine at the medical department of the New York Uni- 
versity in the spring of 1869. Shortly afterward he went 
abroad, and spent a year in the hospitals of Vienna. Soon after 
the breaking out of the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71 he went 
to Berlin, and received an appointment as acting assistant sur- 
geon in the Prussian army, being stationed in the large military 
hospital in the suburbs of Berlin. After serving thus for a 
short time he became acting full surgeon. On his return to 
America he received the "steel medal of thanks" from the 
Prussian government. He began the practice of medicine in 
New York city in the summer of 1871, and during the first year 
held the position of assistant inspector on the New York board 
of health. He was subsequently connected with the New York 
Hospital for diseases of the nervous system, the Manhattan Eye 
and Ear Hospital, the Demilt, Children's Northeast Dispen- 
saries, and several other institutions. He was also tutor and 
assistant to the chair of materia medlca in the medical depart- 
ment of the University of New York. In the summer of 1876 
Doctor Rankin removed to Newport and entered into partner- 
ship with Doctor Austin L. Sand.s, who died the following year, 
since which time he has continued alone in jiractice. He is a 
fellow of the Rhode Island State Medical Society, and was, In 
1882, instrumental in forming the Newport Medical Society, of 
which he is pi'esident. He has manifested great interest in the 
sanitary condition of the city of his residence, is a member of 
the Newport Sanitary Association, and was, from its first in- 
ception, one of the council. He is also one of the attending 
physicians of the Newport Hospital. The doctor is connected 
witli the Business Men's Association, is a niendier of the New- 
port Historical Society, and of the Natural History Society. 
He was, in 1879, a member of the advisory board of health of 
Newport. He has frequently contributed to the medical litera- 
ture of the day through the pages of the leading journals and 



112 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

])eriodicals. On the lltli of November, 1879, he married Grace, 
daughter of Jacob Voorhis, Jr., of New York, a descendant of 
one of the early Knickerbocker settlers. The doctor is, in his 
religions associations, a Congregationalist, and a member of the 
church of that denomination in Newport. 

Doctor William Richardson was born in Boston, Mass., March 
13th, 1788, and died in Johnston, R. I., September 30th, 1864. 
He was twice married, first to Mary, daughter of Job and Sarah 
(Lawton) Almy, of Newport, May 4th, 1815. His second wife 
was Jane, daughter of Isaac Lawton, of Portsmouth. They 
were married September 5th, 1827. His first wife had seven chil- 
dren, and the second five. Doctor Richardson, for many years, 
during his residence in Portsmouth, combined the two avoca- 
tions of farmer and physician, which was then more common 
than now. In the latter part of his residence in Portsmouth 
he occupied what was then called the Gelston place, formerly 
Samuel Thurston's farm, but after Doctor Richardson, it was 
owned and occupied by David Almy. It stood a short distance 
north from Glen road, and is still distinguished l)y an ancient 
and enormous black walnut tree, larger than any other tree now 
existing on the island. Doctor Richardson removed, in his ad- 
vanced years, to Johnston, R. I., and died there. He was some- 
what eccentric and angular in appearance and manner, but was 
a very worthy, honorable and estimable man. He was fitted for 
college at Groton Academy, under the instruction of William 
M. Richardson and Caleb Butler. He graduated at Bowdoin 
College, as A.B., in 1809, studied medicine from 1809 to 1813 
in the office of Doctor James P. Chaplin, and graduated in 
medicine at Harvard College in 1813. He first practised at 
Slatersville for four years, then removed to Portsmouth, R. I., 
where he remained 21 years, to 1838, wiien he i-emoved to John- 
ston, at which place he died, having jjractised there for 26 
years. He was an efficient and valuable member of the school 
committee, both in Portsmouth and Johnston, for many years. 
He was a member of the R. I. Medical Society. 

Doctor Benjamin Richmond, son of Perez and Deborah (Lor- 
ing) Richmond, was born in Little Comption, R. I., August 7th, 
1747. He was married October 14th, 1770, to Sarah, eldest 
daughter of Col. Thomas Church, grandson of Col. Benjamin 
Church, of Indian fighting fame. Doctor Richmond was a 
practitioner of medicine, widely known and highly appreciated 



HISTORY OF NEWroKT COUNTY. 113 

in Little Compton nnd Westport for almost half a retitiiry. He 
left several children, of whom Doctor J. W. Riclimond, of 
Providence, was most known. He died September ISth, 181G. 

Doctor John Wilkes Richmond, son of Doctoi' Benjamin and 
Sarah (Chnrch) Richmond, was born in Little Compton, R. I. 
Having prosecuted the stndj'- of medicine under the auspices of 
his father, he established himself in Portsmouth, R. I., where 
he practised for a number of years. While there he built a 
house of considerable pretensions, on the spot on the west 
road, next south of the Redwood farm, on the site now occu 
pied by the residence of Peleg Coggeshall, Esq. He married, 
November 8th, 1804, Miss Mary Nichols Sheffield, daughter of 
Aaron and Mary (Nichols) Sheffield? He married, second, April 
10th, 1815, Henrietta Bours, widow (jf John, daugliter of Wil- 
liam Shaw, of Newjiort. Up to the time of his second marriage 
Doctor Riciiardson was a resident of Portsmouth, but afterwai'd 
he removed to Providence, and for many years was a prominent 
figure in that city. His second wife, Henrietta, died in Piovi- 
dence July 17th, 1849, aged 67 years. He was conspicuous in 
urging the paj^ment of the Rhode Island revolutionary state 
debt, not yet paid. He died in Providence at a very advanced 
age. 

Doctor William Cabell Rives, Jr., son of William C. and 
Grace W. Rives, was born in Paris, France, .lanuary lOtli, 1850. 
He received the degree of A.B. from Oxford University, England, 
in 1874, and of A.M. in 1878. He studied medicine at Harvard 
Medical School, and the University of the City of New York, 
graduated in medicine at the latter institution in 1877, and was 
abroad in 1880 and 1881, pursuing medical studies at Vienna. 
Doctor Rives was a member of tlie international congress, at 
London, in 1881. He settled at Newport, and was appointed a 
visiting physician to the Newport Hospital in 1882, and was a 
member and secretary to the Newport city board of health from 
1885 to 1887 inclusive. Doctor Rives was also a member of the 
Newport Medical Society. Witliin a few months he has re- 
moved his field of practice to the city of New York, leaving 
behind him the reputation of a faithful and accomplished i)hy- 
sician. 

Doctor James Robinson is said to have come to Newport from 
Little Compton. He was born in 1703, married October ICtb, 
1740, Mary Challoner, of Newport, and died November 29th, 

8 



114 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

1745, aged 42 years. He was a phj'siciaii of high repute, 
although his career was short. He had three children : John 
Tyrrell, born September 23d, 1743, died young ; Sarah Ann, 
born August 1st, 174.'5, married Caleb Gardner, June 3d, 1770, 
had one daughter, afterward the wife of Audley Clarke; 
and Marjr, died April 10th, 1764, aged 22 years, unmarried. 
Doctor Robinson's widow mariTed John Channing, and had 
two sons, William and Walter. William Channing married 
a daughter of William Ellery, signer of the declaration of inde- 
s pendence, and was the father of Rev. William Ellery Channing, 
the famous divine, and of Doctor Walter Channing of Barvard 
University. Walter, the son of John and Mary, was one of the 
celebrated mei'cantile firm of Gibbs & Channing of Newport. 

Doctor Thomas Rodman came to Newport with his younger 
brother. Doctor John Rodman in 1680. They were the sons of 
Doctor John Rodman of Christ Church parish, Barbadoes, 
where they had been long resident. Doctor Thomas Rodman 
had had a wife, Sarah, previously, but so far as known, no 
children. In 1682, June 7th, he married Patience Malins, widow 
of Robert, and daughter of Peter and Ann (Coggeshallj Easton, 
and had a son Thomas and a daughter Ann. He-married, third, 
Hannah, daughter of Governor Walter Clarke and had six 
children, of whom the second was the future Doctor Clarke 
Rodman. Doctor Thomas Rodman died January I7th, 1727, 
aged 87 years and 16 days. He was born in 1640 and was, 
therefore, forty years old when he came to Newport. He soon 
became an im})ortant factor in the Quaker Society, to which his 
family belonged, as well as in public affairs, besides occupying 
a leading place in his profession, and for the Jifty years, nearly, 
of his residence in Newport, he held high rank among her most 
respected citizens. His residence was the house on the west 
side of Thames street, second below the city hall, now the resi- 
dence of Rowland Sherman, Esq., and late of his father. Job 
Sherman. Doctor Rodman's progeny are very numerous, and 
hold many prominent positions throughout the countrj'. 

Doctor Thomas Rodman, Jr., son of Doctor Thomas and Pa- 
tience (Easton) Rodman, was born in Newport, November 11th, 
1683, married September 20th, 1706, Katherine Fry, daughter 
of Thomas and Mary (GrifRn) Fry, and died in South Kings- 
town, R. I., in 1775. He had nine children, from whom are de- 
scended many persons of great prominence, and the name is 



IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 115 

among the leading ones in South Kingstown at this date. Doc- 
tor Rodman received liis medical fniining from his father in 
Newport, and was equally inUuential and successful in the 
sphere of activity he had selected. 

Doctor Clarke Rodman, second son of Doctor Tliomas liod- 
man by his third wife, Hannah, daughter of Governor Walter 
and Hannah (Scott) Clarke, was born in Newi)ort March loth, 
1699, and died August :^()th, 1752. He nuirried, January 3d, 1717, 
Ann, daughter of Daniel and Mary (Mowry) Coggeshall of 
Portsmouth, R. I. They had ten children, of whom Walter and 
Thomas were also physicians. Doctor Clarke Rodman followed 
in the footsteps of his father, ministering to the Newport peo- 
ple, promoting the interests of tlie community in vvliich he 
lived, and of the religious society to which his family were at- 
tached, in a manner which inspired the esteem and respect of his 
cotemporaries. He built and occupied the house corner Thames 
street and Touro, afterward removed to Bridge street, and still 
standing, the site being occupied by Young's brick block, in 
which house afterward lived successively. Doctors Hunter, 
Senter, Case, and Watson, down to 1837, al)out 100 years. The 
piece was given to him in the division of the estate of his grand- 
father. Governor Walter Clarke, whose own residence was the 
house next south of it, formerly Isaac Gould's. This house is 
still standing, having been removed to Elm street. He was an 
original member of Redwood Library Company. 

Doctor Walter Rodman, eldest son of Doctor Clarke and Ann 
(Coggeshall) Rodman, was born in Newport August 13th, 1719, 
and died at Jamestown July 20th, 1753, aged 84 years. His wife 
was Rebecca Redwood, sister of Abraham, fouiuler of the li- 
brary, and daughter of Abraham and Patience (Howland) Red- 
wood. They had no children. It is not known whether he 
practiced in Newport or on Conanicut, but it is probable that 
he lived on the farm on the west side of that island, still 
known as the Rodnuin farm, and it is certain that he died on 
that island. His widow married Joseph Clarke, for many years 
(1761 to 1792) treasurer of the colony and the state. 

Doctor Thomas Rodman, Second, third son of Doctor Clarke 
and Mary (Coggeshall) Rodman, was born in Newport June 5th, 
172G. He married, July 6th, 1750, Catharine, daughter of 
Deputy Governor John and Frances (Sanford) Gardner. He 
was admitted freeman of the colony in April, 1745, and signed 



116 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

the petition to the king in 1750. In 1758 he was commissioner 
relative to fiags of truce. In February, 1759, "Mr. Thomas 
Rodman (son of Clarke Eodman, late of Newport, Physician, 
deceased) was elected Surgeon to the Regiment ordered by this 
government for the ensuing campaign." In February, 1760, he 
was reelected. A letter addressed to his wife from Sorel, now 
in existence, proves that he was engaged under Lord Amherst 
in that glorious campaign which resulted in the triumph of the 
British arms in North America. All this proves also that the 
religious sentiments of .his ancestors had lost so much of their 
hold on the young surgeon as to have failed to restrain his 
patriotic ardor. In 1760, he was 34 years old, and had prob- 
ably practised in Newport for a dozen or more years, but no 
record is afforded of that interval, nor of his future. The time 
of his death is not known. He left a son, Walter, some of 
whose descendants are still living in Newport. This gives ixs 
an unbroken succession of Doctors Rodman in Newport from 
1680 to 1760. 

Doctor John Rodman, brother of Doctor Thomas of Newport, 
and son of Doctor John of Christ Church parish, Barbadoes, 
came to Newport in 1680 with his brother and practised here 
for several years, and had several children born here. He was 
afterward at Block Island for some years, and went finally to 
Long Island, and has a large number of descendants in New 
York and New Jersey and elsewhere. He had a wife Mary, 
who, perhaps, came with him from Barbadoes. He died at 
Flushing, Long Island, July 10th, 1731, aged 78 years. 

Doctor Austin Ledyard Sands was born in Philadelphia, 
December 14th, 1825. His father was Austin Ledyard Sands, 
of New York, and his mother a daughter of Mr. Andrew 
Hodge, of Philadelphia. Doctor Sands received his preparatory 
education in the classical department of the New York Univer- 
sity and entered the regular college coui'se at the age of twelve 
years and was graduated at the age of sixteen. He at once be- 
gan the study of medicine at the College of Physicians and 
Surgeons, New York, of which his uncle. Doctor Alexander 
H. Stevens, was president. His medical studies were pursued 
under the direction of Doctor Stevens and regular examinations 
also attended under Doctor John Watson, who had been a stu- 
dent and partner of Doctor Stevens. Before taking his degree 
of doctor of medicine he received an appointment on the surgi- 




/^6^>,^^^^^i^ ^ cy''^^<:^^=^^<^<^ 



\.\\%\^'<t\.^ \. \\\%\-\\x\ *. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. ]]? 

cal staff of the New York Hospital, witli wliicli institution he 
remained for two years. While in attendance as house surgeon 
of the hospital Doctor Sands received an appointment as phy- 
sician and surgeon to the West Point Foundry located at Cold 
Spring, on the Hudson river, then nnder the management of 
Governeur Kemble and Mr. Parrott, the inventor of the cele- 
brated gun of that name. While at Cold Spring Doctor Sands 
had unusual responsibility cast upon him. His experience was 
extended and varied, some of the most difficult and important 
operations in surgery having been accomplished by him. The 
frequent and severe accidents constantly occurring in this large 
foundry afforded abundant opportunity for his surgical skill 
and put to a severe test his merits as a surgeon. At this time 
also the Hudson River railroad was in process of construction 
and the frequent blasting accidents at this rocky i)oint added 
greatly to the number of formidable operations performed by 
him. Doctor Sands, on bis removal from Cold Spring in 1852, 
returned to New York and until 1860 was associated with Doc- 
tor Alexander P. Hossack. During the war of the rebellion he 
twice served on the battle field as volunteer surgeon. In 1860 
the wear and tear of city practice produced a marked effect upon 
his health which began perceptibly to fail. He was compelled 
for a time to abandon active work and seek repose and much 
needed rest. 

In October, 1863, he repaired to Southern Italy and remained 
abroad one year. On returning to New York he resumed his 
practice but was again obliged to seek restoration to health as 
of primary importance, and left the city. Relatives and friends 
urged Newport as a desirable point for settlement, and in the 
spring of 1865 he purchased a residence in that city where the 
remainder of his life was spent. In the fall of 1875 he was the 
victim of a brutal assault, the injuries he received being of so 
severe a character as to seriously undermine his health. He 
rallied in a measure from the effects of the blow and spent the 
following winter in the south, but never again resumed the bur- 
den of a large practice. In the summer of 1876 he shared his 
labors with a partner, and he spent the following winter in 
Europe, returning in the spring apparently much improved. 
The summer's duties again proved detrimental and once more 
the doctor sailed for Europe in quest of health, trusting that a 
winter on the Nile might impart tn liim renewed vigor. He had 



118 HISTORY OF XEWl'ORT COUNTY. 

but started when he was prostrated by violent illness and died 
in Cairo, Egypt, on the 20th of December, 1877. In his death 
Newport lost an honored citizen and the medical profession one 
of its brightest lights. He was devoted to his calling, ever 
faithful to those committed to his professional care, kind and 
considerate to the poor, and ready with a skillful hand in cases 
of need and suffering. His genial natui'e and unfeigned sym- 
pathy won the affection of all who knew him. 

Doctor Stephen Hull Sears, son of Stephen and Henrietta 
(Hnll) Sears, was born in Sonth Yarmouth, Mass., July 31st, 
18i54. He studied medicine in the oflice of Doctor A. Miller, at 
Needhani, Mass., graduated in medicine at Bellevue Hospital 
Medical School, New York, in 1879, and has practised in New- 
port since December SOth, 1879. In December, 1881, he was 
appointed A. A. Surgeon in the U. S. marine hospital service, 
which position he still holds. Doctor Sears married, August 
23d, 1881, Marianna B., daughter of Danforth P. W. and Ange- 
line (Bears) Parker, of Barnstable, Mass., and has three 
children. 

Doctor John Sapel, from Germany, was in Newport in 1785. 

Doctor Isaac Senter was born in Londonderry, New Hamp- 
shire, in 17i53. Little is known of his early life. He came to 
Newport in his youth, and was a student in the office of Doctor 
Thomas Moffatt, a Scotch refugee, after Culloden, whose con- 
nection with the stam]) act made him obnoxious to the friends 
of liberty in 1765, and who left Newport soon after. Doctor 
Senter commenced the practice of medicine in Cranston, R. T. 
After the battle of Lexington, he immediately joined the volun- 
teers from Rhode Island and marched to Boston, where he soon 
made himself useful and prominent in the camp of the colonists. 
He was selected for a prominent position in the expedition soon 
after organized to join General Richard Montgomery before Que- 
bec, under the command of General Benedict Arnold. The trials 
and struggles and sufferings of this New England contingent, 
in their advance through the almost unexplored wilderness of 
northern New England, are well described in Doctor Senter's 
own journal, as well as those of Doctor Irvin and others, which 
have been given to the public, and present a wonderful x)icture 
of adventurous and enterprising heroism most creditable to all 
the participants, but in its results most disastrous. Every mam 
of Arnold's command was killed or made prisoner. Senter,. 



IIISTUIIY ()!•• XKWI'OUT COTNTY. 119 

happily, was among the latter. After a few months service in 
the liospitals and among the sick and wounded in and about 
Quebec, he was released and returned home. He left the con- 
tinental service in 1779 and resumed his practice in Cranston. 
In 1778, 1779 and 1780 he was representative from Cranston to 
the Rhode Island general assembly. In 177G he was elected 
surgeon of Rhode Island state liospitals, and in 1780 physician 
and surgeon-general of Rhode Island. In 1780 he removed to 
Newport and occupied the Rodman house, where two genera- 
tions of Doctors Rodman and Doctor Hunter had preceded him, 
and where Doctors Benjamin W. Case and Daniel Watson 
afterward successively lived until about 1837, making an almost 
if not continuous occuimtion of the same premises by promi- 
nent and popular medical men for six generations, and for a 
period of more than a century and a quarter, and that unques- 
■ tionably the most central and consincuous point in the ancient 
town. In all the accounts obtainable Doctor Senter is de- 
scribed as a tall and large man, witli a firm, stately and digni- 
fied carriage, but of genial and popular manners. He was un- 
doubtedly a man of brilliant talents. He made some contribu- 
tions to European medical journals and acquired much distinc- 
tion therefrom, and within my recollection was spoken of by 
elderly people in the highest terms of appreciation. Doctor 
Senter had a library whicli, in those days, was considered large, 
and was rich in medical and scientific and literary lore. Many 
of his books may still be found in Newport. He was an honor- 
ary member of tlie Medical Society of London. George Chaii- 
ning in "Recollections of Newport,'" says.: "Dr. Senter exert- 
ed a sort of enchantment, when summoned to a sick bed, if 
the case demanded only simples, liis smile proved more poten- 
tial than his recipe." In distant lands, the highest commenda- 
tion was awarded him for medical and surgical superiority. 
Doctor Senter died at Newport in 1790, aged 44 years. 

Doctor Horace Senter, eldest son of Doctor Isaac Senter, was 
born in 1776, in Cranston, R. I., and was killed in an encounter 
with John Rutledge of South Carolina, January 12th, 1804, at 
Savannah. He was esteemed as a young gentleman of very 
great promise, was given all the advantages of the European 
schools and hospitals, and stepped into the position just left 
vacant by his father, into an atmosphere glowing with the aura 
of his brilliant career, with surpassing charms of person ai;d 



i-2i> HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

manner, with all the accomplishments which a tine mind and 
very superior advantages could give, with a social position and 
popular sentiment which seemed to insure a tide of si;ccess, 
and during his professional life ever^^thing warranted the 
brightest hopes of his friends and the public, but in less than 
five years his tragical end blasted all these expectations and 
left a gloom on the community, the shadow of which is hardly 
yet annihilated. He was a fellow student of Doctor John C. 
Warren, of Boston, at Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital, London. 
Edward Senter, the third son of Doctor Isaac, was also in- 
tended for the profession. He was a student in the office of 
Doctor William Turner, at the same time with the late Doctor 
James V. Turner, about 1810, but he died soon after without 
having practised. 

Doctor Jotham Sexton came to Adamsville, in Little Comp- 
ton, K. L, from Connecticut, about 1830, and practised for ten 
years, his practice being limited, in great measure, to Tiverton, 
R. I., and Westport, Mass. In 1840 he removed to Fall River, 
where he practised for ten more years, dying there in 1850. 

Doctor Benjamin Stanton, son of John and Mary 
Stanton, was born in Newport, March 13th, 1684, and died Sep- 
tember 18th, 1760. He married Martha, daughter of Henry and 
Sarah (Stanton) Tibbitts, his first cousin. He had a large con- 
nection among Friends, and an extensive practice, dividing with 
Doctor Clarke Rodman that influence which afterward de 
scended almost unbroken to Doctor Jonathan Easton and to 
Doctor Enoch Hazard consecutively. He had one son and 
three daughters. He lived at the head of Broad street, opposite 
Equality park. 

Doctor Nathaniel Greene Stanton, son of George A. and 
Catharine (Sands) Stanton, was born at New Shoreham, July 
8th, 1836. He derived his name from the great Major- General 
Greene, of the revolution, who was, by marriage, the great 
uncle of his mother. He attended school at East Greenwich, at 
Sufiield, Conn., and lastly at Alfred Center, Allegany county, 
New York. After leaving school he passed five years in Provi- 
dence, in the drug store of Wadsworth & Burrington, when, 
the war breaking out, he enlisted as hospital steward in the First 
R. I. Cavalry. After a year's service he became medical cadet 
and was afterward transferred to the Third R. I. Cavalry, with 
commission as assistant surgeon, ranking as lieutenant. He 



HISTORY OF NEWPOUT COUNTY. 121 

had charge of the military hospital at Baton Rouge from Feb- 
ruary to September, 1803. He afterward rejoined the First R. 
I. Cavalry, at Poolsville, Maryland, and was mustered out of 
service as supernumerary. He then studied medicine, and grad- 
uated in medicine at Harvard, in 18G6. He then went to Europe 
and passed a year in clinical studies at the hospitals of London 
and Paris, at the Maternity, and at Guy's and St. Bartholo- 
mew's. On his return he associated himself with Doctor Thomas 
G. Potter, in old school practice in Providence, and after two 
years came to Newport and established himself as a homoeo- 
pathic practitioner, which he has continued to this time. In 
Newport he was first a partner of Doctor N. Greene, and after- 
ward of Doctor Abiram F. Squire. Doctor Stanton is a popular 
man and has a good practice. 

Doctor Horatio Robinson Storer, son of D. Humphreys Storer, 
M. D., of Boston, formerly professor of obstetrics and medical 
jurisprudence in Harvard Univei'sity, and president of the Ameri- 
can Medical Association, was born in Boston, February 27th, 
1830. He attended the Boston Latin School from 1841 to 1840. 
On leaving school he entered Harvard University, where he took 
the degree of A. B. in 1850. He was very early interested in 
the natural sciences. He was president of the Harvard Natural 
History Society, and in 1850 published observations made dur- 
ing a trip to Nova Scotia and Labrador, on the fishes of those 
coasts. He also spent a summer in Russia before his gradua- 
tion. He studied medicine in the Tremont Medical School of 
Boston, and i-eceived his medical degree from Harvard College, 
in 1853. He also attended lectures at Harvard Law School. He 
spent two years after graduation studying in London, Paris 
and Edinburgh, and was assistant for one year, in private prac- 
tice, to Sir James G. Simpson. In 1855 he commenced a very 
successful practice in Boston, and was very active and promi- 
nent in all matters pertaining to the profession, and contributed 
largely to its current literature, especially in relation to his 
chosen department, Gyn;ecology. In 18C5 he became professor 
of obstetrics and medical jurisprudence in the Berkshire Medi- 
cal College, whicli position he retained until 1809. He was 
prominent among the earlier ovarotomists, and eventually in- 
curred septicaemia, by which he was disabletl and relinquished 
practice, and retired to Europe in 1872, and remained in South- 
ern Europe until 1877. On his return lie took up his residence 



122 HISTORY OF XEWPORT COUNTY. 

at Newport, where lie has since resided, not in active practice, 
except for a short time, in connection witli Doctor W. F. Parker, 
when, finding his health again yielding to the strain, he finally 
retired. Doctor Storer is a man of great acqnirements and won- 
derful facile exjiression, both by tongue and pen ; the latter ol' 
wliich is sufficiently attested by the large number and great 
variety of the treatises he has given to the public in the thirty 
years of his professional life. He is one of the vice-presidents 
of the section of Gyneecology of the International Medical 
Congress. 

Doctor Abiram Francis Squire is now practising as a homceop- 
athist, at Newport. He came here in 1878, and became a part- 
ner with Doctor Nathaniel G. Stanton. He was born in Buffalo, 
N. Y., February 25th, 1846, and was the son of Abiram H. and 
Hannah (Huff) Squire. He married, in 1875, Mary Henry 
Alexander. Doctor Squire acquired his academic education at 
the Buffalo Central High School, and received the degree of M. 
D. at Harvard Medical College. 

Doctor Peter Tallman, son of Peter and Ann Tallman, was 
born March 22d, 1658, probably in Newport, as his father was a 
freeman of Newport in 1655, and in December, 1658, made a 
considerable purchase of land in Portsmouth, and in 1661 was 
deputy from Portsmouth and solicitor general of the colony. 
There is no evidence that Peter, the father, was a physician, as 
is probable, two of his sons having been members of the pro- 
fession. He is reputed to have been a French refugee. He died 
in 1708. Doctor Peter Tallman married, November 7th, 1683, 
Ann Walstone, widow of John, wlio died in 1708. She was the 
daughter of Benjamin and Jane Wright. He was at one time a 
resident of Guilford, Conn., but returned to Portsmouth and 
died there, July 6th, 1726. He had three children : Elizabeth, 
Peter and Ebenezer. 

Doctor James Tallman, also a son of the first Peter, of New- 
port and Portsmouth, was born in Portsmouth, and was a prac- 
titioner of medicine in that town, of high repute, traditions of 
which have scarcely j^et died out. He died there in 1724. He 
married, March 18th, 1689, Mary, daughter of Joseph and Mary 
(Bray ton) Devol. He married for his second wife, Hannah, 
daughter of John and Mary (Wyer) Swain, of Nantucket, 
September 14th, 1701. He had by his first wife, Mary, two sons 



IIISTOKY OF XKWPORT COUNTY. 123" 

and one daughter, and l)y Iiis second wife, Hannah, six sons and 
three daughters. 

Doctor William Thurston was at Newport in 1787. 

Doctor John R. Thurston was born April 24th, 1774, at New- 
port, and received his education there. He was a direct de- 
scendant of Edward Thurston, one of the very early settlers on 
Rhode Island. Doctor Thurston probably completed his medi- 
cal education in Scotland, since he married, in 1799, Mary Ann 
Bruce, of Aberdeen, Scotland. He was captured in a Newport 
vessel and taken to St. Christopher's, W. I., where he settled, 
and died there, May 7th, 1819. 

Doctor William Torrey Thurston, son of the above, was born 
at St. Christopher's, July 14th, 18()5, graduated A. B., at Co- 
lumbia College, New York, in 1819, and M. D. at the College 
of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, in 1829. He has prac- 
tised at Westerly and AVoonsocket, R. I., and was distin- 
guished in the United States service during the war. In 1881 
he was admitting surgeon and superintendent to Rhode Islaivd 
Hospital. 

Doctor Alfred Henry Thurston, son of Charles M. and 
Rachel (Pitman) Thurston, was born in Newjiort, October 2d, 
1832, and passed his early years there. He graduated A. B. 
at Columbia College, New York, in 1851, and M. D. at Uni- 
versity Medical School, New York, in 18;")4. He died in New 
Y^'ork, August 2d, 18Go. He entered the United States service 
in 1861, and served with distinction until the close of the war. 
He was twice married. 

Doctor William Tillinghast, son of Pardon and Avis (Nor- 
ton) Tillinghast, was born at Newport, in 1753, and died at 
Newport, January 26th, 1786. Doctor Tillinghast married a 
daughter of John Holmes, a direct descendant of Obadiah 
Holmes, who succeeded Doctor John Clarke as minister of the 
Second Baptist church, JS''evvport. Mrs. Tillinghast being the 
onlj' child of John Holmes, inherited a large lauded estate in 
Middletown, derived from Reverend Obadiah, which descended 
to her daughters, and has only lately been alienated from the 
family. They had three daughters; Catharine, married Captain 
John Dennis ; Avis, married John Baker, and had a son, Wil- 
liam ; Mary F. IL, married Henry Bull. By this last marriage 
Doctor Tillinghast was the great-grandfather of the present 
Doctor William Tillinghast Bull, of New York, who is his 



124 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

namesake. Mrs. Bull, at her father s death, was three years 
old. Doctor Tillinghast, having received preliminary instruc- 
tion from Doctor Sylvester Gardiner, in Newport, went to 
Philadelphia and attended lectures, and took a degree at the 
old school and returned to Newport, where he commenced prac- 
tice about 1773, and pursued it with great acceptance until 1786, 
when he died. His residence was in the house built by his 
uncle, John Tillinghast, on Mill street, opposite the "Old Stone 
Mill," now the property of Mr. Tuckerman, formerly of Gov- 
ernor William C. Gibbs. Doctor Tillinghast was a man of fine 
appearance and elegant address, and never appeared except in 
the full dress of the period, perfect in all its appointments of 
ruffles, buckles, etc. 

Doctor William Jerauld Townsend, son of Solomon and Ann 
(Pearce) Townsend, of Newport, was born at Newport in April, 
1824. His mother was a daughter of Samuel Pearce of Prudence 
island, and sister of Hon. Dutee Jerauld Pearce of Newport, 
and granddaughter of Doctor Dutee Jerauld of Warwick, R. 
I., of an old French family, among the early settlers of Rhode 
Island. Having completed his academic education, Doctor 
Townsend entered, as a medical student, the office of Doctor T. 
C. Dunn, where he proved himself a mosf devoted and faith- 
ful student, and exhibited remarkable enthusiasm in everything 
relating to his chosen vocation. After two terms' attendance 
he took his medical degree at the Jelferson College, Philadel- 
phia, in March, 1835, and before going home made a visit to the 
family of Doctor Corson, at New Hope, Penn. There he in- 
curred a malarial affection, which developed Phthisis, which 
very rapidly terminated his life. He died at Newport, May 
15th, 1835, aged 21 years and 1 month. He was a most amiable 
and entertaining companion, and gave promise of a most bril- 
liant future. Doctor Townsend was cousin to the late Christo- 
pher Townsend. by whose munificence the public library in New- 
port was established and endowed. 

Doctor William Turner, 1st, son of William and Patience 
(Haile) Turner, was born (probably) in Swansea, Mass. His 
mother was a noted midwife. He studied medicine with Doctor 
N. F. Vigneron, in Newjiort, where his parents lived at 
that time, and where they died. He settled in Newark, 
N. J., and had a large practice, and died there. He 
had three wives, the last of whom, Mehitabel (Foster), 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 125 

widow of Campfield, and mother of Doctor Jabez Camp- 
field, was also the motiier of Doctor Peter Turner, of East 
Greenwich, E. I., whose son-in-law. Doctor William Turner, and 
whose son, Doctor James V. Turner, practised loi- many years 
in Newport. 

Doctor Henry E. Turner, tiiird son of Doctor Peter, of East 
Greenwich, was a pupil in the famous classical school of John 
Fraser, and afterward a student in the office of Doctor William 
Turner, at Newport. He practised for some years in East 
Greenwich. He married Martha Washington, daughter of Major- 
General Nathaniel Greene, and widow of John Nightingale, 
Esq. He first went to Tennessee, and afterward to Savannah, 
Ga., where he died in 1861, aged 74 years. 

Doctor Peter Turner, second son of Daniel and Sarah (Foster) 
Turner, of New Jersey, and brother of Doctor William Turner, 
studied medicine with his brother, in Newport, and was ap- 
pointed surgeon in the United States army. He died during 
the war of 1812, at Plattsburg, ver}^ young and unmarried. 

Doctor Oliver Cromwell Turner, third son of Doctor William 
Turner of Newport, was born in Middletown, R. I., August 26th, 
1814, and studied medicine in the office of Doctors William and 
James V. Turner, and took his medical degree at Jefferson Med- 
ical College, in Philadelphia, in 1836. He practised in New- 
port. He married Sarah, daughter of John Read of Newport. 
He was a very conscientious and worthy young man, and a great 
favorite with all who knew him, and very amiable and unpre- 
tentious. He died November 14th, 1852, aged 38 years. 

Doctor Francis Lincoln Turner, son of Doctor James V. and 
Catharine R. (Greene) Turner, was born in Newport, December 
27th, 1835. He studied medicine with iiis father and brother in 
Newport, and took his degree in medicine at the Albany Medical 
College. He married Mary Catiiarine, daughter of George C. 
and Elizabeth Munro, but had no children. He commenced 
practice at Schagticoke, N.Y., but after a year or two returned 
to Newport and entered into practice here. Shortly after his 
return to Newport, where he was becoming a favorite and his 
prospects of a successful career were vei-y promising, his health 
was seriously impaired by an unfortunate accident, and he never 
fully recovered it. 

Doctor William Turner, United States army, was the eldest 
of five sons of Daniel Turner, Esq., of Newark, N. J., all of 



126 IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

whom held commissions in the military or naval service of the 
United States. He was also the lineal descendant in the sixth 
generation of the Captain William Turner who lost his life in 
King Philip's war soon after gaining the battle of Great Falls, 
Mass., May 18th, 1676. Doctor Turner was born at Perth Am- 
boy, N. J., September lOth, 1775, and early in life commenced 
the study of medicine with Doctor Jabez Camptield, of Morris- 
town, N. J., his father's half-brother. His license to the prac- 
tice of medicine and surgery bears date Princeton, N. J., June 
4th, 1794. Shortly afterward he removed to East Greenwich, 
R. L, where, with his uncle. Doctor Peter Turner, he practised 
for some four years. In 1«'.)S he was commissioned assistant- 
surgeon. United States navy, and August 31st, 1799, was pro- 
moted to surgeon, and oidered to the U. S. Frigate "General 
Greene" (28guns),Ciii'istopherR-iymond Perry, Esq., commiind- 
ing, at Newport, R. I. This ship was built at Warren, R. I., 
in 1799, and was under orders for the West India Squadron, 
commanded by Commodore Silas Talbot, then oj^eratiug against 
the French in the war of reprisals — a war, for some reason 
singularly neglected by our iiistorians, and important as the 
first foreign war in which we ever engaged after tiie war for in- 
dependence, though it was against the tri-color and not the lillies 
of our former allies. 

They sailed from Newport September 23d, 1799, and made 
Cape Prangois, San Domingo, October 6th. At this place they 
frequently met Tonssaint L' overture, Dessalines, Moize, Rigaud 
and others of the fearful black uprising of 1793, so picturesquely 
described by Harriet Martineau in " The Hour and The Man." 
In a letter to Doctor Peter Turner, October lOtli, 1799, he de- 
sci'ibes Tonssaint as "a little, old and very ugly looking negro, 
but has a keen eye and is very polished in his manners." After 
capturing a number of prizes among their " L' Industrie," 
"Flying Fish" and a Danish brig, they received orders to 
proceed to New Orleans, then Frencli territory, and receive the 
American Commissioner, General Wilivinson, and bis suite, and 
to carry them to the United States. 

Upon arriving at Newport, R. I., the j^ellow fever, which had 
made its appearance among the crew of the ship soon after her 
arrival upon the station, but had disappeared after passing the 
latitude of the capes of the Chesapeake, again appeared ; and 
some few cases were reported in tlie town. The town council of 



IIISTOUY OF NKWi'OKT COUNTY. 127 

Newport fully exonerated Doctor Tiini(;r lioiiiiill l)liUMe in the 
matter. But the incident led to a sharp correspond. -iice with 
Doctor Moses Brown of Providence, wlii(;li even at tliis late day- 
excites interest in tin- reader of I lie (•oiirt.Muis hnt decided 
letters of the young surgeon. An inlcresting incident of this 
cruise is that Oliver II. Perry and Benjamin Turner, tiie doctor's 
brother, were hotli niidshipnien of the ship on their first cruise, 
and there cemented a friendship that was only luoken by death. 

The private journal of Doctor Turner of this cruise sliovvs a 
refined and cultivated mind, and one that appreciated to the 
fullest extent the possibilities and opportunities of his pro- 
fe.ssion. His success in the treatment of the yellow fever is 
shown by the few deAths, while nearly all of the crew at one 
time or another during the cruise had j^assed tlirough the ter- 
rible malady. 

Upon his detachment from tiie ship lie made a short visit to 
his parents, then at New Brunswick, N. J., and was ordered to 
the U S. Frigate "Adams" (28 guns), S. V. Morris, Esq., 
commanding, for a cruise in tlie Mcditerianean. 'I'he threaten- 
ing asjDect of our relations wilii ihe Barbai-y powers made it 
necessary to strengtlien our force in those waters. 

General William Eaton had been sent to Tunis with extraor- 
dinary powers, of which he was not slow to avail himself, his 
position calling forth tlie exei'cise of the diplomatic skill which 
subsequently gained for him the approval of congress, and of 
the court of Denmark. Upon his health failing he visited the 
■continent, and December Blst, 18U1, appointed Doctor William 
Turner in his place, " with full power to act in his absence." 

Doctor Turner's health, which had been delicate befoi'e these 
cruises, was now, after some years at sea, quite robust ; and as 
his desire was for a more extended practice than he could ever 
hope for in the navy, he resigned his commission October 27th, 
1802, and settled in Newport, R. I. 

Ui)on the breaking out of the second war with Great Britain 
he was appointed by Oliver H. Perry surgeon of his flotilla at 
Newport, June 29th, 1812, which position he held unlil Septem- 
ber 29lh, 1812, when he was commissioned surgeon's mate, U. S. 
army, and ordered to Fort Walcott, Newport Harbor. On the 
24th of April, 1816, he was commissioned post surgeon, and 
surgeon on June 21st, 1821. Pie was the first surgeon attached 
to Fort Adams, and supervised its sanitary arrangements dur- 



128 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

ing construction. He remained on duty at Forts Walcott and 
Adams until his death, September 26th, 1837. His total mili- 
tary service amounted to 30 years. He was a strong op]ionent 
of the severe corporal punishments intlicted on enlisted men, 
and did not a little to have them abolished. He corresponded 
with the eminent medical men of his day, and was held in 
high esteem by Doctors Rush and Physic, as their letters 
testify. He was conspicuous in all projects for advancing the 
standard of the profession in Rhode Island. His certificate of 
membership of St. John's Lodge of F. & A. Masons, No. 1, 
bears date June 30tli, Anno Lucis, 5801, and is signed by 
"Moses Sexias, Prince of Masons, etc., etc., etc.:" Robert N. 
Auchmuty, S. W. ; Thomas Tilley, J. XV.; and S. Cahoone, 
secretary. 

He married, August 15th, 1800, at East Grreenwich, Hette 
Foster Turner, daughter of Doctor Peter Turner, and grand- 
daughter of Cromel Child, of Warren, R. I. 

Doctor James Varnum Turner was the fourth son of Doctor 
Peter and Eliza (Child) Turner of East Greenwich, where he was 
born on the 27th day of March, 1789. He acquired the rudi- 
ments of his education under the tuition of Master Stephen 
Franklin, one of the old time pedagogues, who pursued, in its 
fullest extent, the ancient system of appealing quite as much 
to the external susceptibilities of his neophytes, as to their 
intellectual capacity. As, however, he was a quiet and steady- 
going boy, he suffered less from the method that has very long 
prevailed, on the authority of the wisest of men, than did some 
of his more mercurial associates. He completed his academic 
studies at the Greenwich Academy, then conducted by Abner 
Alden, Esq., who was noted as an instructor at tiiat date, and 
had occupied a similar position in Bristol, R. I., and was well 
known as the publisher of a series of school books, quite 
famous and popular in their day. A college education at that 
time was an exceptional advantage, and immediately after leav- 
ing school he entered the ofBce of his fatlier and commenced 
his medical education, which he completed in the office of his 
brother-in-law. Doctor William Turner, of Newport. He, as 
well as his elder brother. Doctor Henry E. Turner, afterward of 
Tennessee and Georgia, was an original fellow of the Rhode 
Island Medical Society. He first went to Warren, R. I., which 
was his mother's birtliplace, and where he had numerous rela- 



HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 129 

tives, with a view to settlement, and after remaining there for a 
time, became dissatisfied with tlie prospect and returned to East 
Greenwich, which was tiien a place of very considerable com- 
mercial activity ; falling in with the current, he fitted out a 
schooner, called the "Leander," with such commodities as were 
adapted to the supply of the Britisii army, tiien occupying 
Lisbon, entrenched behind the lines of "Torres Vedras." This 
was not a very successful venture, the vessel ari'ived in a leaky 
and damaged condition, was condemned and sold, and he cnme 
home in one of Brown & Ives' vessels, commanded by Captain 
Job Cook, to Providence. 

He then spent several years, associated with his brothers, 
Henry E. and George, in trading in western lands in Ohio and 
Tennessee, quite successfully, but came home and went into 
the West India trade with William Brown of East Greenwich. 
During this time, August 27th, 1815, he married Catharine Ray 
Greene, daughter of Hon. Ray and Mary (Flagg) Greene, and 
afterward had seven sons and four daughters, all of whom grew 
to man's estate, and of whom eight are still living. In 1821 he 
took the farm whei-e his wife and four of his children were born, 
remaining there until 1828, when he removed to Portsmouth, 
R. I., and resumed the practice of his profession. Here he was 
popular and successful. At this time he was 39 years of age. 
Taking uj) his burden where he had laid it down, nearly twenty 
years before, he prosecuted his calling with all the energy of 
youth, and api)arently with all the zest of novelty. At the end 
of five years, in May, 1833, lie removed to Newport and became 
the partner of his brother-in-law and former instructor. Doctor 
William Turner. This association was a most harmonious one, 
and existed until the death of Doctor William Turner, Septem- 
ber 20th, 1837. Doctor J. V. Turner then associated with him- 
self, Doctor O. C. Turner, son of Doctor William, and his own 
son, Doctor H. E. Turner. At the end of a year, in 1838, Doc- 
tor O. C. Turner retired from the firm and from that time until 
October 28th, 1863, twenty-five years, when Doctor J. V. died, 
he and his son remained partners. 

Doctor James V. Turner was the embodiment of all the sub- 
stantial qualities that inspiie respect, confidence and affection, 
and he enjoyed, as he well deserved, all these in their fullest 
extent. Remarkably modest and unpretentious, and yet self- 
reliant, tiutliful and conscientious, a strong man but always 
9 



130 HISTOKY OF NEWPOHT COUNXy. 

avoiding ostentation, almost too retiring, he yet was firm in as- 
serting liimself whenever he judged proper. He was a home 
man in the fullest sense and did no visiting for many years out- 
side his family. The superlative attraction of his own fireside 
is well illustrated by the fac-t that, wanderer as he had been in 
his youth, during the last 25 years of his life he never was off 
the island of Rhode Island, except an occasional professional 
visit to Conanicut. Nevertheless, he was social and genial in 
his intercourse with the community, and held a high place in 
the public esteem and regard. His reputation as an obstetri- 
cian was very high in the communilj' he served, beyond which 
he had no ambition to extend it. 

Of Doctor Turner's seven sons one died in 1859. At the break- 
ing out of the war si.\ sous were living, one of these disabled by 
accidental paralysis. Of the other live, four entered the volun- 
teer service, two by enlistment as privates, two bj' appointment 
as officers. When discharged three were captains. The fourth 
died in the service at Newbern, North Carolina, a lieutenant. 
The fifth and eldest son. Doctor Henry E. Turner, then 45 years 
old, with a small family, was attached to the service but not 
in the field. He was A. A. surgeon. United States Army, at- 
tached to Fort Adams, then headquarters of the Fifteenth U. S. 
Infantry. Doctor J. V. Turner died at Newport October 28th, 
1863. 

Henry E. Turner, M. D., son of James Varnum and Cathar- 
ine (Ray) Turner, was born at the Governor Greene homestead, 
in Warwick, Rhode Island, June 15th, 1816. He is a direct de- 
scendant of Captain William Turner, of Boston, who, in 1676, 
raised a company and marched to Northampton under Major 
Savage, and was present at the repulse of the Indians from that 
place in March, 1676. In May of the same year, Captain Tur- 
ner organized a force of one hundred men and surprised and 
severely punished the Indians at the Connecticut Great Falls, 
now known as Turner's Falls, but was killed on the retreat. 
Doctor Turner's grandfather was Doctor Peter Turner, of East 
Greenwich, R. I., at which place he practised his profession for 
nearly forty years and died in 1821. During the revolution he 
was surgeon in Colonel Christopher Greene's Rhode Island regi- 
ment in the continental line, and was present at Red Bank and 
other hard- fought battles. Doctor H. E. Turner is also a de 
scendant of Simon Ray of Block Island and William Almy of 





S^7^/ (h^ cJu-^^-f^ 



<i^%; 



V»^«^>VV» i. «\l%t^VQ-\ K. ^. 



HISTOKY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 131 

Portsmouth, R. I. His grandfather on his mother's side was 
tlie Hon. Ray Greene of Warwick, son of the second Governor 
William Gieene, and grandson of tiie Hrst Governor William 
Greene, who was a grandson of Deputy-Governor Greene of the 
colony of Rhode Island from 1690 to 1700. Hon. Ray Greene 
was attorney -general of Rhode Island from May, 1794, to 1797. 
He represented Rhode Islaml in ihe United States senate from 
1797 to 1801. In May, 1801, he was appointed United States 
District Judge, which position he did not, however, iill. His 
son, the Hon. William Greene, was lieutenant-governor of 
Rhode Island from 1800 to 1868. Doctor Turner is also a de- 
scendant of Roger Williams and of John Sayles of Providence, 
John Greene. Randal Holden, Samuel Gorton, Richard Carder 
and Rnfus Barton of Warwick, and of Jeremy Clarke of New- 
port, all original settlers of Rhode Island. 

In early life Doctor Turner attended the academy of East 
■Greenwich, now the Methodist Seminary. When abont twelve 
years of age, in April, 1828, he removed with his parents to 
Portsmouth, R. I. Five years later, his parents removed to 
Newport, at which time (1833) he commenced the study 
of medicine in the office of his uncle and father, Doctors 
William and James Y. Turner, who were then associated in 
practice. He later went to Philadelphia, where he graduated 
in medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, in March, 
1836. After his graduation he went to Indiana, where he 
spent about a year. On the decease of his uncle, Doctor 
William Turner, he entered upon the practice of his profes- 
sion with his father, which partnership continued until the 
death of the latter, in October, 1863, since which time he 
has prosecuted his profession in the same place. For four 
years Doctor Turner was vice-president and for two years pres- 
ident of the Rhode Island Medical Society. He is secretary of 
the Rhode Island Society of Cincinnati, which position he has 
held for ten years. From November, 1862, to June, 1805, he 
served in the U. S. army as acting assistant surgeon, being at- 
tached to headquarters of the Fifteenth U. S. infantry at Fort 
Adams. For nineteen years he was a member of the school 
committee of Newport. He has been a director of the Redwood 
library for nearly forty years, and for two years (1884 to 1886) 
its president. He represented Newport in the state legislature 
irom May, 1848, to May, 18.'5U. He has been for several years 



132 HISTORY OK NEWPOirr COUNTY. 

vice-president of tlie jN'ewport Histotical Society, is a member 
of the board of liealtli of ]S'e\vi)orr and chairman of the state 
board of health. In 1881 Doctor Turner was appointed by Gov- 
ernor Littletield of Rliode Island on the committee to assist 
the governor in entertaining the delegation from France to the 
Yorktown celebration. The delegation were the guests of the 
state in October, 1881. Ln 1853 he was elected city physician 
of Newport, which office he still holds. Doctor Turner is much 
interested in the history of his native state, and amid his pro- 
fessional and other duties he has found time to gratify his lit- 
erary tastes. He has delivered before the Rhode Island His- 
torical Society and the Newport Historical Society many lec- 
tures, among which those on "the Greenes of Warwick," 
" Jeremy Clarke's family " and "William Coddington," have 
been published. In matters of genealogy and history he is 
considered an "authority," and much of his spare time is oc- 
cupied in assisting numerous historical students both at home 
and abroad who are constantly asking his aid. He was married 
July 18th, 1844, to Ann Eliza, daughter of Joseph G. and Sarah 
D. Stevens. They have had six children, of whom two sons 
and a daughter are living. 

Doctor Peter Thatcher Wales, son of Rev. Atherton and Mary 
(Niles) Wales, was born at Marshfield, Mass., August 3d, 1745. 
He married Lydia, daughter of Rouse Potter of Portsmouth, 
R.I., and died in May, 1809, aged 64 years, in Portsmouth, where 
his active life had been passed in the successful practice of 
medicine. His residence was on the Glen road, a short distance 
from the East Main road, near the Union meeting house, in 
Portsmouth. His wife, Lydia (Potter) Wales, died in April, 
1803, aged .54 years. They had several children, and some of 
their descendants are still living in Rhode Island. 

Doctor Edmund Thomas Waring, son uf Thomas Wai'ing, a 
planter of South Carolina, was born at Charleston, S. C, De- 
cember 25th, 1779 His early education was received at George- 
town, S. C, under (he instruction of the Rev. William Stough- 
ton, a Baptist minister, then living there, but afterward of 
Philadelphia. He then came to Rhode Island, and was a 
private pupil of Doctor Jonathan Maxcy, president of Rhode 
Island College. He entered college but did not graduate ; 
without completing his college course, he entered the office of 
Doctor Isaac Senter as a student of medicine. On the comple- 



IIIST()I:Y of N'KUI'OUT COUNTY. 133 

tit)n of his studies he settled in Newport, wliere lie was one of 
the most proniineiit physicians nntil witiiin a few months of his 
death, when he joined iiis children in South Carolina, where he 
died, January 1st, 1835. He was cotemporary with Doctors 
David King and William Turner, wlio commenced business in 
Newport about 1800, and all died within three years, 1834-7. 
Doctor Waring was a well equipped physician and surgeon, and 
was very much beloved and respected. He was a high-toned 
gentleman, and of a peculiarly amiable temper and gentle ad- 
dress. Mr. Channing says, "He never lost a friend or made an 
enemy." His wife was Freelove Sophia, daughter of Hon. 
Francis Malbone, member of congress from Kliode Island, who 
died on the steps of the capitol, at Washington. Docloi' War- 
ing was an original member of the Rhode Island Medical So- 
ciety, and was second vi(re-])resident from 1831 to 1834, when 
disability precluded his promotion. 

Doctor Benjamin Waterhouse, son of Timothy and Hannah 
(Proud) Waterhouse, and grandson of Timothy and Kuth 
Waterhouse, of Portsmouth, N. H., was born in Newport, 
March 4th, 1754, and died at his residence at Cambridge, Mass., 
October 2d, 1846. Having prosecuted his medical studies under 
Doctor Haliburton, at Newport, he visited Europe, and was a 
student in the office of his relative, the celebrated Doctor Foth- 
ergill, of London. He went to Edinburgh and Leyden, and was 
a graduate at the latter place. In 1783, having been for several 
years a practitioner in Newport, he was offered the professorsliip 
of theory and practice at Cambridge, and from that time was 
identified with Caml)ridge and Boston. He retained this pro- 
fessorship for nearly thirty years, during part of that time de- 
livering lectures on natural history in tlie (•ollege. His style 
and delivery were much admired. Tie was also professor of 
botanj' in Brown University. In 1812, having long previou.sly 
been surgeon of the marine hospital inCharlestown, he was ap- 
pointed director-general of all the hospital jiorts in New Eng- 
land. This appointment he held for many yeai-s, to 1820. He 
was a voluminous writer on medical, .scientific and political sub- 
jects, and published quite a number of books, besides contribut- 
ing largely to magazines and newspapers. His father's house 
was on south side, Liberty square, Newport. 

Doctor John A. Wadsworth practised medicine in Ports- 
month, R. I., for a few year.s, l)elween 1820 and 1828, and mar- 



134 HisTOHY OF np:\vport county. 

ried, October 2(JI, 1822, Elizabeth, dang'bter of Benjamin and 
Sarah (Chase) Mott. Al'ter leaving Portsmouth he establislied 
a druggist's business in North Main street, Providence, where 
he was well known for many years after. 

Doctor Daniel Watson, son of Robert Watson of Jamestown, 
was born in that town, April 13th, 1801. His education he ob- 
tained chiefly at P'lainfield Academy, Connecticut, and after- 
ward entered the office of Doctor Charles Eldredge of East 
Greenwich, as a student of medicine. Subsequently he con- 
tinued his studies in Newport, in the office of Doctor William 
Turner of the United States army. He attended lectures at the 
University of Pennsylvania, and graduated there in the spring 
of 1834. During his residence in Philadelphia he was a private 
jnipil of Doctor Chapman, then professor of theory and jjractice 
in the university. After his graduation he went to East Green- 
wich, and soon after, March 1st, 1824, married Sarah G. C, 
daughter of Captain Perry G. and Pi'iscilla (Cook) Arnold of 
East Greenwich, who survived him for several years. They had 
eleven children, of whom five sons and two daughters are still 
living. After remaining at East Greenwich for a year or two 
Doctor Watson removed to Little Rest, now known as Kingston 
hill, in South Kingstown. Here he remained until he removed to 
Newport, about 1834, practising his profession and giving a 
good deal of attention to politics, for which he always retained 
a strong penchant. At his coming to Newport he occupied the 
house so remarkable in its Iraditional association with the med- 
ical profession, at the corner of Thames street and the ijarade, 
and which had lately been vacated l)y the decease of Doctor 
Benjamin AV. Case. In 1836 he purchased and removed to tlie 
house formerly the Mawdsley house, at the corner of Spring and 
John streets, where he died and where his family still reside. 
His death occurred May 17th, 1871, in the 71st year of his age. 
He still retained his political tendencies after he came to New- 
port, and was several times a representative in the general as- 
sembly. In his professional relations he was a most exemplary 
and judicious man, and very tenacious of old-fashioned ideas 
of professional etiquette. He was a great favorite with his em- 
ployers, and very diligent in his attentions to his patients, and 
never more sought after than immediately before his fatal at- 
tack which preceded his death by about three months. During 
his active life in Newport he had the whole practice on the is- 



IIISTOKY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 135 

land of Cunanicut, with very rare exceptions, as liad Doctor 
William Turner for thirty years previously. 

Doctor William Arf^^yle Watson, son of Doctor Daniel and 
Sarah (Arnold) Watson, of Newport, was born at Kingston, 
R. I. At a very early age he came, with liis father's family, to 
Newport, where he acquired his early ediicalion, and having 
studied with his father, he graduated in medicine at the Uni- 
versity of Pennsylvania. For a number of years he was a resi- 
dent and practitioner at Newport. At the commencement of 
the war, he entered the service of the United States as a naval 
surgeon, and performed much and very valuable and creditable 
service, chiefly in the Gulf of Mexico. His health suffered very 
material impairment in the service from the consequences of 
wliich he is still suffering. After the war, he made his resi- 
dence in the city of New York, where he is well and favorably 
known, and enjoys a large practice. Doctor Watson is a bach- 
elor. He passes a few months in ever^^ year at his father's 
homestead in Newport. 

Doctor Richard M. Webber, who iiad been for several years 
a promising young practitioner at Tiverton, R. I., died at the 
Stone Bridge, in that town, in the early part of 1828, of 
Phthisis. 

Doctor John E. Weeden, son of Wager and Sarah (Hull) 
Weeden, (}f South Kingstown, R. I., studied medicine with 
Doctor William Turner of Newport about 1830-3, graduated at 
the Univei'sity of Pennsylvania, and settled in Bristol, R. I. 
In 1836 he removed to AVesterly, R. I., where he practised lif- 
teen years, when he retired from professional work, ami applied 
himself to manufacturing ])iirsuits. He is still a resident of 
that town. Doctor Weeden married Eliza, only daughter of 
Judge Amos Cross, of Westerly. 

Doctor Samuel West, Jr. (see town of Tiverton). 

Doctor William Lamont Wheeler was born at ^fansville, 
New York, and graduated at McGill College, Montreal, Canada. 
He studied medicine in the city of New York, where he re- 
ceived his medical degree. He took honors at the Opthalmic 
College, and studied at Partish's School of Pharmacy. He was 
connected with Belleviie Hospital for three years, and held a 
post at the small pox hospital at Blackwell's island. Early in 
the war Doctor Wheeler was appointed an assistant surgeon in 
the navy, and was at Newport when the naval school was thei <•. 



VSQ HISTORY OF NEWPORT COL'XTY. 

temporarily. He was severe!}^ wounded at Fort Sumter, and 
had a jirominent scar on liis forehead thereafter. He settled, 
after leaving the service, at Ithaca, N. Y., and practised there 
for several years. About 1872, he married Miss Hester Gracie, 
daughter of Hon. William Beach Lawrence and settled in New- 
port, where he practised, excepting a year spent abroad, until 
his death, October 15th, 1887. He had no children. 

Doctor Gfeorge F. S. White, son of William and Cynthia 
White, was born in Westport, Mass., August 6th, 1818. He at- 
tended the Middleborough, Mass., academy, and afterward 
taught school for several years. He then prosecuted the study 
of medicine in the office of James H. Handy, M. D., and re- 
ceived the degree of M. D., at Berkshire Medical College, at 
Pittsfield, having also attended lectures at the College of Phy- 
sicians and Surgeons, at New York. At the age of twenty six. 
Doctor White married Mary Corey, of AVestport Point, and at 
about the same time began the practice of medicine at West- 
port, removing, however, soon after, to Adamsville, in Little 
Compton, R. I., where he continued to practice until his de- 
cease, which occurred on the 5th day of May, 1881, at Adams- 
ville, having been in practice 37 years. Doctor White was, for 
several years, a useful member of the school committee. " He 
was a man of warm and sympathetic na'ture, and was greatly 
esteemed by a large circle of friends. He had an extensive i)rac- 
tice and rode a large circuit for nearly forty years, yet he did 
not lay aside his medical books, nor lose his zeal in his chosen 
profession." 

Doctor Thomas Wilbour was born in Little Compton, R. I., 
in 1718. It is not known where he was educated. He married 
Edith Woodman in Little Compton, in 1740, and practised 
medicine in that town until 1760, when he removed to Hopkin- 
ton, R. I. In 1770 he married a second wife and had a son 
William born in 1771, who also became a physician and contin- 
ued practice in the same held as his father. Doctor William 
Wilboui', who had three sons who were physicians ; Thomas 
and Amos practised in Fall River, Mass., and William, in 
Westerly, R. I. This second William had a son, John, who 
now practises in Westerly. 

Doctor Norbert Felicien Vigneron, or Wigneron, a native of 
France, Province of Artois, Diocese of Arras, Parish of la 
Ventie, was born and baptized June 2d, 1660. He was a son of 



TITSTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 137 

Antoine and Marie Tlierese (nee De Beanssart) Vigneron. He 
liarl several brotliers and sisters. Tiie date of liis arrival in 
America is not known, nor of his advent at Newport. He 
married, at the age of 40 years (1704), Susanna, daughter of 
John and Joanna Pierce, and had four children. He was 
in Newport probably early in the eighteenth century. Doctor 
William Turner, of Newark, N. J., who was born in 1710, 
grandfather of Doctors William and J. V. Turner, having 
been a student in his office as early as 1730. He had a 
very high reputation as a physician and surgeon. His resi- 
dence was the house northeast corner of Marlborough and 
Farewell streets, Newport, lately occupied by Capt. Gilbert 
Chase, now by William E. Dennis. Doctor Vigneron was 
the great-grandfather of Commodore William Vigneron Tay- 
lor, who was sailing master of the "Lawrence" at Lake Erie, 
commissioned for gallantry in that action, and great-great- 
grandfather of Admiral William Rogers Taylor, U. S.N. By 
a singular coincidence, the same house, Doctor Vigneron' s, 
in which his grandfather had studied medicine, was occupied 
by Doctor James V. Turner in 1834-35-36, and in it his seventh 
son, Doctor Francis L. Turner, also a physician, was born. 

Doctor Charles Antoine Vigneron, eldest son of Norbert Feli- 
cien, was born in Newport in 1717, and succeeded to his father's 
profession and field of practice. He married, at the age of 21 
years (1738), Hannah, daugliter of Jonathan and Mary Irish, of 
Little Compton, R. I., tiien Massachusetts, and died at New 
York November 10th, 1772. They had eleven children. In 
October, 1772, Doctor Vigneron went to New York, and was 
inoculated for smallpox, of which he died November 10th fol- 
lowing, and was buried in St. Paul's churchyard. The New 
York Gazette and WeeUy Re<iister of November 16th. 1772, 
says, in an obituary notice: " In the medical and chirurgical 
arts, which he professed and practised for many years, he shone 
with superior lustre." 

Doctor Stephen Vigneron, a younger son of Doctor Noi-bert 
Felicien, was surgeon of a ship, probably a colonial letter of 
marque, commanded by Captain Bennitland, in the old French 
war, and she never was heard fiom after leaving port. He had 
previously served at Cape Breton, and was at the fall of Louis- 
burg. 

Doctor Stephen Vigneron, son of Doctor C. Antoine, and 



138 HISTORY OF XEWPOUT COUNTY. 

grandson of Doctor X. F. Vigneron, was born at Newport Nov- 
ember 25th, 1748. He succeeded his father in j^ractising sur- 
gery and medicine at Newport. He was in active service in the 
revolution, on the patriot side, and his record, according to 
Bartlett's R. I. Colonial Records, is as follows: "In January, 
1776, inspector of saltpetre; in February, 1776, surgeon's mate, 2d 
regiment Colony's brigade, vice Ebenezer Richardson; in Octo- 
ber, 1776, chosen sui-geon Col. Cook's regiment; in November, 
1776, chosen surgeon of all the forces, to be stationed on Rhode 
Island; in December, 1776, chosen surgeon Col. Tallman's regi- 
ment; in June, 1778, chosen surgeon Col. Topham's regiment; 
in February, 1779, chosen surgeon Col. To2)ham's 2d battalion 
of infantry." When the British occuiaied Newport he escaped 
on horsel^ack, leaving his books and instruments, which were 
confiscated. He died of typhus on board the " Jersey" prison 
ship, at New York, August 24th, 1781, aged 33 years. 

Doctor Thomas Weston Wood, son of Horatio G. and Mary 
(Weston) Wood, was born at Middleborough, Mass., July 26th, 
1818, graduated A.B. at Brown University in 1840. He received 
his diploma from New York State Medical Society, June 14th, 
1844, having previously pursued a course of medical studies 
with Doctor Needham, of Pawtu.xet, R. I. He commenced prac- 
tice, which he continued only a few years, as a botanic physi- 
cian, in Newport. In 1857 lie was elected clerk of the county 
of Newport, for the court of common pleas and supreme court, 
and was incumbent of the same places for tliirty years, and 
performed his duties to the entiie satisfaction of the public un- 
til May, 1887. Doctor Wood is very liiglily esteemed as a citi- 
zen and as a man. He is a prominent member of the United 
Congregational church, and for many years its secretary. 

Doctor Aaron C. Wylley was born in or near Lyme, on the 
Connecticut river, in 1776, and died at New Shoreham, R. I., 
March 27th, 1826. His father was also named Aaron. Doctor 
Wylley married, first, Joanna, daughter of Edward Hull, Esq., 
and sister of the wife of Doctor George Hazard, of South Kings- 
town, and sister, also, of Mrs. Wager Weeden, of Jamestown 
and South Kingstown, and had two daughters. After her death 
he married a Miss Dodge, of New Shoreham, and had one son 
and several daughtei's. Doctor Wylley was esteemed as a man 
of great acquirements and decided genius. He wrote and pub- 
lished an article on the yellow fever at Block Island, wliich was 



IIISI'OIIY OF NinVPOIiT COUNTY. 139 

highly thought of, and later an account of the Palatine light, 
which attracted nuich attention and discussion. He was the 
only medical practitioner on Block Island for thirty years, and 
had the unlimited confidence of the population. He was jias- 
sionately fond of the study of the natural sciences, and had a 
high reputation for proficiency in that department of knowledge. 
He was an intimate friend of Doctor William Turner, of New- 
port, and was highly appreciated by him. On his gravestone, 
the conclusion of a long and eulogistic epitaph is: " There were 
but few who have been more generally useful, who were pos- 
sessed of more good qualities, or who have by their acts con- 
ferred greater blessings on their fellow men." 



CHAPTER III. 



THE FOUNDERS OF NEWPORT. 



By John Austin Stevens. 



The Settlement of Aquidneck or Rhode Island. — ^William Coddington. — Nicholas 
Easton.— John Coggeshall. — William Brenton. — John Clarke. — Jeremy 
Clarke. — Thomas Hazard. — Henry Bull. — William Dyre. — Samuel Gorton. 



SIXTEEN YEARS had hardly passed since the landing of 
the Pilgrims on Plymouth Rock (December 11th, 1620), 
exiles, as they styled themselves, for conscience' sake, before 
Roger Williams, banished from the communion of Salem so- 
ciety, found a resting place on Slate rock and began the set- 
tlement to which he gave the name of Providence. On his ar- 
rival in the waters of this beautiful region he was warmly re- 
<'eived by Massasoit, the powerful sachem who welcomed the 
Pilgrims on their first arrival, and whom Williams had already 
met in a friendly way at Plymouth. Results of inlinite conse- 
quence to the New England colonies sprung from the meeting 
of these two men. It was in June, 1636, that Williams, with 
his four comjianions and a young lad, began his plantation on 
lands granted to him by Canonicus and Miantonomi, sachems of 
the Narragansetts, whose sway extended over all this region. 
Early in the spring of the next year (1637-8) a band of exiles, 
likewise seeking peace and that freedom of conscience which 
the saints of Massachusetts only permitted under limitations, 
visited Providence. They were led by John Clarke and Wil- 
liam Coddington. Their original intention was to settle further 
to the southwai'd, on the Atlantic coast, but attracted by the 
genial climate, the independence of the situation, weary, per- 
haps, of wandering, they, after some exploration, in which they 
were aided and accompanied by Williams in person, selected 
the island of Aquidneck (Rhode Island). On their return to 
Providence a body politic was entered into by agreement. 
The first settlement on the island was begun at Pocasset, at 



IHSTOKY OK XKWPOKT COUNTY. 141 

the cove on the northeast part of the island. The colony seems 
to have increased rapidly, as a second settlement was projected 
in the following spi'ing. The record reads : 

" Pocasset on the 28 of the 2(1 10:59. It is agreed— By us 
whose hands are underwritten to propagate a plantation in the 
midst of the island or elsewhere ; and doe engage ourselves to 
bear equal charges answerable (o oui' strength and estates in 
common ; and that our determinations shall be by major voice 
of judge and elders ; the Judge to have a double voicf'. Present 
William Coddington Judge ; Niciiolas Easton, John Coggeshall, 
William Bi'enton, Elders : John Clarke, Jeremy Clarke, Thomas 
Hazard, Henry Bull, William Byre, CJlerk.'' 

"On the 16th of the 8d It was agreed and ordered that the 
Plantation now begun at this south west end of the island shall 
be called Newport ; and that all the lands lying Northward and 
eastward from the said towne toward Pocasset for the space of 
live miles and so cross from sea to sea with all the lands south- 
ward and westward bounded by the maine sea together with 
the small islands and the grass of Cunnunneqott is appointed for 
the accommodation of ye said towne. It was also ordered that 
the Towne be built upon both sides of the spring and by the 
sea-side southward." 

The town was no doubt named after Newport, the capital of 
the Isle of Wight, which the island of Aquidneck greatly re- 
sembles in its situation and climate. The founders of the new 
settlement, being the most important of the colony, carried with 
them to Newport the records of the Pocasset settlement, which, 
on the first of tlie fifth montti. in:-}!), changed the name f)f their 
town to Portsmouth, after the English seaport of tiiat name. 
Newport and Portsmouth, England, are in ilie same county of 
nami)shire ; and, like their American namesakes, sister towns. 

The records of the 1st of the 8th month, 1039, give the names 
of fifty-nine persons admitted by the general consent of the com- 
pany " to be Inhabitants of the island now called Aquednecke 
having submitted themselves to the (iovernment that is or shall 
be established according to the word of (rod therein," and the 
record following gives the names of fifty-two inhabitants ad- 
mitted at the '"Towne of Nieu-Port since the 2(Jth of the 3d 
1638." This seems to have been preliminary to a joint gov- 
ernment of the two towns, Newport and Portsmouth, as the 
next record bears the caption, "By the Body Polilicke in the 



142 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

He of Aquethnec Inhabiting this present 25th of 9tli month 
1639 In the fourteenth yeare of ye Raign of our Sovereign King 
Charles It is agreed that as natural subjects to our Prince and 
subject CO his lawes all matters that concerne the Peace shall be 
by those that are officers of the Peace Transacted ; and that all 
actions of the case or debt shall be in such Courts as by order 
are here appointed and by such Judges as are deputed ; Heard 
and legally determined — given at Newport on the Quarter Court 
Day which was adjourned till ye Day 

"William Dybe Secretary" 
At this meeting Mr. Easton and Mr. John Clarke were " de- 
sired to inform Mr. Vane of the state of things here and desire 
him to treate aboute the obtaining a Patent of the Island 
from his Majestie." Governor Vane was now in England, 
where he had been made a member of parliament. Up to this 
time each of the towns had its own local government of judge 
and elders. Now general quarter courts were held, and on the 
6th of March, 1640, a general assembly, which received the 
report of a committee, consisting of Nicholas Easton, John 
Clarke and William Dyre, appointed to lay out the lands " pro- 
portioned forth " by the judge and elders, together with a map 
and schedule. The schedule was entered on the records. The 
names of the proprietors were : William Coddington, John 
Coggeshall, William Brenton, Nicholas Easton, William Dyre, 
John Clarke, Jeremy Clarke, William Foster, George Gardner, 
Robert Stanton and Robert Field. It was ordered at this time 
that all the sea banks were free for fishing to the town of New- 
port. At a general court of election, held on the 12th of the 
1st month, 1640, a number of persons presenting themselves and 
desiring to be re united to the body were " readily embraced by 
them." These, without doubt, were those of the original com- 
pany, who had remained behind at Pocasset, at the time of the 
second settlement, at the southern end of the island. A num- 
ber of others were received as freemen, and it was also agreed 
that " if there shall be any person found meet for the service 
of the same in either plantation (Newport or Portsmouth) if 
there be no just exception against him upon his orderly pre- 
sentation he shall be received as a freeman thereof." It was 
then ordered that the chief magistrate of the island -'shall be 
called Governour and the next Deputy Governor, and the rest 
of the Magistrates Assistants." 



lirSTOIJY OI' NEWPOIIT COUNTY. 143 

An election was tlieii held, when Mr. William Coddington 
was chosen governor for the year ; Mr.WiJiiain Brenton, depnty 
governor ; Nicholas Easton, John Coggeshall, William Hutch- 
inson and John Porter, assistants ; Robert Jeoffreys and Wil- 
liam Balstoii, treasurers ; William Dyre, secretary ; Jeremy 
Clarke, constable of Newport, and Mr. Sanford, constable of 
Portsmouth; Henry Bull, sergeant attendant. At this session 
the change of name of the Pocasset settlement to Portsmouth 
was confirmed. 

At the general court held at Newport May 6th, 1640, partic- 
ular courts were ordered to be holden on the first Tuesday of 
each month ; one court at Newport, the other at Portsmouth. 
The government of Aquidneck was now definitely constituted. 
The right which the body politic held or asserted over their 
members is shown by the disfranchisement of four at the court 
of sessions, March 16, 104], when their names were "cancelled 
out of ye roll.'" On the 19th of the same month the form of 
engagement of the officers was agreed to be in these ivords : "To 
the E.xecution of this office I hereby judge myself bound be- 
fore God to walk faithfully and this I profess in ve presence of 
God." 

The necessity of bringing under one government the several 
local governments of Narragaiisett baj' was early perceived, and 
Roger Williams was for some j^ears engaged in England in se- 
curing a patent for the colony. This charter of incorporation, 
as it is described in the instrument, included the inhal)itants of 
the towns of Providence, Portsmouth and Newport, under the 
name of the " Incorporation of Providence Plantations in the 
Narragansett Bay in New Englaiul." It was granted in the 
name of King Charles the First in 1643, by " Robert, Earl of 
"NVarwick, Governor in chief and Lord High Admiral of the 
American Plantations ;" and his associate conimissioners. At 
the general court of election held at Newport March 13th, 
1644, it was "ordered that the Island commonly called Aquid- 
neck shall be from henceforth called the Isle of Rhodes, or 
Rhode Island." There is a blank in the records from this date 
until the meeting of May, 1647, when the general court "agreed 
that all should set their hands to an engagement to the 
charter." 

It was now settled that the councils of Newport and Ports- 
mouth were to agree as to their courts of justice, the "sea 



144 iiiSTOiiY OF XEWP(^irr county. 

Lawes " were to govern seamen on the island, and Newport was 
to take into their custody tlie trading house or houses of Nar- 
ragansett bay. A body of laws was established, and the old 
declaration that the form of government was demooratical, 
" that is to say a Government held by the free and voluntary 
consent of all or the greater part of the free inhabitants,'" was 
re-affirmed. 

The want of precision in the geographical limitation of the 
new government in the charter instrument allowed, if it did 
not encourage, endless dispute and bickerings, not only with tln' 
neighboring governments of Massachusetts bay, Plymouth and 
Connecticut, but also among the towns of the Rhode Island 
plantations. These came to a crisis in 1649, when the struggle 
in England between the kiuii- and his parliament was drawing 
to its fatal close. At the May election, in 1(348, Mr. William 
Coddington was elected pre.sident, but on the meeting of the 
general court bills of complaint were made against him, the 
nature of which is not specified (the pages containing them 
having been later cut from the records and given to Coddington), 
but to which he made no answer and was in consequence sus- 
pended from the office. 

In January, 1649, Coddington went to England. On his ar- 
rival he found Cromwell's government in full sway. In August, 
1651, Coddington returned with a commission from the par- 
liament to govern the islands of Rhode Island and Conanicut 
with a council of six men to be named by the people and ap- 
proved by himself; the commission to run for his life. This was 
considered to have vacated the previous charter, and President 
Easton, with the island towns of Portsmeuth and Newport, 
withdrew from the geneial government. Providence and War- 
wick despatched Roger Williams and certain citizens of the 
island also sent over John Clarke to recover their charter. This 
they succeeded in doing on the restoration of Charles the 
Second. This instrument, more precise in its terms and more 
liberal in its principle, was signed by the king on the 8th of 
July, 1663, and remained the fundamental law of the colony 
until the adoption of the present constitution of the state of 
Rhode Island in 1842. Only a summary is here presented; the 
details of these various fragments of local history appear in the 
following sketches of Coddington, Clarke and Gorton. 



IIISIollV OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 145 

WiLL[AM CoDDiNGTON.— We are not informed as to the place 
of hirtli of this, the first of the founders of the Aquidneck or 
Rhode [shuid (•oh)ny and its first judge or chief magistrate. 
There is his own written authority for the statement that he was 
"one of tliose Lincolnshire gentlemen so called, that denied the 
roj'al loan and suffered for it in the time of Charles I." In this 
he no doubt refers to the forced subsidies which the king at- 
temi)ted, in 1G26, to levy from his subjects under the cover of 
loans to remedy the deficiencj^ of parliamentary supplies. 
These were assessed upon the individual directly by commis- 
sioners under secret instructions and in an inquisitorial man- 
ner. Such a method of levj- had its single precedent in a 
similar arbitrary act of Henry YIII., and was in contravention 
of English ideas of the liberty of the subject and an express 
article of the great charter. It was for resistance to this pro- 
ceeding that five gentlemen, among whom was Sir Edmond 
Hambden, were brought to ti'ial before the king's bench, and 
many others throughout the kingdom refusing these loans 
were by warrant of the council thrown into prison. That Cod- 
ington was a man of fortune there is no doubt, as he is fonnd 
in the early days of the Massachusetts colony the owner of a 
hirgH tract of land in Braintree, wlilch then embraced not 
only Braintree but the present towns of Quincy and Randolph. 
His mansion al.so was the first brick dwelling house built in 
Boston, and held to be the finest in tlie town. 

When in 1G30 the patentees of the Massachusetts Land Com- 
pany transferred the government and the charter of "London's 
Plantations in Massachusetts Bay in New England" to Mas.sa- 
chusetts Bay, John \Vinthrop was sent out as its governor, and 
with him a board of assistants, of whom Coddington was one. 
These officers were appointed in England, but in 1(532 the free- 
men of the colony took the right of election to themselves. 
Winthrop was continuously re-elected governor and Codding- 
ton to the board of assistants until 1635, when Henry Vane 
arrived from England and soon after was elected to Winthrop's 
place. Coddington, whose views were more in accord with the 
liberal views of Vane than the narrow views of Winthrop. 
continued in his oflSce of assistant. He was later appointed 
treasurer of the colony. At this time the Antinomian con- 
troversy was at its height. The views of Anne Hutchinson, 
eloquently declared frrun the i)ulpit by lier brother-in-law, 

10 



146 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

Wheelwright, were embraced by the liberal Boston partj% 
amon<T whom were Governor Vane and Coddington; on the 
other side the country towns led by Winthrop. As was natural 
in a community the government of which was founded on a 
theocratic form, the religious controversy soon turned into a 
struggle for political control. The next election was held in 
the Newtown (Cambridge) common, and resulted (May 17th, 
1637) in the choice of Winthrop and the defeat of Vane and 
his assistants, of whom Coddington was one. The next day 
Boston elected Vane and Coddington and a third, of the same 
opinion, delegates to the general court. The court refused to 
receive them on the plea of informality. The next day they 
were re-elected and took their seats. Meanwhile Wheelwright 
had been brought before the general court (March, 1637,) to 
answer for a sermon preached by him on January Fast Day, 
and condemned guilty of sedition and contempt, sentence being 
deferred until the meeting of the next court. The governor 
protested against the judgment of the court without avail, and 
a petition of the Boston church justifying the sermon was re- 
jected by the court as a "seditious libel." 

Thus it happened that on the first session of the newly 
elected general court, to which Vane and Coddington were depu- 
ties for Boston, the condemned minister was brought up for 
sentence but again respited. Now the church people took up 
the subject in earnest, and in session at Newtown condemned 
■' eighty-two erroneous opinions." Thus foitified by the judg- 
ment of the ministers, the dominant party at the general court, 
in which Boston was represented by AVilliam Aspinwall, John 
Coggeshall and Coddington, again re-elected as thii-d deputy, 
took a further step and dealt in a sumraarj' way with the Bos- 
ton church petition whi(;h had been i^ronounced a seditious 
libel on the court. Aspinwall and Coggeshall, botli deacons of 
the Boston church, were dismissed the court; the one for hav- 
ing signed, the other for defending the remonstrance. Cod- 
dington, under direct instructions, moved the rej^eal of the 
alien law (which, aimed at the Antinomians, forbid, under 
penalty, the haiboring of any emigrant for more than three 
weeks without leave of the magistrates) and a reversal of the 
condemnation of Wheelwright. The answer of the court to this 
motion was the issue of a summons to Wheelwright to appear 
for sentence the same day. He was sentenced to banishment 



HISTOKY OF NKWI'OKT COUNTY. 147 

and fo leave the jurisdiction within fourteen days under pen- 
alty of imprisonment. Coggeshall and Aspinwall were then 
called in turn. Tiie one was disrrnncliised and ordered to keep 
the peace, the otlier disfranchisetl and banished. 

It will be observed tliat these sentences were graduated to 
the offenses and given against them as deacons of the seditious 
church. Coddington, as an instructed deputy, was ai)parently 
beyond their reach. Anne Hutchinson was next brought into 
court, and making her own defense claimed "inward revela- 
tion" and inspiration. She was sentenced to banisiiment and 
handed over to the marshall. These proceedings were followed 
by a proscription of seventy-five of the heretical offenders in the 
several towns of the colony and an order to surrender up their 
arms and ammunition unless they would " acknowledge their 
sin in subscribing the seditious libel." The justification by 
Governor Winthrop of the judgment of the court was sufficient 
notice to the liberal minded that tiieir only safety was in volun- 
tary withdrawal from the intolerant community. Coddington 
was not included in the act of proscription of November. 
Whether because of his high position, his personal influence or 
his wealth, the general court in all its proceedings seems to have 
had a consideration for him which it did not e.xtend to his fel- 
lows; but proscription was not needed to determine him to 
follow the fortunes of his friends, and those of their way of 
thinking who had "determined fo remove for peace sake and 
to enjoy the freedom of their consciences." The original jiro- 
posal of removal came from John Clarke, who was "recpiested 
witii some others to seek out a place." Whether Coddington 
accompanied Clarke to New Hampshire, to whicii place he first 
went in his search for a proper i:)lace for settlement, cannot now 
be ascertained, but it seems more probable that he did not join 
the emigrating party until they left their vessel on their return 
and crossed the country to Narragansett bay in the seandi for a 
warmer climate. 

There is some negative evidence to show that Coddington wns 
not of the original party. In his testimony given at Boston in 
1652, relative to the purchase of the island of Rhode Island, he 
says : " Whereas there was an agreement of eighteen persons to 
make purcliase of some place to the soutliward for a plantation 
Avhither they resolved to remove ; for which end some of them 
were sent out to view a place for themselves and such others as 



148 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COITNTy. 

they should take into the libertie of freemen and purchasers 
with them. And upon their view purchased Rhode Island." 
And again in testimony at Newport in 1677 he says that "de- 
ponent (Coddington himself) went from Boston to tind a plan- 
tation to settle upon and came to Aquedneck." 

Nor are we informed as to whether he was one of the two per- 
sons who accompanied Clarke and Roger Williams to Plymouth 
to enquire as to the jurisdiction in which Sowams lay, which 
they had looked upon for a settlement. If it be permitted to 
hazard an opinion it seems probable that Coddington did not 
join the party until after the visit of Williams and Clarke to 
Plymouth. He was under no proscription and free in his 
movements. 

As Coddington was a merchant it is probable tliat the choice 
of Aquidneck island in the heart of the great bay, and the later 
removal of the settlement to its south end, where lay the broad 
roadsted and safe land-locked harbor, were determined by his 
judgment. It seems also that he was the money patron of the 
enterprise. The deed of purchase of Aquidneck by Canonicus 
and Miantonomi is made unto "Mr. Coddington and his friends 
united unto him" and this title runs through all the codicils, 
receipts and explanatory memoranda. 

Nor if we give full credence to the testimony of Coddington 
in 1677 already alluded to, and made in his seventy-sixth year, 
do we find any need of special assistance from Roger Williams 
in this treaty for the purchase of the island. The influence of 
Williams was paramount with Ousamequin (Massasoit) within 
whose Wampanoag domain Sowams lay, a tract brought under 
the jurisdiction of the Plymouth government by Massasoit's 
treaty of submission ; but Coddington had equal claim to the 
good will of the Narragansett chiefs. He says in his testimony 
that when " he (Coddington) was one of the magistrates of the 
Massachusetts colony he was one of the persons that made a 
peace with Canonicus and Miantonomy in the colon3''s behalf of 
all the Nai'ragansett Indians and by order of the authority of 
the Massachusetts a little before they made war with the 
Pequot Indians." This was in October, 1636, when Miantono- 
mi and two sons of Canonicus visited Governor Vane of Boston 
and were received with militarj'- state. And Coddington further 
says that he first applied to Wonnuraetonomey, sachem of the 
Aquidneck to buj^ the land but was referred, by him to Canoni- 



HISTORY OK NEWl'Oirr COUXTY. 149 

cus and Miantonomi, the chief sachems. These p(jints are in- 
sisted upon that the independent character of the Aquidneck 
settlement may appear in its proper light, and that to the form of 
government set up and tlie modes of administration adopted on 
Rhode Island itself, the growth as a community, the success as 
a body politic and its territorial independence, the colony and 
the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations is largely, 
indeed chiefly due. Tliese are general considerations. For the 
services of Coddington examination must be made of the rec- 
ords themselves. And first it may be here said that the title to 
Rhode Island and the small neighboring islands in the bay and 
to the privileges in other islands and on the main land pur- 
chased or obtained of the sachems, lay in the hands of Codding- 
ton from 1637 to 1652, when he engaged to deliver the deeds 
and declared that he had no more in the purchase of right than 
any of the eighteen purchasers. 

The name of William Coddington stands at the head of the 
agreement of incorporation into a body politic entered into at 
Providence on the seventh day of the tirst month, 1638. The 
records appear as of Portsmouth, but Arnold says it was signed 
at Providence, and that Roger Williams was a witness. Up to 
this time Coddington had not been placed under tlie ban by 
Massachusetts but March 12th, five days after the signature of 
the compact at Providence, Coddington and ten of his compan- 
ions, with their families, were banished by the general court. 
Excommunication had already been pronounced by the church 
authorities. It does not appear that the voluntary exile of Cod- 
dington, Coggeshall and their friends had anything to do with 
this decree. They were heretics and this was enough. 

The record of this first meeting of the freemen incorporate 
closes with Coddington's solemn covenant to do justice and 
judgment impartially according to the laws, lie being called to 
be a " Judge amongst tliem." To him, as to the rest, was al- 
lotted a house lot of six acres, and in addition, apparently as a 
gratuity, ten acres of ploughing ground. In tiie same year 
three elders were chosen to share the government with the 
judge and to account for their actions and rules once every 
quarter of the j-ear. In the agreement made at Pocasset, which 
was the origin of the Newport plantation, Coddington was made 
the judge and granted a double voice in the government, which 
was to be by major voice of the judge and three elders. In ad- 



150 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

dition to the house allotment of four acres he was also granted 
six acres for an orchard. Tliis was tiie second orchard in Rhode 
Island. The first was planted by William Blackstone in 1635. 

In 1640 the town of Newport became the seat of government 
for the island, and William Coddington was chosen governor, 
and held the office until 1647, when the government of Provi- 
dencff Plantations was re-organized under the charter granted 
in 1648 by Charles I., the office of governor was abolished, and 
that of president set up in its place. John Coggeshall was 
chosen president, and Coddington assistant for the town of 
Newport. The next year he was (diosen president of the colony. 
And now there occurred a difference in the colony of which no 
satisfactory explanation has yet been made. Mr. Coddington 
was not present at the election, nor is there any means of know- 
ing from the records themselves whether there were any meet- 
ings of the assemblj^ in the year that transpired, or if there were 
such, whether Coddington sat as assistant for Newj^ort. It 
cannot, therefore, be decided whether or not he took offense at 
being set aside for Coggeshall at the first election, under the 
charter of the year befoi-e. Arnold states that there was Jealousy 
in Portsmouth of the other three towns, and that the town 
clerk of Portsmouth was ordered to inform Newport of their 
intention to meet separately. Roger Williams wrote to Provi- 
dence that the island was distracted by two parties, l)ut he does 
not mention the cause of disagreement. 

At the very meeting at which Coggesliall was elected presi- 
dent Coddington was suspended, and with him Mr. William 
Bonlston, one of the three assistants. He was one of the early 
friends of Coddington, and proscribed with him in the decree 
of the Massachusetts government. Divers bills of comiilaint 
were exhibited against Coddington, and it was ordered that if 
the president-elect be found guilty, or being cleared of the 
charges, refuse the place, or if lie refuse to give his engagement 
to the next session of the court, then the assistant for Newport, 
Mr. JererayClarke, shall be inserted in his place. Mr. Coddington 
did not attend the court to clear himself of the accusations, 
and Jeremy Clarke was installed at the next meeting. 

The following January, 1649, Mr. Coddington sailed with his 
daughter for England. The preceding May William Dyre, the 
clerk of the assembly, biought a suit against Mr. Coddington, 
but whether in his official capacity or as a i)rivate individual, 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. ]51 

does not appear on the records, nor yet liow it was decided. 
That there was a faction in the colony against Governor Cod- 
dington is certain from the account of tlie dissensions given to 
John Winthrop by Roger Williams at the time, and there is 
the sameanthoiity for knowing that Jeremy Clarke was at its 
head. That a matter of fundamental principle lay at the bot- 
tom of it is not doubtful from the character of the parties. It 
has been found, and not without reason, in Coddington's hos- 
tility to the union of the governments of Rhode Island, l)efore 
independent, to those of Warwick and Providence. The origi- 
nal purpose of the settlement was expressed by John Clarke in 
his interview with the Plymouth authorities, as to whether 
Aquidneck lay within their jurisdiction, " to be clear of all and 
be of ourselves." They were not then, nor were they better 
satisfied by later experience with the governments, either of 
Massachusetts or of Providence ; as a recent authority happily 
puts it, " Law was found in Massachusetts, but not liberty ; in 
Providence there was the warmest love of liberty, but to a great 
extent an absence of law." 

Tiiough their early application for an independent charter for 
the island had come to naught and was not renewed, they still 
desired to maintain their autonomy. The weight of authority 
is that these were Coddington's views. It has been said that 
before his departure for England Coddington "betrayed an 
agitated and alienated state of mind." Certain it is that he was 
chosen president without his consent, and was unwilling to 
take office under the charter. That his neglect or refusal dis- 
concerted the faction led by Jeremy Clarke is evident from the 
immediate introduction into the assembly of the concealed 
bombshells of complaint, which would probably have never ex- 
ploded had Coddington willingly surrendered his opinions and 
accepted the office. Arnold has no liesitation in assigning the 
cause of the dispute to a fundamental difference of political 
oi)inions. "Coddington," he says, " was a royalist, and was 
about attempting to withdraw the island from the otiier towns, 
and to unite it to Plymouth. Clarke and Easton (the moder- 
ator of the asseml)ly at the election referred to) were republi- 
cans and leaders of the dominant ])artyon the i.sland." That the 
shape which the dissensions took was political is sufiiciently 
clear, but there must have been a deeper ground for the passion 
shown on both sides. 



152 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

It is always safe in the seai-ch for the causes of movements in 
the history of New England, and indeed in the history of all 
times and countries, to look at the religious side. The Antino- 
raian doctrine had taken firm hold of the Rhode Island colony. 
Coddington had drank deep at the original source, the ]n-each- 
ing of Wheelwright and the teachings of Anne Hutchinson. 
Indeed, it may be here said that the failure of Wheelwright to 
take the charge of their church was a disappointment for which 
even the preachings of Anne Hutchinson, who came to Newport 
upon her banishment and stayed awhile, did not compensate. 
There were many, and among these Coddington and Coggeshali, 
who held to the belief that men must look to the revelation of 
an inner light which was to be followed, rather than the Scrip- 
tural word. Mr. John Clarke strenuously opposed this ad- 
vanced view, and the result was a schism in 1641, in the Baptist 
church. Roger Williams, with whom Coddington was ever on 
terms of friendship, inclined from the beginning to this opinion. 
Callender doubts whether Williams ever joined with the Baptist 
church at Providence only so far as "to hold them to be nearest 
the Scripture rule and true primitive practice as to the mode 
and the subject of baptism. But that lie himself waited for 
new Apostles."' Those holding these views were termed Seekers, 
and later joined the Society of Friends or Quakers, whose 
great ai:>ostle, George Fox, began to expound in the j^ear 1644. 
Coddington joined this society, the members of which 
thirty years later controlled the government of the colony. 
Roger Williams, however, never recognized Fox as an apostle. 
He was his own apostle. But this is a digression, the purpose 
of which is merely to suggest a motive for acts not as yet suf- 
ficiently explained. 

If Coddington were a royalist, as Arnold declares, his going 
to England with a political purpose would seem to have been a 
supreme folly. The submission of Charles to the parliament 
was already known in the colonie.s, and although the fatal end 
was not foreseen there was no ground for any hope from royal 
favor. In fact the estates of the royalists were under seques- 
tration throughout the kingdom. While Coddington was toss- 
ing on the seas the great tragedy was l)eing enacted, and when 
he arrived royalty was at an end, the commonwealth of England 
pi'oclaimed and the government in the stern hand of Cromwell. 
For two vears Coddington waited a hearing. Cromwell had 



IlIsrOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. liy'S 

other work on lii.s hands in the supi)ie.ssioii of the risings in 
Scotland and Irekmd, and of the desperate efforts of Prince 
Charles "By what representations," says Arnold, "or 
throngh what influence he [Coddiiigton | succeeded in virtuallj'' 
undoing the acts of the long parliament in favor of Rhode Is- 
land we can never know." (Vitainly it was not by proclaiming 
royalist sympathies. 

However this may be Coddington received from the council 
of state a commission to govern the islands of Rhode Island and 
Conanicut for life with a council of six to be named by the peo- 
ple and approved by himself. On his return to Newport in 
August, Easton, the president of the pruvince of Pi'ovidence 
Plantations, deserted his office. Newport and Portsmouth sub- 
mitted to the new order of government but a number of the fac- 
tion opposed to Coddington, and no doubt others who found it 
not the " Democracie or popular government" they had de- 
clared it to be when Coddington was tlieir governor in 1G41, de- 
spatched John Clarke to England to obtain a revocation of the 
commission, while Providence and Warwick sent over Roger 
Williams to secure similar privilege for themselves, in confir- 
mation of the charter of 1643. Of course Coddington did not at- 
tempt to exercise any authority outside of his jurisdiction and 
matters moved along quietly enough, though the situation was 
embarassing. In September, 1652, a letter from Roger Wil- 
liams announced that the council authorized the colony to con- 
tinue under the charter for the present, and in October an order 
of council was issued directing the towns to unite again under 
the charter, an order which William Dyre was but too happy 
to bring home. But thu order did not bring peace ; the main- 
land and the islands each claiming superiority and each con- 
vening a general assembly. That which met at Newport de 
manded the statute book and book of records from Coddington, 
l)ut the sturdy gentleman replied to tlie messengers that he 
would " advise with his counsel and give an answer, for he dare 
not lay down his commission nor hath he seen anything to show 
tliat his commission is annulled." 

Not till the return of Roger Williams in 1654 was the reunion 
of the colony effected. At the general court held at Warwick 
he was chosen president. But it was not until 1656 that the 
hatchet was finally l)uried. Coddington was elected commis- 
sioner foi' Newport to the court of that year, held at Warwick. 



154 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Opposition was made to his taking his place and he put on rec- 
ord his formal submission in these words: "I, William Cod- 
dington, doe hereby submit to ye authoritie of his Highness in 
this colony as it is now united and that with all my heart." 
Clarke, the agent in England, was requested to withdraw the 
complaints made against him, and certain records which miglu 
seem prejudicial to him and others were ordered to be cut from 
the books and delivered to Mr. Coddington. The presentments 
standing against him on the island book of records were not to 
be prosecuted but the fine imposed for not delivering up the 
book of records was not to be returned, and complaint having 
been made that the Indians had guns like those Coddington 
brought over from England, he was requested to account for the 
disi^osal of his. 

In 1658 he appears with Benedict Arnold as a purchaser of 
Dutch Island. In 1663 it is pleasant to find the old gentleman, 
who seems through thick and thin to have held the confidence 
of the government as well as of the people, the first named of 
the committee to assess upon the towns of Conanicut island the 
rate they should pay toward the one hundred pounds voted for 
supplies to John Clarke, the agent of the colony in London ; to 
whom Coddington cliiefiy owed the loss of his life estate in the 
office of governor of the isles. 

In 1665 Coddington, having openly joined the Quakers, sent 
a paper on their behalf to tiie royal commissioners, Carr, Cart- 
wright and Maverick, who were sent over to settle all troubles 
in the reorganized colonial government, to which they at once 
sent answer to the governor with instructions that it be com- 
municated to the Quakers in the presence of the assembly. This 
was done verbally to Coddington and a copy of five proposals 
commended by the commissioners to the colonj' was handed to 
him for their consideration and observance. In 1605 and 1666 
Coddington again served as assistant, in 1673 as deputy, and 
from 1674 to 1676 as governor. He was succeeded by Arnold 
who died in office in June, 1678, at the beginning of his term. 
At an adjourned session of the assembly held in August, Cod- 
dington was appointed to fill the vacancy. When this body 
met in October Coddington also was on his death bed. He died 
on the 1st of November, 1778, in the 78th year of his age. Mrs. 
Ann Coddington, his widow, as was usual, delivered up tlie 



IIISIOIIY OF NKWrOKT COUNTY. 155 

charter and other wi'itiiigs belonging;- to the cohMiy to the com- 
mittee of the assembly apiioiiited to receive them. 

Thus ohjsed, as it had begun, tlie long and useful life of this, 
the father of the Rhode Island colony. He came to the island 
the first magistrate of a little settlement, small in numbers but 
great in purpose. He was constantly employed in its service 
and he left it the governor of a strong and prosperous colony. 
The town of Newport was especially indebted to him. His sa- 
gacity foresaw the possibilities for an extensive commerce and 
establishing himself the first mercantile business, he led the way 
in its development. He was interred in the Coddington burial 
place, which he bequeatlied to the Society of Friends, in Fare- 
well street. The freemen of Newport in 1836, mindful of the 
memorable services of this, their founder, repaired the monu- 
ment at the head of his gi'ave. Governor Coddington's house 
was on the north side of Marlborough street fronting Duke 
street. 

Nicholas Easton sailed from Southampton, England, with 
his two sons, Peter and John, in March, 16B4, and arrived in 
New England in May following. This body of colonists'first 
went to Ipswich, where they sjjent the summer and succeeding 
winter. In 1635 they removed to Newburj^ where Easton built 
the round house for the colony that year. According to Win- 
throp, Easton was by trade a tanner, bn t he is said to have been the 
" architect of the Newbury round house." He was no doubt one 
of those believers in the new doctrine of the Antinoniiaiis and 
followers of Wheelwright and Anne Hutchinson, as he was one of 
those disarmed in November, 1686, for refusing to disavow the se- 
ditious opinions, yet probalily not aggressive in tiieir expression, 
as he was allowed to remain in the Massachusetts colony. On 
the 12th of March he was ordered to leave the jurisdiction, but 
he was not one of those banished with Coddington by the decree 
of that court. In the beginning of 1638 the little party again 
removed to Hampton. 

Nicholas Easton' s name does not appear among Lho.se of the 
subscribing incorporators at Providence on the 7th of March, 
1638, nor yet do the records make mention of his appearance in 
the colony, but on the distribution of lands on the 20th of Nay, 
at Portsmouth, he was granted six acres of land with the rest. 
He was not admitted a freeman of the town until the 20th of 
August. He appears first at the meeting of the 23d of the same 



156 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

month. His practical character is shown by the grant to him 
on the " 16th of the 9th month, 16B8, of sufficient accommoda- 
tion for four cows and planting ground as they shall think 
meet, all of which is for the setting up of a water mill, which 
the said Mr. Esson hath undertaken to build for the necessary 
use and good of the plantation; and further * * * he shall 
have full liberty to fall and carry away any such timber as 
shall be of necessary use for the present building of the 
mill." 

Mr. Easton was one of the nine incorporators of Newport, 
and the consideration in which he was held is shown by his 
selection as the tirst of the three elders, to whom, with the 
judge, the government of affairs was confided. He was also 
one of the eleven original proprietors. There is a record that 
the family moved to the new lands and landed at and lodged 
upon Coasters' Harbor island, the last night of April, 1639, and 
the next morning gave the name of Coasters' Harbor to that 
island, and crossed over to Newport, where they erected the 
the first English house in Farewell street, near what is now 
the northwest corner of the Quaker meeting house lot. 
This house, built about six months after Easton's coming, was 
destroyed by fire in 1641, the flames taking from an Indian fire 
in the woods near by. 

In the early winter of 1639 Mr. Kasroii was requested with 
Mr. John Chirke to write to Sir Henry Vane to solicit his in- 
fluence with the king for a charter for the island settlement. 
It is interesting as showing the strict holding to the letter 
of the law of the early settlers, that at the meeting of the 
quarter court in December, 1639, the first act was to fine 
Mr. Easton, their chief elder, for attending without his weapon 
as ordered by the laws agreed upon. In 1640, on the abolition 
of thfi office of eldei', he was chosen first of the assistants. 
Dropped in 1641, he was again cimsen in 1642. Arnold, the 
historian, in his division of jiarties, classes Coddington as a 
royalist and " Clarke and Easton republicans and leaders of the 
dominant party on the island." In 1648 he was moderator of 
the assembly at which the Coddington trouble began. In 1650 
he was chosen moderator for the day and at the same session 
president of the colony; but on Coddington's return with his 
commission as governor he, as appears by the act of the general 
sessicms of the committee at Providence, "deserted his t)ffice 



HISTOKY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 157 

and with the townes of Newport and Portsmouth declined" 
from the old established order, by which it seems that he sub- 
mitted to Coddington's authority. It was for the sake of i)eace 
and order no doubt, for at the May, 1654, session of the general 
assembly he was named first moderator and again chosen presi- 
dent of the colony, which was still torn by dissensions. In 1660 
he was again commissioner for Newport and moderator of the 
general court. 

Nicholas Easton was one of the assistants appointed in 1653 
with Willian Dyre and John Sanford, to look to the state's 
share in the prizes made in the war with the Dutch, the settle- 
ment of the accounts for which was a matter of lengthy litiga 
tion. Prom the proceedings taken by the court of commis- 
sioners in 1658 it seems that the sum of money committed to 
Easton" s care in 1652-8, and which appertained to the use of 
his highness the lord protector of the commonwealth of Eng- 
land, was considerable. The matter was finally disposed of by 
a court of commissioners. In 1605 and 1666 he was again 
deputy, and dui-ing the latter term was appointed with Gov- 
ernor Arnold to consider the delicate sul)ject of the manner of 
engaging allegiance to the crown as public servants, anything 
in the form of an oath being apparently objectionable, although 
it is difficult with our modern light to detect anything -more 
than a solemn promise, save only that the penalty was that 
of ])eriury. In May, 1666, he was again cho.sen deputy gov- 
ernor, and continuously re-elected until 1672, when he was 
raised to the dignity of governor of the colony, holding the 
office until 1675, when he was succeeded by William Codding- 
ton. In this year (1675) he died at the age of S3. 

Nicholas Easton married for his second wife Ann Clayton, to 
whom he gave by deed the land known as Easton' s point, 
which then comprised 65 acres of land. In the first division 
of land among the proprietors of Newport, to Nicholas Easton 
and his sons were assigned all the land on the east side of Fare- 
well street and between that and Broadway; and tlie Easton's 
l^oint farm was given to the father. 

John Coggeshall, fourth on the list of signers of the Aquid- 
neck compact of 1638, was in reality iie.xt in importance to the 
fathers of the settlement, William Coddington and John Clarke; 
William Hutchinson, Jr., the third whose name appears on the 
agreement, playing a small part in public matters. Mr. Cog- 



]."")8 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

geshall was also one of the nine founders of the town of New- 
port. 

John Coggeshall was English born, and came to Boston in 
1G30, with John Winthrop and William Coddington, when these 
gentlemen, with others, were sent out by the London Company 
to reorganize their government of tlie Massa(;hnsptts plantation. 
He was, like fheni, a man of wealth, and began business in Bos- 
ton as a merchant. He joined the congregation of the Boston 
church, and was one of its deacons. He was a member of the 
tirst board of selectmen of Boston. In 1634, having in his 
church membership the necessary qualification precedent, he 
was admitted a freeman of Boston, and chosen to represent the 
town in the court of deputies, and again chosen in 1635 and 
1636. It was in this latter yeai-, while thus engaged, that the 
Antinomian controversy was brought judicially before the 
court. 

The Reverend Doctor Wheelwright, the expounder of the new 
doctrine of tlie "covenant of grace," and that " the person of 
the Holy Ghost and a believer were united,'' preached a sermon 
on the January, 1636, Fast daj', in which he expressed these 
heresies. Summoned to answer before the court, he was pro- 
nounced guilt}' of sedition and contempt. At the meeting of 
the court in 1637, a i:)etition was presented from the Boston 
church in behalf of Wheelwright, who had drawn a large part 
of their membership, including Vane, the late governor, and 
William Coddington, into active sympathy with himself and 
his faith. This earnest petition was declared a "seditious 
libel" by the court. William Aspinwall, deacon of the Boston 
church, and one of the signers of the petition, was dismissed 
the court, and a few days later disfranchised and banished. 
John Coggeshall, also a deacon, but not a signer, defending the 
petition, was also disuiissed and disfranchised, and ordered to 
keep the jieace on pain of banishment. This was enough for a 
man of Coggeshall's sturdy character, and he was ready to join 
the little band who, immediately after these proceedings, began 
their scheme of a settlement outside of the limits of the ty- 
rannical jurisdiction of Massachusetts. Of him, as of Cod- 
dington, it is not possible to say whether' he accompanied or 
followed John Clarke into New Hampshire in the winter of 
1637-8. It is not iiriprobable, however, as he was one of those 
persons from whom arms and ammunition were taken away un- 



IIISTOliY OF NKWI'OKT COUNTY. 159 

der the November ordi;i' of tlie court. He was also one of tlie 
ten and the next named in order after Coddington, who, with 
their families, were formallj^ banished by decree of the general 
rourt in March, 10:^8. 

He signed the original compact at Providence, was present at 
the first meeting of the Aquidneck settlers at Pocasset, and sub- 
scribed to the agreement to found the second settlement at New- 
port. At Portsmouth lie was granted the usual allotment of six 
acres of land, was one of those entrusted with laying out a lot 
for the meeting house in the neck, of which it may be here said 
that there are doubts whether the building was for civil or re- 
ligious purposes — perhaps for both combined — and with the 
general allotment for the town ; and he was also chosen one of 
two treasurers for the company, William Hutchinson being the 
other. When the Portsmouth town chose three elders to assist; 
the judge, as their cliief magistrate was then called, in the 
execution of justice and judgment, Coggeshall was the second 
named. In the agreement for government of the Newport 
plantation the judge and elders of Portsmouth are named with- 
out change of persons. He is the second named (Coddington 
being the first) in the record of the lands allotted to the eleven 
l^roprietors of Newport. That apportioned to him consisted of 
three hundred acres on tlie neck, about one and a half miles from 
the present state house. 

In 1640, on the organization of a general government for 
Aquidneck the office of elder was done away with or rather 
changed in title to that of assistant. Mr. Coggeshall was one 
of those chosen, and was annually re elected till 1644. In that 
year, on the organization of a military (;ompany for Newport, 
he was the first named of the corporals chosen by the general 
court to the command. When in May, 1647, the general court 
met at Portsmouth to set their hands to an engagement to the 
new chartei-, received from the Earl of Warwick, governor in 
chief of the American colonies, John Coggeshall was chosen 
moderator of the assembly, and by the same body first j^resident 
of the province of the Providence Plantations, a high post, and 
increased in honor bj' the election among the four assistants for 
the four towns of the colony of Roger Williams for Providence, 
and William Coddington for Newport. Mr. Coggeshall did not 
long enjoy his new dignity. He died in office on the 27th of 
November, 1647, aged about fifty-six. Such is the inscription 



160 mSTOKY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 

on the tombstone in the Coggeshall buiiul place on Coggeshall 
neck. 

William Bkknton was not one of the signers of the Provi- 
dence compact for the Aquidneck settlement, but was admitted 
freeman of their society, togetlier with Nicholas Easton, at 
Portsmouth, on the 20th of August, 1038, and bis name appears 
as present at the meeting of the 23d of that month. On the 
establishment of thegovernment of the settlement he was chosen 
one of the elders to assist the Judge. 

William Brenton was one of the nine subscribers to tlie 
agreement at Pocasset, April 28th, 1639, to "propagate a plant- 
ation " at Newport, and one of the elders governing the same, 
and one of those original proprietors to whom the grant of 
lands was recorded, March 10th, 1640. Notwithstanding this 
he seems to have remained for a time at Portsmouth, where 
lie was also granted land in 1644, and was in August of that 
year appointed to view the deer which Massasoit had per- 
mission to kill on the island and bring to Portsmouth. The 
appointing of town meetings was also entrusted to him and 
another. In 1640, the form of government being changed, Mr. 
Brenton was chosen dei:)uty governor, and again in 1641 and 
1642. 

What part Mr. Brenton took in the Coddington troubles is 
not shown in the records, but he is known to have sided with 
him in his views of the Shawomet. purchase, and the dangers 
threatened by Gorton's action in that town, which some have 
held to have been the real cause of Coddington's dissatisfaction. 

In 1655, on the roll of the freemen of the four towns, his 
name appears as in the Portsmouth list. In 1659, however, he 
was of Newport, for in that year he was appointed one of the 
committee of this town to draw up the letters to the commis- 
sioners of the united colony and the general court of Massa- 
chusetts, in reference to the purchase of lands in the Rhode 
Island colony, contrary to law, by the Massachusetts people ; 
and further to cor-respond with .John Clarke, the colony's agent 
in London, on the subject. In 1660 he was chosen president 
of the colony, and in the same year sat as commissioner for the 
town of Providence, and later in the year for Portsmouth. In 
1661 he was a moderator of the assembly, and at the same 
meeting re-elected president, and again this year appears as 
commissioner for Newport, and again in 1662 as next or vice- 



HISTORY OF NKWI'OUT COUXTY. 161 

president, Benedict Arnold being chosen president. He was 
also engaged in the raising and receiving of moneys for the 
supply of Mr. Clarke in ijoiulon, and the correspondence ap- 
pears (1662) to have been managed by him. He seems to have 
protested against the acquisition of Westerly by Vaughan, 
Coggeshall, Cranston and others, but for what reasons there is 
now no means of ascertaining. 

In 1663 he was again elected deputy governor, and with 
Arnold, governor, addressed Endicott, tlie governor of Massa- 
chusetts, with a view to tlie "speedy extirpating the root or 
stem of discontent being or growing between these two colo- 
nies;'" and the next year the same officers complained to the 
governor of Connecticut of outrages committed by people 
of their jurisdiction on the west side of Pawcatnck, "alias 
Narragansett river." The same year he was named with Roger 
Williams and others to meet agents of the colony of New 
Plymouth at Rehoboth, or at Newport, and attempt to settle 
the boundary lines with that colony also. This meeting was 
held at Rehoboth the following February. Small as the terri- 
tory of Rhode Island was their neighbors were constantly en- 
gaged in efforts to diminish it. In 1665 he was again deputy 
governor, and in 1666 chosen governor of the colony and con- 
tinued in office until 1609, when he was succeeded by Benedict 
Arnold. During his term he endeavored to secure from the 
king's commissioners, Colonel Nicliols, Carr and Maverick, a 
settlement of the long standing dispute about the intrusions in 
the Warwick settlement. Mr. Brenton now withdrew perma- 
nent!}' from public life. In 1072 he was again elected governor, 
but though urged to accept the position and give his engage- 
ment he, both by word of mouth and letter, absolutely refused, 
and Nicholas Easton was ciioseu in iiis place. Mr. Brenton was 
then at Taunton on a visit. 

John Clarke. — In his history of tlie Baptist denomination 
in America Benedict says : " Where Mr. Clarke was born is not 
certainly known. In some of his old papers he is styled 'John 
Clark of London physician;' but tradition makes him a native 
of Bedfordshire." Of later years it has been assumed that " h^ 
was born in London, England, on the Sth day of October, 1609." 
Nor is it known where he was educated or where he studied 
physic. It is certain, however, that he was learned in the 
ancient languages. In his will he gives to his "dear friend 
11 



J62 HISTOHY OF NEWPOHT COUNT?. 

Richard Bailey his Hebrew and Greek books;'' also •' my con- 
cordance with a Lexicon to it belonging, written by myself, 
being the frnit of several years study." 

We find it nowhere stated at what time or by what vessel he 
arrived in the Massachusetts bay, nor when nor where he was 
ordained as a preacher if at all; nor yet to what communion or 
order of the church he belonged. Tradition says that " he was 
a preacher before he left Boston, but that he became a liaptist 
after his settlement on Rhode Island by means of Roger Wil- 
liams." If we rightly understand the meaning of Mr. Callen- 
ders inference (Historical Discourse, 1638) Clarke was not an 
ordained clergyman. He and his followers had depended on 
the coming of Doctor Wheelwright, the banished minister of 
Braintree, but he disappointed them, choosing to go to Long 
Island, from Piscataqua, his first refuge after liis exile. " Mr. 
Clarke, who was a man of letters, carried on a publick worship 
(as did Mr. Brenton at Plymouth) at the first coming till they 
procured Mr. Lenthal of Plymouth, who was admitted a free- 
man here August 6, 1640." So far Callender. 

William Brewster, at the first coming of the Pilgrims after the 
expulsion of their minister, Tyford, had, although a layman, 
led them in their religious duties as " teaching Elder." Brew- 
ster also was a scholar, a graduate from the University of Cam- 
bridge, England, and like John Clarke quite comi;)etent to his 
task. And further Callender with his usual caution reports as 
of tradition: " It is said that in 1644 Mr. John Clarke and some 
others formed a church on the scheme and ])rinciples of the 
Baptists." Benedict goes farther and says that John Clark, 
M. D., was the "founder of this church and also its first 
minister. He took care of them at their settlement and con- 
tinued their minister till his death." 

Although it would be hardly just to say that John Clarke, 
the pioneer Baptist statesman, as he has been enthusiastically 
named in our day, was the controlling spirit of the colony, the 
first steps of which he undoubtedly guided, he certainly divided 
the superior influence with William Coddington, to whom as 
trained in law and exercised in civil administration the first 
settlers looked for counsel, choosing him for their first judge 
or chief magistrate. The name of John Clarke stands next to 
that of Coddington among the signatures of the incorporators 
of Portsmouth and first after the elders in the agreement nuide 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COHXTY. 163 

at Pocasset for the plantation of Newport. The records of the 
coh)ny are a complete testimony to the nature, the extent and 
importance of his services. His good Judgment and ready i)en 
fitted him for a variety of service invaluable in a young settle- 
ment. He surveyed the lands, arranged the highways and 
made disposal of the farms. In 1639 he was requested to in- 
terest Governor Vane for the obtaining of a patent for the 
island from the king, and the next year was one of the com- 
mittee on the same subject. In 1648 he was appointed one of 
the six commissioners for Newport to the general court. In 
1649 he was chosen general assistant for the town and again in 
1650; in 1649 also he was chosen general treasurer of the colony. 

In 1650, when it seems to have been uncertain whether Roger 
Williams would go to England on the business of the colony, 
John Clarke was nominated as one of the two persons to go in 
his stead. In the year 1651 there was committed under the au- 
thority of the Massachusetts government one of the greatest of 
the many outrages that stain the records of that intolerant 
colony. In May John Clarke, tiien the pastor of the first Bap- 
tist church in Newport, and Obadiah Holmes who had lately 
helped to found a church of the same order at Seekonk (and 
presented therefor by the grand jury at the general court of 
Plymouth in the jurisdiction of wliich Seekonk lay, had taken 
refuge at Newport), were deputed by the Newport church to 
visit, in company with John Crandall, an aged member of the 
Seekonk church, who lived near Lynn and had requested to be 
called upon. While Clarke was preaching there on Saturday to 
the inmates of the house and later at tiie church, the three were 
arrested as "erroneous persons l)eiiig strangers," silenced at 
the church by a magistrate, and the next day, after exconiuiuni- 
cation, sent to Boston for trial. They were there chargeil by 
Governor Endicott with being xVuabaptists. Clarke denied that 
he was "either an anabaptist, a pedobaptist or a catabaptist,. 
and affirmed though he had baptized many he had never rebap- 
tized any for that infant baptism was a nullity." The others 
agreeing in this, they were then and there fined, in default of 
which " to be well whipped." 

Refusing to pay the fine they were sent to prison. Clarke in 
a letter challenged the court to a discussion of the doctrine for 
which he was condemned. The magistrates named a day but 
before it arrived Clarke was dischargad, some person unknown 



164 HISTORY OF NEWPOJIT COUNTY. 

to him having paid his fine of twenty pounds. He renewed the 
challenge hoping to meet the Puritan Cotton, to discuss with 
him the principles of Baptist faith, voluntary baptism, and in- 
dividual responsibility ; the theologic points on which Massa- 
chusetts and Rhode Island were at variance. The debate never 
took place. Holmes not paying his fine of twenty pounds, was 
brutally Hogged. Crandall was let free on the jailer's surety. 
An old man who had come from Seekonk to visit Holmes in 
prison was arrested for shaking hands with him after the whip- 
ping and sentenced to be fined or whipped. It seems that dis- 
cretion tempered the valor of Endicott and his crew, and tliat 
while they hesitated to do violence to Clarke they laid the full 
measure of their hate and spite on the back of Holmes, who was 
within the Plymouth jurisdiction. 

On his return to Newport after this outrage Mr. Clarke re 
ceived a fresh instance of the perfect confidence of the colony 
in his skill and judgment. Governor Coddington had just re- 
turned from England where he had obtained a commission as 
governor of Rhode Island and Conanicut for life ; a virtual dis- 
memberment of the colony. Alarmed at this proceeding, a large 
number of the important citizens of Portsmouth and Newport 
selected Doctor Clarke to jiroceed to England as their agent and 
secure a repeal of the governor's commission. He sailed from 
Boston with Roger Williams but the objects of their missions 
were different and wholly independent of each other. Once in 
England the colony found Clarke enough to do, and with what 
satisfaction to them appears by the votes of the general court 
of commissioners held at Newport November 24th, 1663. This 
was on the occasion of the reading of John Clarke, the colony's 
agent's letter to the president, assistants and freemen of the 
colony, which accomijanied the box containing the king's letters 
of patent under the broad seal. It was thereupon voted that 
Mr. Clarke be saved harmless in his estate, all his disbursement 
for his voyage going and when he should return and his ex- 
penses abroad, be repaid and discharged by the colony, and 
further, " that in consideration of Mr. John Clarke's aforesayd 
his great paynes labours and travail with much faithfulness ex- 
ercised for twelve years in behalf of tliis colony the thanks 
of the colony be sent unto him by the governor" and deputy 
governor, and for a gratuity unto him the sum of one hundred 
pounds sterling. 



HISTORY OF NKWrORT COUNTY. 165 

In this long period he had been constantly engaged. He pro- 
cured and sent powder and ball to the colony. He was charged 
in 1658 with letters to his highness, Oliver Cromwell. Two 
years later he was commissioned " agent and attorney " by the 
general court. In 1662 he himself addressed two petitions to 
"High and Mighty King" Charles the Second setting forth in 
dutiful and honorable light the profound loyalty of his subjects 
of Rhode Island and their desire for a more "absolute, ample 
and free charter," of which they were sadly in need to shelter 
them from the encroachments of their greedy neighbors of the 
Massachiisetts and Connecticut colonies. The result of his di- 
plomacy, for such it was to get the better of the agents of these 
neighbors, was the charter of 1063 ; the gratitude of Rhode Is- 
land to the king and to their agent has been already shown. 

Clarke returned to N"ewport in the summer of 1664 and 
handed in his accounts, which were ordered to be paid. In Oc- 
tober he was again elected deputy for Newport and continuous- 
ly until 1668, being constantly employed in the most delicate 
matters of administration ; settlement of difficulties among the 
towns, treaties with the neighboring colonies, revision of the 
laws, arrangements for harbors and in a hundred ways demand- 
ing tact and discernment. He was chosen deputy governor in 
1671 and 1672 and again in 1673, but positively refused to serve. 
In 1670 he had been again appointed agent to England to pro- 
test against the intrusions of Connecticut and other colonies 
into the colony of Rhode Island and their infringement of her 
chartered rights, and in 1671 two hundred pounds in silver was 
voted for his supplies. Similai' resolutions were taken in 1672 
but delay proved the best policy, and the colony seeming to be 
in a hoj^eful way to compose the differences with Connecticut 
" in a loveing and peaceful manner," the votes were rescinded. 

Notwithstanding the many expressions of confidence and 
promises of money to Mr. Clarke, it aj^pears by the record 
that he had still an outstanding claim against the colony 
of £450 sterling, which the general assembly, "considering 
that the said Mr. Clark hath received alreadj' a great sum," 
seemed to consider an over weighty charge. A letter was 
ordered to be written to Mr. Clarke, and the answer to be 
reported to the next assembly. Nothing further appears on the 
record until October, 1676, when Mr. Clarke's executor pre- 
sented a paper demanding one hundred pounds, current money 



166 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

of England, as due to Mr. Clarke. The matter was referred to 
a coiniiiittee for inquiry, but tlie records are thereafter silent as 
to the final settlement. It is said that in order to meet his ex- 
penses to England he was obliged to mortgage his Newport 
estate. 

In justice to the Rhode Island authorities, however, it must 
be stated that they claimed that Mr. Clarke had made "show- 
ing that he liad occasions of his own to go to England which 
was not the Colony's business," and intimate that some of these 
expenses might be transgressions against the king or the laws 
of the colony. As to his business in London there is a curious 
intimation in the protest of the " pestilent people of Warwick" 
against the payment of the sum assessed upon them in 1664 for 
the agent's services. They say "Wee know that Mr. Clarke 
did publiquly exercise his ministry in the Word of God in 
London as his letters have made report, as that being a cheefe 
place for his profitte and preferment which we doubt not 
brought him in good means for his maintenance; as also he vvas 
much employed about modelizing of matters concerning the 
affairs of England as his letters have declared; in which noe 
doubt he was incouradged by men of noe small estates who in 
all licklyhood did communicate liberally unto him for such 
labors and studies."' 

Mr. Clarke's estate was appraised at the time of his death 
at £1080.125. To the Baptist church he left a lot of land 
in Tanner street, known as the Clarke burial ground. The re- 
mainder of his estate he left in perpetual trust, the income to 
be distributed for " the relief of the poor or the bringing up 
of children into learning." Mr. Clarke had three wives, but 
left no children. He died on the 20th of April, 1676, in the 67th 
year of his age. The only literary work he left behind him 
was his narrative entitled "111 News from New England," 
which was printed in London in 1652 and has since been re- 
printed by the Massachusetts Historical Society Coll., Series 4, 
Vol. 2. 

Jeremy Clarke. — The name of this one of the founders of 
Newport does not appear among those of the Aquidneck in- 
corporators at Providence. He was present at the meeting- 
January 2d, 1638-9, at Portsmouth, when the form of govern- 
ment was agreed upon. He was one of the nine subscribers to 
the agreement at Pocasset for th eNewport plantation. No rela- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 167 

tionship is known to have existed between tliis family and that 
of John Clarke, the fonnder. Nothing is known of the life of 
Jeremy Clarke in England nor is there (on the authority of 
Doctor Turner) any mention of a settlement by him in the 
Massachusetts or Plymouth Bay colonies to be found in their 
records, and in fact but meagre maleiials for any account of 
him whatever. He was evidently a man of consideration as he 
was named not only constable in 16;?9, but appointed to the 
l^lace of Mr. Jeoffrey, the treasurer of the Aquidneck Company 
during his absence among the Dutch that year. In 1640 he 
was again appointed constable and one of the three persons 
selected to lay out the Newport lands among the proprietors, 
of whom he was one. In 1G42 he was elected lieutenant and in 
1644 captain of the trains band; in 1047 he was chosen treasurer 
of the colony; again in 1648 both assistant and treasurer; and 
at the same election, Coddington having declined to qualify as 
governor, Jeremy Clarke, who is charged with having led the 
cabal against him, was by the court established governor in his 
place until Coddington should be cleared of the charges against 
him or another president; be elected or installed. 

Clarke is styled in the record of the assembly the " President 
Regent of the colony." His name last appears as witness to 
the deed of Misquamacock (Westerly) by Soclio, the Indian 
sachem of the Niantics, to William Vaughn and others in IGGl. 
He died in this year. He married Frances, daughter of Louis 
Latham and widow of Thomas Dongan. After Clarke's death 
she was married (for the third time) to the Reverend William 
Vaughn, the first pastor of the Second Baptist church in New- 
port. Walter Clarke, son of Jeremy, was later governor of 
the colony. 

Thomas Hazard.— Of the antecedents of this one of the nine 
founders of the town of Newport we know nothing. His name 
first appears as one of the subscribers at Pocasset. He was one 
of those appointed to lay out the lands within the circuit and 
bounds of the town after tlie rate and proportion of twenty 
cows' meat to a division of three hundred acres of upland. He 
does not ap2)ear to have served. lie was present at the general 
court of election in March, 1640, whicli established the govern- 
ment of the colony. In 1655, when the roll of the freemen of 
the colony in every town was taken, he appears at Portsmouth, 
after which there is no furiliiM' mention of him on the recorcN. 



1(38 HISTOHY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Hknuy Bull was either maimed or liad not yet learned the 
art of writing when tiie Providence compact for the Aquidneck 
settlement was signed, for he is recorded as affixing his mark. 
He first api^ears at the meeting at Portsmonth June 27th, 1638, 
and on the 24th of January, 1638-9, was chosen sergeant of the 
commonwealth. 

He was one of the nine sul)scribers to the Pocasset agreement 
to plant the town afterward named Newport, but neither at 
Portsmonth nor there does he appear as one of the landed pro- 
prietors. On the organization of the government he was again 
chosen sergeant, and in 1641 and 1642 again elected. He is 
styled sergeant attendant : he had now a companion in the office. 
The duties of the sergeants were in 1638 defined to be to attend 
all meetings of the judge and elders and to e.xecute the sen- 
tences of the court. In 1642 they were granted the fees al- 
lowed by order of law for arrests and summons. The laws es- 
tablished in 1647 included the office of general sergeant, and 
required that he should be "an able man of estate, for so ought 
a sheriff to be whose place he supplies." 

Mr. Bull was a commissioner for Newport at the court held 
at Providence in 1655, and in that year also one of the men 
chosen for his town to fix the rates on the towns for the build- 
ing of sufficient prisons in each. In 1657 he was a commissioner 
for Providence. In 1666 he was deputy for Newport, and again 
in 1673 and 1674 ; in 1680 and 1681. In 1685 William Codding- 
ton (second son of the old governor) was re elected governor, 
and declining to give the engagement to the office, Henry Bull 
was chosen in his place. James the Second liad just inherited 
the crown of England. In February, 1689-90, William and 
Mary coming to the tlirone, there was great confusion in the 
colony. Walter Clarke, the governor of Rhode Island, being 
re-elected and declining to act, Christopher Almy was elected ; 
but he also i-efusing to serve, Mr. Henry Bull was chosen by the 
assembly and engaged. Clarke refused to let the charter go 
unless the committee of the assembly should forcibly open the 
chest and take it. It was surrendered to Governor Bull two 
months later. 

In May, 1690, it was ordered by unanimous vole that Walter 
Clarke, the late governor, and all the officers of the colony in 
1686, at the coming over of Sir Edmund Andros, be confirmed 
and established in their respective places. The old charter was 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 169 

resumed. This was at a meeting of the general assembly at 
Newport, on the 1st of May, 1690, yet on the 6th of the same 
month Mr. Bull jiresided as governor at a meeting of the assem- 
bly, and on the 7th of May, at a second meeting, he acted as 
moderator, and was again elected governor, but probably re- 
fused to serve, as did Mr. John Coggeshall, next chosen ; where- 
upon Mr. John Easton was elected and engaged. What became 
of the reinstated officers the record does not inform us, nor yet 
Arnold in his history of Rhode Island. 

Henry Bull died in 1693, and was buried in the old Quaker 
cemetery on Farewell street, where there stands a square low 
pillar of granite, witli cornice and pediment, bearing the in- 
scription : "Here lyeth the body of Henry Bull. Esqr., late 
governor of this colony, who died January 23, 1693, aged 85." 

AYiLLiAJi Dyrk. one of the founders, and the first clerk of 
the Aquidneck company and colony, came to Boston from Eng- 
land about " 1627 or 1629." He married his cousin, Mary, who 
is described as a " person of no mean extract or parentage, of 
an estate pretty plentiful, of a comely stature and countenance, 
of a piercing knowledge in many things, of a wonderful sweet 
and pleasant discourse :" and no less an authority than John 
Winthrop describes her in his Journal of 1638 as a "very 
promp and fair woman of very proud spirit;" testimony 
which must be accepted, for these early Puritan fathers were 
good judges of the things of the flesh as well as of the spirit. 
William Dyre and Mary, his wife, united with the Boston 
church, of which the Reverend John Wilson was pastor, and 
the following March, 16.'^6, was admitted freeman of Boston. 
Like Coddington and Coggeshall, wlio were members of the .same- 
congregation, !Dyre was attracted by the preaching of Wheel- 
wright and the no less persuasive elocpience of Anne Hutchin- 
son, and warmly espoused the Antiuomian cause and signed 
the remonstance or petition to the general court against its con- 
demnation of Wheelright, and was one of those proscribed and 
disarmed by the decree of November, 1636, to use his own 
words, " because his hand was to the seditious writing and de- 
fended the same." 

Whether he was one of tiie little i)arty which Jolin Clarke 
led into the cold wilds of New Hampshire that autumn or early 
winter is not known. Mary Uyre, his wife, was not less earnest 
in her faith in the new doctrine, and lier devotion to Anne 



170 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Hutchinson. She must have remained in Boston as late as 
March, 1638, when her husband had already joined the expe- 
dition of Clarke and Coddington. The examination of Mrs. 
Hutchinson before the church and her defense of five examjiles 
selected from twenty-nine theses was had before the Boston 
church March 15th, 1638. When she was cast out of church 
Mrs. Dyre walked with her. This is Governor Wihthrop's own 
testimony. He adds that she was not afraid to "show her 
colors." William Dyre signed the original Aquidneck com- 
pact at Providence, and was at this, its first meeting, appointed 
clerk of the "Body Politicke," as they styled themselves. 
William Aspinwall was appointed secretary. 

Dyre appears as attending all the meetings at Pocasset, and 
also as clerk to the nine associates, of whom he was one, who 
made the second plantation at Newport. To this office of clerk 
he was continuously chosen until 1640, when he became secre- 
tary for the colony, and so continued till 1643, and no doubt 
till the new charter was received. For his services he was 
voted £19 in 1640 and also ten acres of land. In the records of 
the original grants of lands to the Newport settlers it appears 
that at that time he had given full satisfaction for seventy-five 
acres. This, with ten acres allowed by the town's order for 
travelling about the island, made eighty-seven acres, more or 
less. This land lies on the ba}', oj^posite Coaster's Harbor is- 
land, at what was then known as Coddington's corner, and since 
as Coddington's point. Here is still the old burial place of 
the Dyres. 

On the organization of the colony in 1647 under the first 
patent, A'V^illiam Dyre was chosen general recorder by the as- 
sembly, the first to fill that office. Notwithstanding this he was 
chosen clerk of the next assembly which met in May, 1648, and 
at which the Coddington troubles began. In those Dyre took 
an active part against the governor, with whom he was in con- 
stant quarrel. In 1648 he appears in the record in a suit against 
him. In 1654 he was very much troubled by Mr. Coddington's 
alleged infringement upon the highway which led to their farms. 
In 1667 Mr. Dyre's temper led him into trouble with the authoi'- 
ities. He had killed a mare belonging to Coddington, who ob- 
tained judgment against him. Dyre appealed to the general 
assembly which, however, sustained the verdict. But the royal 
commissioners being then engaged in the affairs of the colony, 



IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 171 

Dyre appealed to them. The commissioners referred the sub- 
ject back to the assembly and the execution of the judgment 
was stayed. Coddington thereupon denumded the service of 
the execution. But the assembly did not stop here. Dyre was 
summoned to appear before them and "make a recantation un- 
der liis hand of the wrongs he had done the colony " in his pe- 
tition. Dyre's humble recantation appears at length upon the 
records as well as the pardon of his offense. 

Coj^ies of the papers were sent to the commissioners. These 
gentlemen, however, had recommended that Dyre's petition, 
which was a complaint against the jury in the case, be consid- 
ered by the assembly. The assembly endeavored to persuade 
the parties to a composition but without success, and at the 
next session of the court they were referred to the processes of 
law for their relief. Mr. Coddington, however, insisted on the 
execution of the judgment and the court hnally issued the or- 
ders to the sergeant. The sturdy Coddington was a hard an- 
tagonist. 

It does not appear that Dyre ever had any legal training be- 
yond that he gained in the long exercise of his duties as clerk 
to the assembly, which of course brought a perfect knowledge 
of the affairs of the colony. In 1650 he was deputed general at- 
torney for the colony. The duties of the several officers were de- 
fined at this meeting of the general court. The attorney-gen- 
eral " to have full power to implead any transgression of the 
laws of this state in any courts of this state * * * and be- 
cause envy the cut throat of all prosperitie will not faile to gal- 
lop with its full careere let the sayd attorney be faithfully en- 
gaged, and authorized and encouraged." 

This appointment was made after Coddington's departure. 
When the stout old governor returned with his commission as 
governor of the colony, Dyre's luime disappears from the rec- 
ords. Whether he went to England with John Clarke in No- 
vember, 1051, when that gentleman was dispatched as agent of 
a number of the inhabitants of Providence and Newport to so- 
licit a rei)eal of Coddington's commission, is not known, but it 
is certain that he was in England with Clarke, and that he 
brought home in February, 1653, and deposited with the town 
clerk of Newport an order from the council of state to the sev- 
eral towns to go on under the charter, which was held to be 
equivalent to a revocation of Coddington's commission. It 



172 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

seems also that on his arrival Dyre took letters to Providence 
and Warwick, naming a day at which he would meet at Ports- 
mouth all the freemen of the colony to communicate to them 
the orders of the council. On tlie 1st of March, 1653, an assem- 
bly of the colony at Portsmouth met to receive these orders, 
and reinstated all officers who had been ousted by Coddington, 
and Dyre it is presumed returned to his post of attorney 
general. 

In May of this year (1653) war having broken out between 
England and Holland, warlike measures were taken in the 
Rhode Island colony, and in obedience to the orders of the En- 
glish council of state that the state's part in all prizes be se- 
cui-ed and accounted for, three persons were appointed for this 
purpose, of whom Mr. Dyre was the first named. It may be 
here stated that in 1659 Mr. Dyre was called on to give account 
of his action and declined, but was held on his bond and the 
case sent before the next court. The day after his appointment 
to look to the state's share in prizes he, with Captain John Under- 
hill, received a commission to serve, no doubt, though it is not 
so stated, with the volunteers against the Dutch. 

In the court of commissioners which met at Portsmouth in 
1655 he sat for Providence. In 1060 he appears at Newport as 
third named in the office of general recorder and second also in 
that of general attorney ; in 1662 he was commissioner for New- 
port and again deputy in 1666, and the same year chosen solici- 
tor for the colony. In 1664 the royal commissioners, Nicolls, 
Carr, Cartwright and Maverick, having captured New York 
and nearly completed the conquest of the Dutch possessions in 
North America, Clarke, Cranston and Dyre were delegated to 
carry a letter from the Rhode Island authorities with thanks to 
his majesty for the charter and congratulations to the commis- 
sioners for their success. The name of William Dyre appears 
on the records in a public capacity as deputy for Newport Oc- 
tober 31st, 1666, and again on an order to pay him three pounds 
for a claim for sei'vices rendered by him wliile secretary to the 
general council. In May, 1669, it is recorded that Mr. William 
Dyre, secretary of tiie council "resigned up unto tiie council 
the books and papers which belonged to them and also the 
seals." 

While the name of Dyre will always l)e held in grateful re- 
membrance by the colony for numy services, it goes down in the 



IIISTOKY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 173 

history of N'evv England witli sad and somljie recollections. 
When William Dyre went over to England at the time of the 
Coddington troubles, he took his wife, Mary Dyre, Anne 
Hiatchinson's early convert, with him. On his return, uncer- 
tain no doubt as to his reception in the colony, he left her be- 
hind him. After a stay there of live years she returned to the 
colonies and landed at Boston, from which she was forever ban- 
ished in 1856. While in England she had become converted to 
the new Quaker doctrines, and joined the Society of Friends. 
These new doctrines had scandalized the good people of Massa- 
chusetts, who enacted a series of laws inflicting penalties, from 
fines and whipping, to banishment and death, upon those who 
held to them. 

On her airival at Boston Mary Dyre was seized and sent to 
prison, but on the personal intervention of William Dyre, who 
was not of the new faith, was released and permitted to go tm 
to Rhode Island on his entering into bonds " not to lodge her 
in any town of the colony, nor to permit any to have speech 
with her on her Journey." . Mary Dyre could not long stay at 
home, and returned again to Boston to cheer her suffering com- 
panions in the faith. Husbands never had much control over 
wives in the free community of Rhode Island. The "inward 
call" was supreme over all other voices. She was again ar- 
rested in Boston, and sentence of death pronounced against her 
by that most cruel, most bigotted of all Puritans that was ever 
landed on these shores. Governor Endicott. Taken to the gal- 
lows with her companions she saw them e.xecuted, but, after 
her face was covered and the noose set about hei* neck, was re- 
pi'ieved, much it mu.st be said to her dissatisfaction. 

She was put on horseback and carried off toward Rhode Is- 
land, from which, home having ap]nu'ently little attraction for 
hei', she went to Long Island. The next spring, again '"called," 
she went back to Boston, where the cruel Endicott, unable to 
bring her into subjection by his state and grandeur and self- 
sufficient conceit, again ordered her to e.xecution. She was led 
through the city to Boston Common^, drums beating. She 
died " requiring her blood of the hands of those who did the 
deed in wilfulness," a wish which it is at least some satisfaction 
to think was not unheard at the judgment seat. 

It is said that in the last days William Dyre jjleaded earnestly 



174 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

with the general court for clemency. It has been claimed that 
this judicial murder was the immediate cause of the stoppage 
by Charles the Second, of these atrocious acts in Massachusetts, 
and of the liberal terms of the Rhode Island charter. We find 
no further mention of William Dyre beyond an indenture in 
1070 of two of the sons to make certain payments of money to 
their sisters within three years after the death of their father. 
The second son, William Dyre, Jr., went to Delaware about the 
time of his mother's death. Samuel Dyre, the eldest son, mar- 
ried a daughter of Edward Hutchinson and granddaughter of 
Anne Hutchinson. 

The records of the Dyre family above quoted state that one 
William Dyre was collector of customs at New York for the 
Duke of York in 1680, and a letter written by him to Samuel 
Pepys from that town on the 4th of January of that year, is 
printed ; and this William Dyre, who is named as Captain Dyre 
in London, in 1679, is supposed to be the old secretary. As his 
first child was baptized in 16:^5, he could not have been at that 
time less than sixty-six years of ;ige, and there is probably 
some confusion of persons. It is only known that Dyre's death 
occurred before that of Roger Williams, which took place in 
1083. 

Samuel Gokton, though not a founder, was the central figure 
in the long bitter struggle between the colonies of Massa- 
chusetts Bay and New Plymouth on the one hand, and that of 
Providence Plantations and Rhode Island on the other, for ju- 
risdiction over an important part of the Narragansett territory. 
The eastern colonies were eager and persistent in their attempts 
to gain a foothold in the magnificent bay, the Rhode Island set- 
tlers stubborn in their resistance to the entrance of the aggres- 
sive wedge, the near consequences of which were easily fore- 
cast. 

Of no man in New England's history have there been so many 
and discordant opinions as of Samuel Gorton. The early Mas- 
sachu,setts writers, whose judgment is invariably found to be 
biassed by a religious jirejudice, concur in styling him " heter- 
odox, turbulent, pestilent." The milder form of judgment 
from their successors is that he was an eccentric person, a no- 
torious disturber of the peace. Arnold considers him " one of 
the most remarkable men that ever lived." He certainly ap- 



IIISTOltY OK NKWPORT COUNTY. 175 

pears as one of the strongest types of individualism in a day 
Avhen marked personal character was the rule rather Mian the 
exception. In his printed worlds and the legal documents wliich 
he signed he styled himself by turns, "Citizen of London, 
Clothier," " GentlcMnnn,"' " Professoi' of the Mysteries of 
Christ." 

He was born in England about IGOO and landed in Boston 
in 1636. Thence he soon went to Plymouth where he fell iuto 
trouble with the church elders and was brought before the 
court, where he carried "so mutinously and seditiously that 
he was for the same and for his turbulent carriage toward both 
magistrates and ministers in the presence of the court sentenced 
to lind suretie.? for his good behaviour during the time he 
should stay in that jurisdiction, which was limited to fourteen 
days, and also amerced to pay a considerable fine." 

From Plymoutli he went to the favorite place of refuge for 
the afflicted and oppressed and the generally discontented, the 
new plantation in Narragansett bay. IIh joined the Aquidneck 
settlement and on the division of the island into the towns of 
Portsmouth and Newport he remained in the former. His name 
is found second in order and next to that of William Hutchin- 
son among those who at Portsmouth, April 3()th, 1639, "ac- 
knowledge ourselves the legal subjects of his nuajesty King 
Charles and in his name do hereby bind ourselves into a civil 
bodj'^ politic;" and his name again apjiears as Mr. Samuel 
Gorton, one of the four to whom the honorable prefix is given, 
in the " catalogue of sucli persons who [at Newport 1st, 8tli 
month, 1639] by the General Consent of the Company were ad- 
mitted to be Inhabitants of tlie island now calletl Aquidneck." 
According to Staples lie was never, iiowever, received as a pur- 
chaser or admitted as a freeman. 

He was not happier in his relations with tlic Aquidneck set- 
tlement than he had been at Plymouth. Like many an English- 
man then and since, he had contempt for all authority except 
that of the king. He says himself that he was obedient "so far 
as it became me," because they were duly commissioned by an 
authority which he reverenced, but that Rhode Island had no 
authority but the blessing of a clergyman, and that he held 
himself as fit and able to govern himself and family as any that 
were then upon Rhode Island. With these views noisily main- 



176 HISTOKY OF NEWTOKT COUNTy. 

tained and sturdily preached, lie soon came into antagonism 
witli bis fellows at Portsmoiitli and was iinl)licly whipped and 
put off the island. 

From Aquidneck he went up to Providence where he no 
doubt put the patience and charity and liberal principles of 
Roger ^Yillia7ns and his companions to a severe test. Nor yet 
here was he received as an inhabitant. On the Sth of the tirst 
month, 1640, Williams wrote to Governor Winthrop that "Mas- 
ter Gorton having abused high and low at Aquidneck is now l)e- 
witching and bemadding poor Providence." Williams was 
shocked by his "foul censures of all the ministers of this coun- 
try" (Rhode Island) and "withstood his inhabitation and town 
privileges," but found the tide so strong against himself that he 
had serious thoughts of leaving Providence and taking refuge 
on "little Patience," an island in the bay next to that of Prov- 
idence, which he had procured for W^lnthrop. 

But as yet Providence was not, like Aquidneck, a coherent 
settlement. Roger Williams had good reasons for wishing to 
keep clear of the eastern colonies, but there were a few among 
the associators of the town who had leaning toward a stronger 
civil authority and a closer alliance with the eastern colonies. 
Here was the field for Gorton's spirit of independence and con- 
troversy, and his companions are said to have " carried so in 
outrage and riotously as they were in danger to have caused 
bloodslied." A few persons had attached themselves to Gorton 
and followed him up from Aquidneck, like himself after " fines, 
whipping and banishment." They abetted or were abetted in 
" riotous and insolent carriages" by certain of the town.speople 
of Providence who were opposed to that stronger government 
which was projected. 

They had resisted the service of warrants, quarrelled on tiie 
streets with j)ersons chosen to execute the same, and made a 
"tumultuous hubbub," and "some few drops of blood were 
shed on either side." Here was occasion to draw in the Massa- 
chusetts authority. Immediately a number of the citizens 
wrote to the governor and assistants of the Massachusetts patent, 
inviting them " of gentle courtesy and for the preservation of 
humanity and manhood to consider our condition and lend us a 
neighbor like helping hand and send us such assistance our 
necessity urges us to be troublesome unto you to help us to 
brina- them to satisfaction and ease us of our burthen of them 



IIISTOKY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 377 

at your discretion." Tliis petition begins " We the inhabitants " 
of Providence 17 November, 1041. Tliere are thirteen signa- 
tures. Tliat they were a weak minority or tliat tliey had 
other motives than appear in the petition, is not to be doubted. 
But Providence was not tlie place at wliich interference could 
be made with any show of decency, and Winthrop answered 
the petitioners that "except they did submit themselves to 
some jurisdiction, either Plymouth or ours (Massachusetts) we 
had no calling or warrant to interpose in their contentions; but 
if they were once subject to any then we had a calling to pro- 
tect them." 

The hint was plain enough and .soon availed of. In September, 
1642, four of the townspeople of Providence, one of wliom was 
a companion of Williams and all early settlers, two of whom 
had signed the petition of the previous year and a third the 
father of one of these signers, petitioned the general court of 
Massachusetts and were taken under its government and pro- 
tection. Benedict Arnold's name is given as having a company, 
for settlement probably, and William Arnold, his father, is ap- 
pointed "to keep the peace in their land," all of which points 
to an ^'- imperhimin imperio,'" a colony within the colony 
under the strong arm of Massachusetts. WinthroiJ says, " they 
were accepted under our government and protection partly to 
rescue the men from violence and partly to draw in the I'est in 
these parts under ourselves or Plymouth who now lived under 
no government, but grew very offensive and the place was 
likely to be of use to us especially if we should have occasion 
of sending out against any Indians of Narragansett and like- 
wise an outlet into tiie Narragansett Bay; and .seeing it came 
without our seeking and would be no charge to us we thought 
it not wisdom to let it slip." 

Benedict Arnold was an Indian trader and their factor in the 
Massachusetts bay. The settlement which his father, AVilliam 
Arnold, was appointed to govern was at Pawtuxet where some 
of the party had already built houses in which they resided at 
their pleasure, having also lands and houses in Providence. 
Before this submis.sion of Arnold to Massachusetts the settlers 
had occupied the land in common for grazing cattle, except such 
portions as each fenced in for building houses and planting 
their corn. This freedom was now restricted, to which Gorton 
and his friends objecting and making opposition, Arnold coni- 
12 



178 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

plained to Massachusetts and in replj' Govei'nor Winthrop and 
his assistants notified their " neighbors of Providence" that 
whereas they had "gone aboat to deprive them (Arnold of 
Pawtuxet and others) of their lawful interest, that they and 
their lands" were under Massachusetts jurisdiction and would 
be maintained in their lawful rights, and that if there wei'e 
dispute Providence might proceed against them in the Massa- 
chusetts court. This warrant was issued on the 28tli of Oc- 
tober, 1642. 

Aware of the probable result of any such appeal, Gorton and 
his party resolved to make a settlement where there could be 
no dispute about jurisdiction in the acknowledged territory of 
the Narragansetts, and in the January following (1642) pur- 
chased for a consideration of one hundred and forty fathom of 
wampum from Miantouomi, chief sachem of the Narragansetts, 
the tract of land on Showhomett bay, known as Showhomett 
river, the deed being witnessed by Pumham, the local sachem 
of Showhomett. [Twelve fathom of wampumpeage from each 
one of the twelve purchasers, such was Miantonomi's price.] 
Before leaving, however, Gorton's party, twelve in number, 
sent an elaborate theologo-polemic answer from Mooskawset 
(Gorton's plantation on the stream of that name near Pawtuxet), 
November 20th, 1642, to the Massachusetts warrant. This 
curious document is one of the queerest of the droll compound 
of politics and religion which was the staple public and private 
literature of the day: the Massachusetts court and church are 
arraigned before men and heaven; the Gortonists are as Moses 
and the Jews before Pharaoh; Brother Winthrop is another 
Pontius Pilate; and numberless of the recondite names of scrip- 
ture are dragged into service in this rambling complaint. 
Anathema Maranatha is the measure of their censure on " those 
in estate who had fallen away from the grace of God as their 
fathers had done before them." This letter, purposely sent to 
Boston at the time when the general court was sitting, was sub- 
mitted to an assembly of the ministers wlio, after much study 
and careful analysis, found in it twenty-six blasphemous par- 
ticulars and denounced the authors to their congregations as 
"worse than the barbarous Indians;" but the aourtdid nothing 
until after they heard of Miantonomi's deed in the following 
January. 

In this deed it will be observed Miantouomi expressly styled 



HISTORY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 179 

himself sachem of the " Sliovvomett." Absolute in power and 
authority, the prince of the Narragansetts cared little whether 
his action was not pleasing to Puniham whom, as his inferior 
sachem, he could remove and restore at his pleasure bj' Indian 
law and practice. But the sachems of Shawomet had acknowl- 
edged a degree of snbjection to Massasoit. It is probable also 
that Pumhani was loath to leave his beloved Neck. Taking 
advantage of this disposition of Pumham, perhaps himself 
exciting it, Benedict Arnold, early in the year 1G4;1, took 
Pumham and Sacconoco, sacliem of Pawtuxet, to Boston, where 
Pumham complained to the general court that he had signed 
the deed through fear of his superior sachem and had received 
no part of the wampum. Miantonomi and Gorton were sum- 
moned to appear. The nature of the tribal dependence 
Miantonomi did not or would not explain to their satisfaction. 
It was the interest of the court to break up these ties of alle- 
giance. In June I'umham and Sacconoco again went up to 
Boston and signed articles of submission. 

Miantonomo no doubt made the sale in his straights for 
money for the summer campaign against the Mohegans. In 
September the unfortunate chief met his death, murdered by 
the advice of the Massachussetts elders. In this month also, 
the great offender being out of the way, the Massachusetts 
court summoned Gorton and his party to answer before them 
the complaints of their new subjects, Pumham and Sacconoco, 
to which Gorton replied that he and his companions were far 
out of their jtirisdiction and could not and would not acknowl- 
edge subjection unto any but only the state and government of 
old England. Upon which the general court immediately sent 
word that they would shortly send commissioners with a suf- 
ficient guard to receive satisfaction else they would right them- 
selves by force of arms. 

Hearing a few days later that an officer with a company of 
soldiers was on his way, the Gorton party sent a message to the 
commissioners warning them on their peril not to set foot on 
their lands in a hostile way. They received an answer which 
left no doubt of the intention of the commissioners to look upon 
those who did not submit " as men ])repared for slaughter." 
The troo2)s followed close at hand, accompanied by a number of 
Providence people : the Gorton party offered to submit to arbi- 
tration and a truce was agreed on until the Massachusetts au- 



180 JIISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

thorities might be liearcl from, during which the sokliers be- 
haved roughly. Governor Winthrop replied that besides the 
title of land in dispute there were twelve of the Gorton com- 
l^any " who had subscribed their names to horrible and detest- 
able blasx)hemies against God and all magistracy," and in- 
formed them that those who came up under conduct of the 
commissioners should suffer no violence but come they must. 

As soon as the messengers came back the soldiers run in the 
cattle, and the Gorton people entrenching themselves, the troops 
opened fire upon them. The Gorton company did not return 
their fire and " finally consented to go down into the Massa- 
chusetts upon composition," whereupon they were led away 
prisoners, their cattle and swine were taken, and their houses 
left to the Massachusetts Indians to pillage. On the seventy 
miles march to Boston the commissioners had public prayers in 
the streets of the towns, at Dorchester Cotton and Mather tak- 
ing a hand in the paeans of triumph ; and so on to the door of 
the house of Governor Winthrop, who came out and blessed the 
troops, after which the prisoners were led to the common jail 
and held without bail until the court sat. They were then re- 
quired to make answer to four questions on abstruse points of 
doctrine to which, though they protested against the jurisdic- 
tion, Gorton was only too happy to reply. He made answer in 
writing and at the governor's orders signed his reply. 

No fault could be found with the doctrine, but nevertheless 
votes were taken as to whether they should be pvrnished by 
death and they escaped by a majority of two ; th«y were, how- 
ever, imprisoned, Gorton being sentenced to be set at work in 
irons in Charlestown ; and so he and his companions lingered 
the entire winter season, (jorton improving the opportunity to 
address a stiff religious document to the elders of the Charles- 
town church. Meanwhile the secrecy in which these proceed- 
ings were conducted was graduallj^ broken and the people of the 
towns, who seem to have had more Christianity and more com- 
mon sense than their ministers and magistrates, because dissat- 
isfied with such a summary outrage. A general court was 
called and the prisoners were ordered to be banished, not only 
from the jurisdiction of Massachusetts bat from Providence and 
the lands of Puniham and Sacconoco which they were com- 
manded to leave within fourteen days on pain of death. 

Gorton declined to have his bolts taken off' on these terms, but 



HISTOHY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 181 

the mag-istrate ordered tliesmith to tile them off and left liim to 
go, or stay at his peril. Tiie Boston people showing joy in their 
release, the governor ordered them out of the town before noon. 
They left at once witliont providing for their journey and made 
their way to Shawomet to tlieii' own home. There considering 
the terms of their banishment and finding that their Sliawomet 
land was not expressly mentioned as a forbidden refuge, they 
addressed a letter to the Massachusetts court asking if it were 
so included, and at the same time informing them that Massa- 
chusetts never had jurisdiction over the lands of Pumliam and 
Sacconoco and of their oxs'n determination " to wage law with 
them and try to the uttermost what right or interest they could 
show to lay claim either to their land or their lives ; " to which 
bold threat Winthrop curtly answered that Shawomet was in- 
cluded in the terms of banishment and they must not come 
there under peril of their lives. 

They then left their homes and went to Rhode Island. Their 
return greatly astonished the Narragansei ts and gave them, ac- 
cording to Gorton's account, an exalted idea of their power. 
The Indians imagined, as they had heard of a great war in Eng- 
land, that there were two great parlies there : the Wattacon- 
oges, as they called the English in their language, and the Gor- 
ton-oges. Whereupon the chief sachems, old Canonicus and 
Pessicus, who was first in authority, sent over for them. Six or 
seven, including Gorton, answered the invitation and cros.sed 
the bay to Conanicut island where they were met by an armed 
band and escorted to the house of Canonicus, where they were 
courteously entertained, and then conducted to the house ©f 
Pessicus, where they had a conference with the sachems and 
counsellors of the ti-ibe ; the result of which was the determi- 
nation of the Narragansetts in a general assembly of the tribe to 
become subjects to the state and government of Old England ; 
Gorton and three others being appointed their commissioners 
and attorneys to convey this solemn act and deed of sul)jection 
to the king. This document is dated April IDtli, 1G44. On the 
24th of May, Gorton of course being still their advi.ser, the 
sachems answered an invitation of the Massachusetts court, de- 
clining to go down to attend them and giving notice of their 
subjection to the king. 

Thus adroitly did Gorton transfer the contest for sovereignty 
to England, but indissolubly associated the title of himself and 



182 HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

of his companions to the Shawomet lands with that of the 
native sachems from whom it was derived. In June the men 
of Shawomet in tlieir turn gave formal notice of these proceed- 
ings to the general court and with it some valuable information 
and some seasonable advice. Meanwhile they lived in Rhode 
Island or Aquidneck, hiring houses and planting until the re- 
ceipt of the charter of Providence Plantations, which covered 
the disputed territory. 

Failing in these attempts to overawe the settlers, the Massa- 
chusetts Bay and Plymouth governments raised a force to 
punish the Narragansetts for making war upon the Mohegans in 
revenge for the death of their prince, and were only dissuaded 
by the intercession of Williams and the probable fear of a 
general Indian rising. They then determined to ruin theNarra- 
gansetts in another manner and imposed on them a tribute of 
five hundred pounds, in default of which they were to surrender 
their territory. The Massachusetts government concluded to 
issue warrants against any occupation of the Shawomet lands. 
Gorton and his companions sailed from New York in April, 
1644, with the submission of the Narragansetts and the appeal 
of the Shawomet settlers to the commissioners of foreign jilan- 
tations in England against the intrusion and violent seizure of 
their lands by Massachusetts. The board of commissioners of 
foreign jjlantations had been established by parliament in 1643, 
and the earl of Warwick appointed governor-in-chief of all 
plantations in America. The decision of the board July, 1647, 
though not conclusive, for the controversy continued thirty-five 
years, was peremptory as to the rights of the Sliawomet settlers 
to live upon their lands in peace. 

In 1648 Gorton, satisfied that Winslow, the Massachusetts 
agent, could not work any harm, returned to New England and 
boldly landed at Boston, where the court ordered his arrest, 
but a letter from the earl of Warwick proved his safeguard. 
So angry were the authorities that only the casting vote 
of the governor enabled him to pass safely to Rhode 
Island. The settlers of Shawomet had not attempted any 
town incorporation before the colony charter of March, 
1644. Their first act was on the 8th of August, 1647, 
when they chose a town council under the order of the general 
assembly. They had taken the name of Warwick in honor of 
the earl, president of the board of plantations, to whom they 



HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 183 

owed their restoration to their riglits. In May, 1647, it was 
agreed in general assembly of the colony that Warwick should 
have the same rights as Providence. 

In 1651, during the time of the dissensions of the island and 
the commission of Coddington, Gorton was chosen i)resident of 
the towns of Providence and Warwick. The whole subject of 
the disputed territory came up again with renewed vigor on the 
arrival of the three royal commissioners to settle the disputes 
and bounds of the colonies. Cartwright, on the eve of his 
return to England in 1665, wrote to Gorton a letter as caustic 
in tone as it was true in tenor. " These gentlemen of Boston," 
said he, "would make us believe that they really think that 
the king has given them so much power in their charter to do 
iinjustly that he reserved none for himself to call them to ac- 
count for doing so. In that they refuse to let us hear com- 
plaints against them so that at i)resent we can do nothing in 
your behalf. But I hope shortly to go to England when if God 
bless me thither I shall truly represent your suflei'ings and 
your loyalty." 

Gorton died at the close of 1677. On what day is not pre- 
cisely known nor is it known where he was buried. The town 
of Warwick and the integrity of the soil of Rhode Island are 
his sufficient monument. His foresight in the submission to 
the crown of the Narragansett sachems, which was the origin 
of Kings Province and which maintained the autonomy of the 
Narragansett territory until it, by the natural order of things, 
fell under the authority of the Rhode Island colony, was an act 
of state policy of the highest order. Were his grave but known 
every Rhode Islander should drop upon it a stone as their 
tribute for the freedom they enjoy. 



CHAPTER IV 



INDIAN RELATIONS. 



By John Austin Stevens. 



The" Narragansett'i Indians. — Pequot' "War. — Xew England Confederation. — 
"" Bang'; Philip's War. — Canonicus. — Miantonomi. — Pessicus. — Canonchet. — 
Puniham. — Xinegret. — Massasoit. — AVamsutta. — End of the Xarragansetts. 



IT is estimated by the highest authority on this difficult sub- 
ject that at the time of the English settlement the region 
of country now known as New England was inhabited by about 
thirty-six thousand Indians of whom one-third were warriors. 
They were most numerous on the coast, about the shores of the 
bays and the mouths of the great rivers, where the abundance 
of lish assured them an unfailing supply of food. Of the 
several tribes who took their names from these bays or rivers 
the Xarragansetts were the largest and most powerful. There 
is a tradition, accepted by historians, that three or four years 
before the landing of the Pilgrims a "devouring sickness" 
had raged from jS"arragansett to the Penobscot, which wasted 
the Indians to such an extent that the " living sufficed not to 
bury the dead," whose bones covered the ground in many 
places. This desolation, which prevailed mostly to the east- 
ward, did not diminish but rather increased the numbers of 
the Narragansetts, many flying from the plague in other 
quarters to this less afflicted territory. They were reckoned 
at this time at Ave thousand fighting men— the usual Indian 
method of computing population. 

The Narragansetts, in common with their neighbors, are sup- 
posed to be a branch of the Delawares, and their language, a 
variety of the speech of that great race, was spoken over a 
region of country extending north and south from the Bay seat 
of empire about six hundred miles. They were erect in stature, 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 185 

with well knit frames, athletic limbs, high cheek bones, hazel 
eyes, straight black hair and of light cojiper colored com- 
plexion. They painted their faces in peace and war and in 
times of mourning; their decoration varying with the emotions 
they sought to portray. Terrible in war and %-ersed in savage 
wiles, they were just in their dealings, punctual to their engage- 
ments, faithful in their friendships. They were monogamous 
although polygamy was not forbidden. They lived in wigwams 
adapted to the changes of climate. They were deft in the manu- 
facture of earthenware, and were moreover the principal makers 
of wampumpeage of both kinds, the white of the periwinkle 
and the black of the quohoa or hard shell clam, which together 
were the sole currency of the Indians over a vast surface of 
country, as also among the English, French and Dutch traders 
in Xorth America. 

Their population was so close that in a travel of twenty miles 
one could meet a dozen of their towns. They were not only 
tlirifty, but rich in the accumulation of comfort. While they 
probably did not carrj' agriculture as far as it was understood 
by the Mohawks, they were better versed in manufactures of their 
rude kind, and had some notion of trade before the arrival of 
the English. The rule of their hereditary sachems was patri- 
archal rather than autocratic, and their sway was undisputed 
from the Pawcatuck to the Merrimac. Unlike the Mohawks 
they had no fortified places or palisaded enclosures; only their 
council house, fifty feet in diameter at the base of the gathered 
tent poles, differed from the wigwams in its greater size. Their 
neighbors, the Wampanoags on the north and east and the 
Massachusetts beyond, the Xiantics and Xipmucks to the 
north and west, the Indians of Aquidneck and Block Island 
and the Montauks at the eastern end of Long Island, all paid 
them tribute. To the westward their proper domain reached 
to the river Pawcatuck where they were confronted and defied 
by the fierce Pequots, their hereditary foes, whose seat of power 
was at the mouth of the river which bore their name. 

Precisely at what time the Xarragansetts came into this 
region is not known. Roger AVilliams, asking as to the 
origin of the title Narragansett, was told that it was the 
name of "a little island between Puttisqumscutt and Mus- 
quomacuk on the sea and fresh water side." He went to 
see it and "about the placr" called Sugar Loaf hill, saw it 



186 HISTORY OF NEWPOirr COUNTY. 

and was within a pole of it bnt could not learn why it was 
called Nahiganset." Sngar Loaf hill is on the mainland near 
what is now South Kingstown. Petaquamscott was the name of 
a large rock near Tower hill. He was also told that " Canoni- 
cus' father and ancestors living in those Southern parts trans- 
ferred and brought their authority and name into those 
Northern parts all along by the Sea Side as appears by the 
great destruction of wood all along near the Sea Side." By 
those "Southern j^arts " no doubt is meant the territory 
lying east of the Pawcatuck river which, at the height of 
their power, was the western border of the Narragansett 
kingdom. That the islands in the bay were conquered not 
long before Williams' arrival appears from a passage in the 
original deed of Aquidneck, by which " Canonicus and Mian- 
tonomi, the two chief Sachems of the Nahigannsitts (convey) by 
virtue of their general command of the bay as also the par- 
ticular Subjickgs of the dead Sachems of Acquednecke and 
Kitackmuckquett, the great island of Acquedneck lying from 
hence eastward in this bay." This strengthens, though it 
hardly establishes, the tradition which points out a spot on the 
island where a great battle occurred in which the earlier Indian 
inhabitants were overcome; this is a field in Middletown which 
abuts on the southwest on South wick's Grove. Arrow heads 
have been repeatedly found here. The field is between the 
east and west roads about two miles out from Newport limits. 
The deed clearly shows, however, that the island of Conanicut, 
whence it issued, was the residence of the chief sachems and 
the seat of their government. 

Hutchinson relates a tradition as to the warlike ancestor 
under whom the Narragansett tribe became a nation: "In the 
early times of this nation some of the English inhabitants 
learned from the old Indians that they had, previous to their 
arrival, a sachem Tashtassuck. Tashtassuck had but two 
children, a son and a daughter; those he joined in marriage 
because he could find none worthy of them out of his family. 
The product of this marriage were four sons, of whom Canonicus 
was the eldest." 

At the period when the Narragansetts first appear in colonial 
history their sachems were Canonicus, son of the chief who first 
extended his sway over the northern and eastern regions, al- 
ready advanced in years, and governing with him under his 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 187 

council, as " marshall and executioner," to use the quaint and 
meaning phrase of Roger Williams, Miantonomi, son of his 
youngest brother. Und«r their joint I'lile, wise and tirm, the 
Narragansetts were prosperous and happy when the news 
reached them of the landing of the strange race at the eastward 
and the wonders bronght with them: the useful implements of 
peace, the terrible weapons of war and the new domestic ani- 
mals. Disquieted, no doubt alarmed, at the continual arrival 
of the emigrant ships, they sent to the new comers a bundle of 
arrows tied with a snake skin in battle challenge. The wage 
was not accepted by the sage Pilgrims, nor was it necessary, 
for between the two there sprung up a third power whose 
strength was in their enmity and whose immediate interest was 
in peace. 

In the Pokanoket country, on the mainland north and east of 
Narragansett bay, lived the tribe of \Vampanoags whose sway 
covered the tract now known as Bristol and reached southerly 
to Seconnet. They were second only in power to the Nari-a- 
gansetts, to whom their subjection was recent. The chief 
sachem of this tribe was Massasoit, whose favorite residence 
was on the commanding hill of Pokanoket, to which the colon- 
ists later gave the name of Mount Hope. This steep eminence 
is at the lower end of the peninsula and overlooks the island of 
Aquidneck and the western shore of Seconnet. 

Massasoit or Ousamequin, as he is usually named in Narra- 
gansett documents, received the Pilgrims on their arrival not 
onl}'- without enmity but with real kindness and was of great 
service to them in many straights. Often at Plymouth, he be- 
came early familiar with the superior power and arts of the 
white men, and seeing how useful they might be to his i^eople 
he sought their friendship. In the spring after their landing he 
made with them a formal treaty which freed him from his de- 
pendence on the formidable Narragansetts. This friendly 
spirit to the English Massasoit maintained to the end of his life, 
while Canonicus is said to have been " most shy of the English 
to his latest breath." As far as can be judged from the records 
of the times and the writings of the sages, Canonicus was of a 
higher order of character and a more princely dignity. Viewing 
them as types of their tribes, the domination of the Narragan- 
setts seems the natural outcome of race superiority. 

Roger Williams, in a deposition made in lO.'i-i as to his pur- 



188 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

chase of lands, says that "coming into the Narragansett 
country he found a great contest between three sachems, two 
(to wit, Canonicus and Miantonomi) were against Ousamaquin 
on Plymouth side," and that he was forced to travel between 
them there to pacify, to satisfy all their and their dependents' 
spirits of his honest intentions to live peacably by them. His- 
torians have inferred from this passage that these chiefs were 
"at feud." That Canonicus looked with jealous eye at the 
alliance of his old tributary with the Plymouth government is 
probable, but sixteen years had healed this bitterness, and 
there is no proof of other difference between the chiefs than as 
to allowing the whites to settle upon land within or bordering 
upon the free territory of Narragansett. 

Before concluding his treaty with Canonicus, Williams had al- 
ready obtained a grant of land from Massasoit on the Seekonk 
river, which was within the limits over which the new Plymouth 
colony claimed jurisdiction; a jurisdiction which the sachem, 
though he did not dispute, did not admit. Indeed, here as else- 
where among the Indians, and notably in the case of the Mo- 
hawks, their chiefs claimed a sovei-eignty equal to and inde- 
pendent of that of the English crown, and never willingly sur- 
rendered jurisdiction over their own people. The right and jus- 
tice of this claim Williams always maintained, of which there 
is witness in his letter to the general court of Massachusetts in 
1654, wherein he questions "whether any Indians in this coun- 
try remaining barbarous and pagan may with truth or honor be 
called English subjects. Their own consent and conversion to 
Christianity he considered to be conditions precedent. Massa- 
soit was no doubt aware that the first and chief of the offences 
cited in the sentence of Williams' banishment from the Massa- 
chusetts Ba}' colony was his teaching " that we have not our 
land from the king but that the natives are the true owners of 
it and that we ought to repent of receiving it by patent." 

The teriitory of tlie Wampanoags lying within the limits of 
the Plymouth patent, the grant of land by Massasoit was of it- 
self a protest against the jurisdiction of the colony. Williams 
abandoned liis plantation on the Seekonk and crossed the water 
to the Narragansett territory because of the warning to him of 
Governor Winslow of the new Plymouth colony that his people 
were "loath to displease the bay," otherwise the Massachusetts 
government, by harboring one banished by their edict. 



HISTORY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 189 

What consideration in (•uiient vvampnm or commodities Mas- 
sasoit received for his land on tlie Seekonk, if any, does not ap- 
pear. Probably both and if neither, then tlie grant was made 
only for reasons of gratitude for favors past and to come, and of 
a personal friendship for Williams which was of long standing; 
for in his treaty with tiie English he had parted with something 
of his birthright. Not so tlie sage Canonicus. Proud as he 
was politic, he would not condescend to sell his lands. Gifts 
in return were received, no doubt expected, but Canonicus 
would not have them mentioned in the bond. Williams, in a 
manuscript, says "the Indians were very shy and jealous of 
selling the lands to any, and chose rather to make a grant of 
them to such as they affected, but at the same time expected 
such gratuities and rewards as made an Indian gift a very dear 
bargain." According to Callender. in the case of the Narragan- 
setts, the natives inhabiting any spot the English sat down 
upon or improved were all to be bought off to their content and 
oftentimes to be paid for over and over again. It may be here 
observed that the Indians recognized no individual title to land. 
To them it was free as air and water. An instance of this may 
be found in the recent constitution of the Cherokee tribe. The 
Indian system was communal. Bandelier, in his account of 
Mexican civilization, assigns ro them a similar system, and it 
is supposed thej' brought it with them from the northern coun- 
try from which they migrated southward. 

The memorandum deed of 1087, of purchase made " two 
years previous " of " the lands about the fresh river called 
Mooshaasic and Wanasqutucket " (Providence) signed by 
marks of Canonicus and Miantonomi, makes no mention of any 
purchase price, but a second paragraph, " in consideration of 
his (Williams' > many kindnesses and services" done them at 
Massachu.sett-s, Connecticut and Plymouth, extends the bounds 
of the grant to the Pawtucket river. Roger Williams express- 
ly says : " I declare to posterity that were it not for the favor 
that God gave me with Canonicus none of these parts, no not 
Rhode Island, had been purchased or obtained for I never got 
anything out of Canonicus but by gift." In this document, in- 
teresting and instructive in many points of view, Williams 
shows the nature of the services he rendered in return for the 
protection and generosity of the sachem. " I never denied him 
nor Miantonomy whatever they desired of me as to goods or 



190 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

gifts or use of my boats or pinnace and the travels of my own 
person day and night wliicli, though man Ivnow not nor care to 
know, yet the All Seeing eye hath seen it and his all powerful 
hand hath helped me." 

In the course of his several treaties, in 1634 and 1635, with the 
Narragansett sachems, Williams had, he says, " frequent prom- 
ise of Mian tonomi," his kind friend, that he should not want 
for land about the bounds where he had settled provided he 
satisiied the Indians then inhabiting, he "having made coven- 
ants of peaceable neighborhood with all the sachems and natives 
round about." In fact the records show no passage of purchase 
money for land from Roger Williams to Canonicus. The same 
legal fiction of a sale appears in the case of Chibachuwesa, now 
known as Prudence island, which is referred to in the deed of 
Aquidneck. This island became the property of Williams and 
Governor Winthrop in the spring of 1636. Canonicus and Mi- 
antonomi, visiting the Massachusetts governor, carried the offer 
by Williams of a half interest to Winthrop in which he naively 
adds, "I think that if I goe over I shall obtain the whole," a 
hope sjieedily realized. And so again in the case of Hope island, 
the deed of gift of which from Miantonomi, wasi)roduced before 
the general assembly in 1658, upon the presenting of a petition 
to have the Indians removed. 

It seems from the foregoing that Williams received his lands 
as a princely grant for his wise counsel and his services as an 
ambassador and peace maker with the encroaching governments 
of Massachusetts Bay and the Plymouth colony, services for 
which his knowledge of the Indian language, his character and 
temper qualified him beyond any man in New England. This 
acquaintance with Indian character Williams says he got by 
"lodging with them in their filthy holes even while I lived at 
Plymouth and Salem to gain their tongue ; my soul's desire 
was to do the natives good." He was well compensated for all 
his pains by his Indian friends. The records show one case in 
which Canonicus took consideration in the form of white beads. 
This was in the purchase of Aquidneck by Coddington and his 
friends. Later, in 1642, Miantonomi took wampumpeage in pay 
for Shawomet. now "Warwick. 

No such considerations of policy or friendly scruples weighed 
with Ma.ssasoit, the first and earliest of Williams' friends. 
The records recite one case where the Wampanoag sachem, 



HISTOKY OF NEWPOItT COUNTY. ' 191 

seeking to withdraw from an agreement to barter certain lands 
near Pawtucket for sundry commodities and fathoms of wam- 
pum, was held to his bargain on the testimony of Williams. 
After "going to slepe" over the trade the Indian demanded to 
purchase shot and required four coats more in addition to the 
four engaged to him, which Williams and his associates indig- 
nantly refused; not willing, as they testify, " to wrong our 
country in granting his desire of four coats and so uni-easonably 
to raise the price of such parcels of land in this barbarous 
wilderness." 

This was in 1646, when the conditions of the contracting par- 
ties were greatly changed. The white man was the lord of the 
soil, the sachem but a poor Indian. Neither Canonicus nor 
the princely iliantonomi ever thus fell from their high estate. 
Comparing these several deeds one with another, it seems, how- 
ever, that these grants of land were, on the part of the sachems, 
waivers of eminent domain or permissions to settle on condition 
of satisfying the dwellers thereon. The Narragansetts were 
largely a farming people. Williams mentions the clearance of 
the coast line from woods, and it is said that for eight or ten 
miles distant from the sea shore the lands were cultivated with 
corn which grew in great abundance. It is natural therefore to 
suppose that though there may have been no individual owner- 
ship of the soil, occupancy, betterment and cultivation con- 
ferred a right which the sachem did not, perhaps could not, 
disturb. 

That such was the usage is shown by the statement of Wil- 
liams that in the case of the first grant by Canonicus of land 
which had belonged to Massasoit before his submission to the 
Tiarragansetts, he had thought it prudent to propitiate the 
Wampanoag chief by gifts and still more plainly in the con- 
dition of the deed of Aquidneck, " that by giving by Mianto- 
nomi of ten coats and twenty hoes to the present inliahitants 
they shall remove themselves from off the island before next 
winter." 

Hardly were the colonists established on the island before 
they began to place restrictions on the Indians in matters of 
trade. The first regulation was an order in general meeting at 
Portsmouth on the 16th of the 9th month, 1638, naming four 
of their number for the venison trade, directing that not more 
than three half-pence a pound be given the Indians in the way 



192 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

of trade, and the truck masters to sell the same for two pence a 
pound; a farthing for each pound to go to the treasui-y, the rest to 
themselves for their attendance. The next order on the records is 
of the freemen of the same town granting leave, August 29th, 
1644, to Ousanietpiin with ten men to kill ten deei' within the 
liberty of Portsmouth with tiie proviso tliat the deer be brought 
to the town to be viewed and " neither Ousamequin nor any of 
his men shall carry any deer or skins off from the island but at 
the town of Portsmouth to depart from off the island within 
five days.'" And the same day all the Indians in the town were 
ordered to depart with their effects to live in the woods and not 
to return under certain forfeit. 

The freemen of Newport, feeling perhaps more secure in their 
position, which was directly under the wing of Canonicns, 
agreed on the 2d of the 7th month, 1689, that the trade with 
the Indians should he free to all men and appear to have put 
no restriction on their coming or going or their stoppage in the 
town. In the course of the next j'ear, however, July 7th, 1640, 
certain propositions were made interchangeably between Gov- 
ernor Coddington and his assistants on the one side and Mian- 
tonomi with his sachems on the other side, and the same were 
solemnly ratified on the 16th of August following. These pro- 
vided that only temporary fires should be kindled on any of 
the settlers' lands, and all damages arising from such kindling 
should be adjudged and the Indian offender to be tried by the 
law of the town; that any Indian killing a "Boore" (a hog), 
pay ten fathom of beads at the next harvest; that no trap be 
set for deer or cattle on the island; that unruly Indians be car- 
ried before the magistrate for punishment in matters of com- 
mon or small crime according to law, but for matters of greater 
weight, exceeding the value of ten fathom of beads, then Mian- 
tonomi to be sent for who is to come and see the trial. But if 
the offender be a sachem Miantonomi to be sent for to see the 
trial whether the matter be large or small. No Indian to take 
any canoe from the English and the like not to be done by them. 
They are not .to revoke their bargains or remove their goods by 
force after trade; nor shall they idle aliout the houses of the 
settlers. 

The colonists seem to have been uneasy this year, for at their 
last session in October the governor was ordered to invite tlie 
counsel of the governor of Massachusetts Bay concerning their 



IIISTOKV OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 193 

agitations with the Indians. The Indians seem to have been 
careless in their handling of fire, for in April of the next year 
(1641) the house of Mr. Nicholas Easton, the first built in ihe 
town of Newport, was burned, the flames taking from a fire 
lighted by the Indians in the woods near by. There was great 
alarm, and an armed boat patrolled the shore to prevent the In- 
dians from landing. In a skirmish two English were wounded and 
one Indian killed. Garrison liouses were appointed for refuge 
in case of alarm. The misunderstanding was explained and 
quiet was restored. In September, 1641, the general court 
ordered that no Indian should fell or peel any trees upon tlie 
island; a restriction which struck at tlie manufacture of 
canoes. 

The very last legislation taken by the general court at New- 
port before the freemen of Aquidneck reorganized under 
charter from the crown and changed the name of the island to 
the Isle of Rhodes, granted a full commission to Roger Wil- 
liams to consult and agree with Miantonomi for the destruction 
of the wolves, with the condition that this enterprise effected, 
the Indians must not require more the ''like curtesie of hunt- 
ing." The deer must not be injured. Stringent orders had 
but a short time before been issued against the sale or gift of 
powder, shot, gun, pistol, sword or other weapon to "the In- 
dians that ai'e or may prove offensive," and forfeitures attached 
of forty shillings for the first and five pounds for the second 
offense. For the history of further legislation tlie records of 
the colony of Rliode Island and Providence Plantations must 
be searched. Meanwhile mention must be made of the sale by 
Miantonomi to a company of settlers, of Shawotnet,on Sowhomes 
bay, which soon after received the name of Warwick, in lionor 
of the king's newly appointed governor of his islands and other 
plantations in America. This deed was signed by Miantonomi, 
as sacliem of Shavvhomett and witnes.sed by Pumhomm (Pum- 
ham) sub-sachem of the tribe; an act apparently unimportant 
in itself, yet portentious in its consequences to the noble prince 
and his nation. 

The PKCiiOT War.— The Pequots. of all the tribes of the 
coast, seem to have been the most jealous of English rule and 
to have had the clearest insight into the danger it threatened to 
Indian independence. Hereditary enemies of tlie Naragansetts. 
they had taken advantage of the weakening of the power of 



194 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Canonicus in the defection of the Wanipanoags and the Nip- 
mucks from their tribal dependence. By successive inroads 
they had wrenched from the Narragansett j^rince the .sover- 
eignty of the Long Ishmd Indians of Montauk and of Block 
Island, and pushed their border on the mainland ten miles east 
of the Pawtucket river into the very domain of their enemy. 
Emboldened by this success they turned their arms upon their 
English neighbors of the Connecticut and, without the formal 
declaration of war which usually precedes or opens Indian 
hostilities, began a series of massacres of isolated boats' crews 
on the sound and in the river. Among these was the surprise 
and murder, in 1636, at Block Island, of John Oldham, an Eng- 
lish trader, well known along the whole New England coast, 
and in such favor with the Narragansetts that Canonicus, shy 
though he was of the English, had invited him to settle in the 
bay on the island of Chibachuwesa (that Prudence island which 
later became the property of Roger Williams and Governor 
Winthrop) and establish a fishing station there. Returning 
from a trade voyage to the Connecticut and touching at Block 
Island with his little vessel, with two English boys and two 
Narragansett Indians for his crew, he was set upon and mur- 
dered, his companions being carried off. The news of this 
outrage reaching Miantonomi, he at once sent out an expedition 
which recovered the Indians and the boys, who were returned 
to their homes. 

The people of Boston, greatly alarmed for their coast trade, 
dispatched an embassy, accompanied by the sachem of the 
Massachusetts tribe as intepreter, to Canonicus; they returned 
satisfied with the success of their negotiation and full of praise 
for the "state, great command over his men and marvellous 
wisdom in his answer and the carriage of the whole treaty " by 
the prince. It was found that some of the Narragansett 
sachems were concerned in the plot, but Canonicus and Mian- 
tonomi were not, and offered "assistance for revenge of it, yet 
upon very safe and wary conditions." An expedition was 
fitted out at Boston in three pinnaces, which landed on Block 
Island, destroyed the Indian wigwams and canoes, and push- 
ing on to the mouth of the Pequot river, in September burned 
the villages on the two sides of the stream in the absence of 
Sassacus, chief sachem of the tribe, on Long Island, after 
which they returned safely to Boston without the loss of a man. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 195 

They killed fourteen and wounded forty of tiie Indians. The 
Peqnots were greatly e.xcited, but looking beyond immediate 
retaliation which is a part of Indian creed, they conceived the 
idea of a more thorough revenge by a league of all the savage 
tribes, which should extirpate to the last num the English 
settlers, whom they instinctively felt to be the common enemy 
of their race. They sought the aid of the Mohegaiis, a fierce 
tribe whose home was in the region between the Connecticut 
and Hudson rivers, and whose sachem was Uncas, a revolter 
from the Pequot tribe. Here they were repulsed. They also 
sent ambassadors to their hereditary foes, the Narragansetts, 
proposing to close the ancient feud, bury the hatchet and form 
with them a league against the English. The success of the 
Boston mission to Canonicus was no doubt compromised by 
this summary proceeding of the Massachusetts colony. It was 
not in accord with Indian methods. Even the Plymouth gov- 
ernor disapproved and remonstiated with his neighI)or of the 
Bay for his ruthless provocation to war. 

The Connecticut colony, weak, almost defenseless, were in- 
dignant at a proceeding which brought the torch to their dwel- 
lings without notice. Great was the alarm in Massachusetts 
when rumors reached them of the proi)osed league. In their 
distress the governor and council of the Bay appealed to Roger 
Williams to interpose his influence with the sachems. The en- 
voys of Sassacus Avere alreadj^ at the island of Conanicut, where 
the Narragansett sachems were gathered in council about their 
sage chief, when Williams, "alone in a poor canoe, paddled 
his way down the bay through a stormy wind with great seas" 
to the home of Canonicus. "For three days and niglits" he 
says his business forced him to lodge and mi.\ witii the bloody 
Pequot ambassadors whose "hands and arms methought reeked 
with the blood of my countrymen murdered and massacred by 
them on Connecticut river, and from whom I could not but 
nightly look for their bloody knives at my own throat also; 
God wondrously preserved me and helped me tobreaic to pieces 
the Pequot negotiations and design; and to make and tinish by 
many travels and charges the English league with the Narra- 
gansetts and Mohegans against the Pequots." Tradition has it 
that Canonicus "desired to have preserved peace" and only 
finally yielded to the persuasion of Williams. The ambitious 
Pequots were " hoist with their own petard;" the league they 



196 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTf. 

had devised with theNarraganselts and Moheg-aps being turned 
against themselves. At the request of Governor Vane, Mianto- 
tonomi, witli two sons of Canonicus, visited Boston, where he 
was received witli military honor. He there agreed upon and 
concluded a treaty of amity and alliance offensive and defensive 
against the Pequots, the interpretation of some clauses of 
which, not understood by him, he left to the interpretation 
of Williams. 

In the spring the Pequots wreaked their vengeance on the 
Connecticut settlers. Massacre followed massacre. The colony 
ordered war; their troops were at once joined by the Mohegans. 
The Pequots fell back to their two fortified villages on the 
Mystic river and the sea. The Connecticut troops sailed for 
Narragansett bay and landed at what is now Wickford, where 
they were joined by a strong force of Narragansett warriors. 
Marching across the country they struck the rear of the Pequot 
village at night; assaulting at daybreak and plying the torch 
as well as the musket, in an hour's sharp work they destroyed 
the entire village of seven hundred Pequots, only fourteen of 
whom survived, seven escaping and seven taken prisoners. 
The English lost two killed and twentj' wounded. The second 
village, defended by three hundred P'equots, was not attacked. 
A month later Massachusetts dispatched a detachment to de- 
stroy the remnant of the tribe. Their hiding places were 
broken up, and by July not over sixty of the tribe remained. 
Eight hundred had been slain and two hundred captives were 
distributed among the Narragansetts and the Mohegans as 
slaves, under the pledge that they should never be called 
Pequots nor allowed to see their native country. The Con- 
necticut assembly obliterated the name b}'^ act; Pequot river 
was called the Thames and the site of their village New London. 
Sassacus, their sachem, gave himself up to the Mohegans and 
was by them murdered. The story reads like a chapter of 
Csesar's campaign against the Gauls. 

The supremacy of the ISTarragansetts over the Montauk tribe 
was now revived. Their western border was freed from alarm. 
Between them and the Mohegans, their allies, there was no 
hostile tribe. Thus closed the first great crisis in the New 
England settlement. The two years of the Pequot war were 
no less eventful in Indian history. But for the coming of 
Roger Williams into the Narragansett country there is little 



HISTORY Ol' NEWPORT COUNTY. 197 

doubt that in the temper of the nation in 1636 tliey would have 
joined and led tlie Indian league with their whole power. Tlie 
blotting out of the Pequot j)ower in 1637 was the first act in the 
internecine struggle which was to end in the ruin of the Narra- 
gansetts. The second was an inevitable consequence of the 
first: a struggle at first peaceful, afterward by war, to control 
the Indian tribes who inhabited the zone between the Pawca- 
tuck and the Connecticut rivers, the respective bounds of Nar- 
ragansett and Mohegan power. Some of the Connecticut river 
tribes, dreading the encroachments of the fierce Uncas, had 
sought and obtained the alliance of the just and generous 
Miantonomi, now, in the advancing years of Canonicus, the 
master spirit of his nation. Uncas, fearful doubtless of the 
interference of the English, sought by intrigue to break the 
confidence of the Massachusetts authorities in the good faith 
of Miantonomi by secret ruuKUs. Summoned by the general 
court the loyal sachem promptly appeared, satisfied them of 
his innocence and directly charged Uncas with the calumny. 
This was in August and September, 1642. 

New England Confederation. In May of the next year an 
act of policy was consummated by the authorities of the sev- 
eral settlements, whicli had a determining influence in this as in 
later Indian struggles. This was the confederation of Massa- 
chusetts, Plymouth, Connecticut and New Haven under the 
style of the United Colonies of New England. Tlie plan was 
first broached at the close of the Peqiu)t war which had shown 
the advantage of concert, but various jealousies had hitherto 
sto(jd in the way. The general restlessness about this time 
ann)ngst the natives, who were now well snp[)lied with arms 
and accomplished in their use, brought harmony at last and the 
league for defense was completed. It may here be mentioned 
that the English settlements on Narragauseti bay were not in- 
vited to join this confederation, although the most exposed 
from their position in the heart of the most numerous and pow- 
erful of the Indian nations. In July, 1643. rlie Mohegans de- 
clared war upon Sequasson, a sachem of the Connecticut and 
an ally of the Narragansetts. Both parties sought the aid of the 
English, who announced their intention of renuiining neutral. 
Miantonomi, before marching to the aid of his ally, faithful to 
the engagement he had made at the time of the Pequot war, 
notified the governor of the Massachusetts bay, and received 



198 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

an answer that "if Uncas had done him or his friends wrong 
and wonld not give satisfaction he might take his own course " 
with them. Miantonomi took the field with a thousand warri- 
ors and was defeated in a bloody fight. By the treachery of two 
of his own captains he was given up to Uncas. An attempt was 
made by his subjects to obtain his liberty under ransom which, 
as appears by the letter of the owners of Shawomet who were 
interested in the effort, was "given and received" by his 
captors. He was then taken to Hartford and delivered 
over to the English there to be held prisoner, as he himself 
entreated, until the meeting of the commissioners of the United 
Colonies at Boston. These, it is claimed, were prejudiced against 
him because of his sale of Shawomet, which was coveted by 
Massachusetts, to men, some of whom, like Williams, they had 
exiled as heretics. The commissioners were all of opinion that 
it would not be safe to leave him at liberty nor yet had they 
grounds to put him to death. In tlieir dilemma they called in 
five of the most judicious elders who, adding another to the sum 
of villainies perpetrated in hypocritical godliness, recommended 
his death. He was accordingly again delivei'ed over to Uncas 
with orders to execute him and two Englishmen were delegated 
to witness the deed. Uncas was promised protection and assist- 
ance in case his territory were invaded in retaliation. The un- 
righteous sentence was carried out. 

Thus fell one of the truest friends, most generous benefactors 
and earliest patrons of the Rhode Island settlement. To the 
lasting disgrace of the United Colonies its records bear witness 
among the earliest of its proceedings to its sanction of this hid- 
eous crime, mean in its inception, cowardly in its close. The 
deception of Massachusetts was only equalled by the ingrati- 
tude of Connecticut. The absence of Roarer Williams, then in 
England on the business of a charter for the Providence settle- 
ment, was a ])ublic calamity. Yet it is doubtful whether his in- 
fluence could have stayed the liand of the " clerico-jndicial 
murderers," as the judges of Miantunomi have been styled. 

The Narragansetts long and bitterly mourned their noble 
chief. Canonicus was broken with grief. Pessicus, the brother 
of Miantonomi, succeeded him as chief sachem, together with 
Canonicus, who appears to have already abandoned the chief 
control of the government even in name, though still taking 
part in the councils and joining in all acts of sovereignty. The 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 199 

Narragansetts now enter on a new and the last phase of their 
national or i)o]itioal existence. Ci'ipi^led in their resources by 
the heavy ransom of which they had been wronged, yet thirst- 
ing for revenge ; fearful also of the interference of the Massa- 
chusetts i^ower to thwart their wai'like jinrpose, they resolved 
to throw themselves upon the protection of the English king. 
In the absence of Roger Williams the Narragansett chiefs, on 
the murder of Miantonomi, took advice of the settlers of Shaw- 
omet, of whom the leading spirit was the heretic, Gorton, whom 
the general court had banished by another of their atrocious 
decrees. These settlers liad, it appears, sided in tiie effort at 
ransom. 

On the 19th of April, 1644, Canonicus and Pessicus invited 
Gorton, who had taken refuge from the pursvxit of the Massa- 
chusetts government on the island of Aquidneck, and his 
friends to cross over to Conanicnt. Here tiiey found the 
sachems in solemn council. The result of the deliberations and 
conference was the voluntary and free subnnsslon of the chief 
sachem and the rest of tlie princes, with the joint and unani- 
mous consent of the whole people, with their lands, rights, in- 
lieritances and possessions, to King Charles, acknowledging 
themselves his servants and subjects, to be ruled, ordei-ed and 
disposed of according to the laws of that honorable state of Old 
England, "upon condition of his majesty's royal protection and 
lighting of the wrong done or to be done to them ; not that they 
found the need thereof in respect to their relation with any of 
the natives in these parts, knowing themselves sufficient defence 
and able to judge in any matter or cause in that respect, but 
that they had just cause of jealousj' and suspicion of some of 
his majesty's pretended subjects." They express their desire 
to liave their matters and causes tried in his majesty's pleasure 
under just and equal laws but witii tliis express understanding, 
best given in their own words : "Nor can we yield over our- 
selves unto any that are subjects themselves in any case; having 
ourselves been the chief Sachems or Princes successively of the 
country time out of mind." This deed or act of submission, 
signed by Pessicus as chief .sachem and successor of Miantono- 
mi, Canonicus as "protector of the late deceased Miantonomi in 
the time of his nonage" and Mixan, son and heir of that above- 
said Canonicus, was entrusted to Gorton and his associates, who 



'-U0 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

are named commissioners in the instrument, and by tliem some 
months later taken to England. 

Tliis act brought the Narragansetts into direct antagonism with 
Massachusetts, which liad been seeking covertly or overtly to ob- 
tain an outlet into the Narragansett bay. They summoned the 
sachems to appear at the next meeting of the court in the spring. 
The sachems on the 24th of May peremptorily refused, pleading 
their press of business preparing to avenge the death of their 
chief and asking their reasons of Massachusetts for advising 
them not to "go out against tlieir inhuman and cruel adversary," 
who had taken not only tiieir ransom but the life of their 
prince also. They give formal notice of tlieir late subjection to 
King Charles, declare their intention of referring all serious 
matters of dispute to the English government, and ask for and 
offer free passage and conduct to their respective people desir- 
ing to have commerce. The general court, startled by the tone 
of this dignified document, sent messengers to dissuade the 
Narragansetts from their warlike purpose. The envoys were 
coldly received. 

In June the settlers of Shawomet in their turn addressed the 
general court of Massachusetts, notifying them thar- they had 
themselves witnessed the deed of subjection and that they, the 
general court, need take no further trouble concerning the In- 
dians in their neighborhood since the home government could 
be appealed to in case of disagreement. They also assured the 
court that the Narragansetts would take a sharp and princely 
revenge for the indignity done to their sovereign; and further 
warned them that they had lately met abroad one of the great 
sachems of the Mohawks, the most fierce and warlike people in 
the country with some of his men, and that they were furnished 
with 3,700 guns, plenty of powder and shot and defensive furni- 
ture for their bodies in time of war ; that the Mohawks deeply 
sympathized with the Narragansetts in the loss of their sachem 
and the unjust detention of the ransom given for his life, and 
were determined to wage war to the uttermost against any that 
should assault them. Both the tone and the contents of this 
letter must have been as gall and wormwood to the gentlemen 
addressed. 

The air was full of war and the settlers of Aquidneck were in 
alarm all of the summer. To add to their anxiety they were 
short of powder and Massachusetts, either from inability or 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 201 

malice, refused to give thera a supply. Their religious opinions 
were, as Governor Winthrop phrased it, too " desperately er- 
roneous" for their distress to awaken much sympathy from the 
self-elected saints of the Puritan colony. 

In February, 104;"), the Narragansett sachems sent messengers 
to Boston declaring that unless Uncas made amends by the pay- 
ment of one hundred and sixty fathoms of wampum or agree to 
a new hearing of the dispute within six weeks, they should 
make war. No redress forthcoming, one thousand warriors, 
some armed with guns, fell upon the Mohegans and defeated 
Uncas with much slaughter. Connecticut troops marched to 
his aid. The general court again ordered the Narragansetts to 
stop the war. Negotiations ensued. A second time messengers 
were sent to both the Mohegans and Narragansetts, on this oc- 
casion by the New England commissioners. Roger Williams, 
now returned, was called on by the sachems. The embassy on 
their return carried a letter from Williams stating that terms of 
neutrality had been agreed upon by the sachems and the Rhode 
Island colony and that the Narragansetts would continue the 
war. They were resolved to have the head of Uncas. 

The United Colonies now declared war on the Narragansetts 
and began to raise troojjs. A mounted troop was despatched in 
advance. The Narragansetts, alarmed at this joint action of the 
colonies and at last awake to the leal value of King Charles' 
protection, sued for peace. Roger Williams again interposed 
and for the second time within eight j'^ears saved the general 
peace. Pessicus, with other sachems and a large train, went to 
Boston. A treaty was concluded, onerous in the extreme to the 
Narragansetts. They were condemned to pay two thousand 
fathoms of wampum within two years, a sum the magnitude of 
which best appears when compared with that demanded by them 
of Uncas. Captives and canoes were to be exchanged with the 
Mohegans ; all claim to the Pequot counti-y conquered partly 
by their arms was abandoned by the Narragansetts. The 
sachems, helpless, signed the treaty. A part of the lirst install- 
ment of the tribute was sent to Boston the spring of the next 
year. The venerable Canonicus died in June (the 4th) of this 
year. "He was laid to sleep," says Williams, " in the same most 
honorable manner and solemnity in their way as was Governor 
Winihrop himself." The burial of a Narragansett sachem was 



T 



202 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

an imposins: solemnity not unlike the ceremonies of the Chinese 
at the funeral rites of their dynastic emperors. 

Pessicus, summoned by the commissioners to answer for the 
neglect to fulfill the treaty, and charged besides with an at 
tempted conspiracy with the Mohawks, excused himself on plea 
of illness, declared that he had only accepted the treaty under 
duress, and sent Ninegret, sachem of the Niantics (or the West- 
erly tribe), to answer in his place. The Niantics wei'e not prop- 
erly Narragansetts but a tributary nation. Ninegret was, how- 
ever, related to the great sachems, his sister, Quiapen, having 
married Mexham, the son of Canonicus. He escaped from the 
commissioners under promise to pay one thousand fatlioms of 
wampum within twenty days after his return, the remainder in 
the spring. The tribute was not paid. Ninegret again appeared 
to answer for the failure and also a charge of an attempt to as- 
sassinate Uncas, of whose territorial and personal rights the 
commissioners were exceedingly tender. The next year an offi- 
cer and guard of men were sent to Narragansett, who surprised 
Pessicus in his wigwam, and dragging him by the hair from his 
attendants, made him prisoner. The sum was gathered, the 
debt paid, and the troops withcirew. 

Thus ended, in an act of personal outrage, of all the most of- 
fensive to Indian piide, seven years of Indian protest and 
English brutality. Yet, as Roger Williams stated later, " the 
Narragansetts had long been confederates with the English, 
faithful allies, true in the Pequot wars and the means of draw- 
ing the Mohegans to the alliance. Never had they stained their 
hands with any English blood neither in open hostilities nor in 
secret murders. Through all their towns and country many and 
ofttimes one Englishman travelled alone with safety and loving 
kindness," — and this was their reward. 

For three years, from 1644 to 1647, owing to a break in the 
records, there is no information as to the legislation of the col- 
ony upon Indian matters. In 1649 an order was made against 
the taking of black wampumpeage of the Indians at less than 
"four a penny" under penalty of total forfeiture, from which 
it appears that the value of this currency had fallen, owing in 
part to the greater abundance of commodities and in part to the 
gradual substitution of other money, which it was of course in 
the interest of the whites to foster. In 1651, whether to protect 
the Indians or the original grantees of the land, it was ordered 



IIISTOI'vY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 203 

that no purchases should thereafter be made of the natives for a 
l^lantation without the consent of the state, except for the 
clearing of the Indians from particuhir plantations already set 
down upon ; from which the theory already advanced of Indian 
right of occupanc}^ if not of domain, is confirmed. A breach of 
this order carried a forfeiture of the land thus bargained for. 
But this seemingly having been evaded, the law was again en- 
acted in 1058 with the addition of the forfeiture of twenty 
pounds to the colony in case of transgression. 

There was no doubt early regulation of the sale of liquors to 
the Indians, but drunkenness was now common among them. 
In 1654 the general sergeant was authorized to collect the tines 
from those offending in tiie sale and to take one half for his fees. 
The next year, for the preventing of the great mischief of the 
Indian drunkenness two ordinary (tavern) keejiers were ap- 
pointed in each town to whom it was alone permitted to sell any 
sort of strong diink either to English or to Indians by retail, 
that is under a gallon, under penalty of five pounds for each 
offense, one half to go to the constable and the other to the in- 
former ; and further, that neither of these ordinary keepers 
should sell more than a quarter of a pint of liquors or wines a 
day to an Indian ; and in case an Indian were found drunk, the 
ordinary keeper by whose means he was made drunk was fined 
twenty shillings for each person's transgression, the Indian to 
pay ten shillings or be whipped or "laid neck and heels." Tlie 
clause of the law authorizing the sale of a quarter of a pint in a 
day to an Indian was repealed in 1656, and in 1659 a stringent 
statute was passed against either selling or giving either strong 
drinks or wine directly or indirectly to any Indian, any person 
being allowed to seize from any Indian carrying it and convert 
it to their own use: only it was allowed to give a dram to an 
hired Indian servant. In this year also an elaborate statute 
regulated punishment for Indian thefts ; their petty robbing 
and pilfering and inability to make restitution proving of great 
damage. The value of white peage is here fixed at six a penny, 
and in case of inability to pay the penalty and costs of trial, it 
was made lawful for the judges of the court where the trial was 
had to condemn the Indian offender "to be sold as a slave to 
any foreign counti-y of the English subjects." 

Although, as has been seen, the crushing blow in the destruc- 
tion of the Pequots was struck by the troops of Connecticut 



204 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUKTY. 

and their allies of the Narragansett tribe, neither the one nor the 
other was considered in the distribution of the spoils. Prompted 
either by wisdom or disdain, or perhaps even deeper motives 
of a Machiavellian order of policy, the English did not ap- 
parently contest the tribal sovereignty of the Narragansetts 
over the sachems of the intervening tribes, but confined their 
demand to the lion's share of the conquest, the soil itself, and 
the commissioners of the United Colonies assigned to Massa- 
chusetts the entire Pequot country. We have seen also the 
imprudent sale by Miantonomi and Pumhara of Shawomet, in 
1642, to a company of settlers who were in quarrel with the 
Massachtisetts colony. The next year the authority of the 
Narragansetts being rudely shaken by the death of Miantonomi, 
Pumham repudiated the sale he had himself authenticated as a 
witness, and apparently assuming an independent authority, 
made forma) submission (June, 1643) to the jurisdiction of 
Massachusetts. The sachems of the Pawtuxet, also under the 
tribal sovereignty of the Narragansetts, made similar submission 
at tlie satue time. By this defection the sovereignty of the 
Narragansetts was narrowed almost to the original limits of 
tlie ti'ibe. The Wampanoags and the wandering Nipmucks 
of tlie northern ccMintry had long since accepted English pro- 
tection; the Niantics who lived about the Pawcatuck river alone 
held iirmly to their ancient allegiance. It was not long before 
the general court made the sachems of Pawtuxet and Shawomet 
to understand the meaning of submission. They were held to 
obey the summons of the court. 

It was at this meeting of the court that a final insult was put 
upon the Narragansetts by a grant to Captain Atherton, the 
brutal insulter of the sachem Pessicus, of five hundred acres 
of land in the Narragansett territory. The Narragansetts seem 
to have understood tiie folly of an attempt to resist this con- 
stant encroachment of the English with a front so broken. But 
the white men were by no means at their ease. The breaking 
out of war between the English and the Dutch (1652) was a fresh 
cause of alarn); not from any fear of their neighbors of the 
New Amsterdam colony on Manhattan island, but from the 
uncertainty of the attitude of the Indian tribes. The Maquas 
or Mohawks, by far the most powerful of the Indian nations, 
had long been the faithful friends of tlie Dutch, to whom they 
were bound by the famous treaty of Corlear. Should the Dutch 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 205 

enlist them in their service and they in tnrn form a league with 
the Narragansetts, the peril would be supreme,even though the 
Mohegans should stand fast or even hold aloof from the con- 
test. In April, 1653, the council of Massachusetts sent messen- 
gers to question Pessicus, Mexham, the son of Canonicus, and 
Ninegret, the three chief sachems of the Narragansetts. Their 
answers to the several queries did not satisfy the commisioners. 
But while unwilling to affront the Englisli power by direct act 
of hostility, the sachems took advantage of the occasion to pun- 
ish the defection of the Long Island tribes, whom the}' assailed 
in the September following. For this they were again called to 
account by messengers from the commissioners,and their answer 
being again unsatisfactory, war was declared by the commis- 
sioners. But Massachusetts prudently pronouncing the cause 
insufficient, this declaration was not carried into effect. 

According to Roger Williams' account, John Endicott, the 
governor of the Massachusetts colon}', had expressly given 
consent to Ninegret to right himself against the "insolent 
challenges of the Long Island sachem." Ninegret took his 
revenge, but at the request of the English restored the captives. 
The next year (1654) the Long Islanders treacherously broke 
the peace and slaughtered at midnight near thirty of the Narra- 
gansetts at Block Island, one of whom was the nephew of Nine- 
gret. The war broke out afresh and the Narragansetts from 
AquJdneck went to the assistance of their chief. The United 
Colonies, alarmed again, sent messengers to Ninegret summon- 
ing liim to Hartford; he returned a haughty reply, refused to 
go to Hartford and asked to be let alone by the English. Roger 
Williams, the president of the Providence colony, addressed 
the general court of Massachusetts, defending tlie fealty of the 
Narragansetts to the English and justifying their war of self- 
defense against the Long Island tribes. In this interesting 
document he describes the Narragansetts and " Mohawks as 
the two great tribes of Indians in the country, as confederates 
and long liaving been and both yet friendly and peaceable to 
the English," and urges the need of frieiulsliip with one if ever 
the Englisli should go to war with the other. From this letter 
it is also learned that these two nations had of late not been 
friendly, but that their differences were now healed and some 
of the Narragansetts had gone home with the Mohawks on a 
visit. He expresses the fear that in case of any great defeat to 



206 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

the English, Mohawks and Narragansetts, Long Islanders and 
Mohegans would unite against tbem. 

However this just api)eal and sound reasoning may have 
affected the Massachusetts government, it did not prevent the 
dispatch of a force by the commissioners. The Indians with- 
drew to the refuge of a swamp and the troops returned unsuc- 
cessful, to the mortification of the commissioners at Hartford. 
The influence of Massachusetts brought the struggle to a close. 
The unavenged murder of Miantonomi still haunted the con- 
sciences of his tribe. The perfidious retention of his ransom 
by Uncas shocked the sense of justice, one of the strongest 
traits of Indian character, not only of the Narragansetts but of 
the Mohawks. Alike thej?^ looked upon the renegade Pequot 
chief of the Mohegans as an outlaw. In the interview of the 
Mohawks with the Narragansetts measures of concerted action 
were agreed upon, and the Mohawks sent out a large force 
against the common enemy in the summer of 1657, but all their 
plans of surprise, an essential part of Indian tactics, were set at 
naught by information given to the Mohegans bj^ the English 
scouts. It is strange to understand the determined effort of the 
English settlers in tlie Pequot country to thwart all efforts of 
the Narragansetts against the Mohegans, unless it be that they 
held their expeditions to be an invasion of the soil which they 
sought to bring within jurisdiction of the Connecticut colonies. 
So constant was this interposition that, on the request of the 
Narragansett sachems, the general court of commissioners held 
for the colony of Providence Plantations at Warwick in July, 
addressed a remonstrance to the English settlei's at Pequot, in- 
timating in a plain way that it was the opinion of the Narra- 
gansetts that the English scouts were acting, not under the 
orders of the colony but in the pay of Uncas himself. They give 
notice also that the Mohawks were coming down in numbers 
and would pay little legard to any scouts they might find giving 
notice to tlie enemy. 

In May, 1660, the final act iu the series of villainies was 
committed by the commissioners of the United Colonies 
upon the Narragansetts. For alleged injuries on the Mohe- 
gans, which their sachems denied, a heavy fine was levied 
upon the Narragansetts and an armed force sent down to compel 
them to mortgage their entire territory for the payment of a 
sum of six hundred fathoms of wampumpeage within four 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 207 

months. Six montlis were allowed for ledemptioii. The Indians 
were unable to effect the redemption and in the spring of 1662 
the sachems delivered formal possession. The mortgage deed 
was signed by Sucqiiansli, Ninegret, Scuthip and Wiquanlva- 
mitt, chief sachems of the Narraganselts, and beai-s date 13th, 
1660. 

The history of the Narragansett empire ends here; and yet 
the sachems retained somewhat of their dignity. In 1664, soon 
alter the restoration of Charles the Second, a roj'al commis- 
sion was issued to reduce the Dutch provinces in America to 
subjection, and further, to determine all questions of appeal 
and jurisdiction and all boundary disputes arising in the New 
England colonies. On their arrival in Rhode Island the Narra- 
gansett sachems confirmed to them the formal submission they 
had made by writings to tlie crown in 1660, and they agreed to 
pay an annual tribute of two wolf skins and not to make war 
or to sell land without the consent of the authorities appointed 
over them by the crown. While they had parted with their 
territory they still acknowledged no sovereignty except that 
of the English king. 

King Philip's War. — A new and startling figure now ap- 
pears upon the scene ; the hero of a dramatic episode similar in 
character and not inferior in interest to that which Parkman 
has made famous in his glowing page : that vast plot, which 
the Puritans call in their qnaint phrase, " tlie Design of 
Philip," was the jirototype, and perhaps, though a century 
earlier, the suggestive cause of the "Conspiracy of Pontiac." 

The name of the proud young chief of the Wampanoags, 
Philip of Pokanoket, first aiapears upon the records of the 
colony with a simplicity which denotes his consequence ; in an 
order of disarmament of all the Indians on Aquidneck island 
because of information from Seconck of " such dejwrtment of 
the Indians, especially of Philip, which giveth great occasion 
of suspicion of them and their treacherous designes." Not 
otherwise does history name its heroes, its sages, its kings. 

Massa.soit, the sachem of the Wampanoags, whose dominion 
spread along the coast from Narragansett bay to Cape Cod, died 
in the winter of 1661 to 1662, and with him closed the era of 
peace and good will between the lords of the soil and the Eng- 
lish invaders. For forty years he kept sacred the treaty made 
with the Pilgrim fathers. In the early days of the weak Ply- 



208 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

mouth settlement, when, wasted by disease and famine, they 
wonkl liave fallen an easy prey to concerted action among the 
many tribes whom he swayed, he not only held to his compact, 
but with generous hand gave to them of his abundance. As 
years went by the annoj^ances and encroachments of the white 
men increased. 

No race has better understood the policy of divide and con- 
quer than the Saxon. It has been the history of its progress 
and empire. To the Pilgrim fathers it was a native instinct. 
One by one the tribes whicli had acknowledged the rale of the 
chief fell from their allegiance, and, yielding to the intrigui's 
of their white neighbors, asserted their independence. Mas- 
sasoit's chief residence was on Narragansett bay, at what is now 
the town of Bristol, at a spot called Sowams by the Wampa- 
noags, Pokanoket by the Narragansetts, and Mount Hope by 
the early colonists. }[ere, at the headland of the peninsula 
which commanded tiie beautiful bay, with its swarming waters 
and fertile islands, "the very garden of New England," the 
old chieftain, " the earliest and firmest friend of the Pilgrims," 
had his seat of patriarchial government ; and here resided with 
him two sons, Wanisutta and Pometacom or Metacomet. To 
these young sachems the names of Alexander and Philip were 
given on occasion of a visit to Plymouth court, about the year 
1656. 

Wamsntta or Alexander, the elder of the brothers, increased 
his power by a marriage with Wetanioo, squaw sachem of 
Pocasset (now Tiverton), the chief of tlie Indian villages on the 
eastern mainland. On the death of Massasoit, Wamsutta, who 
had shared the government during the declining years of his 
father, became chief sachem. The proud spirit of the young 
chiefs had long chafed under the quiet submission of their aged 
father and the general policy of non-resistance which he main- 
tained to the close. That any general plan of conspiracy was 
thus early conceived is not probable, but there is little doubt 
that the germ of a concerted action by savage tribes of the con- 
tinent lay deep within their politic souls. There was example 
of the power of union close at their doors in the military force 
of the United Colonies, and proof that such alliance was not 
beyond the reach of Indian diplomacy in the wonderful struc- 
ture of the confederation of the six nations of the New York 
]iroviii('i'. 



IIISTOIJY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 2()9 

• Massasoit was hai'dly in his grave before nniiors were rite in. 
the Plymouth colony that Warasutta was plotting against the 
English, anrl the distinct charge was broiiglit that he had iil- 
ready made oveitiires to the Narragansetts, tiie hereditary 
enemies of his (lihe. Summoned before the general court at 
Plymoutli, he did not nppear, wiiereupon he was seized by an 
armed force at o.ne of his iiunting stations and forcibly carried 
off prisoner, witli liis train of warriors and women, some eighty 
in numbei'. Crazed with anger and fatigue, he fell ill and was 
permitted to return home on promise of attendance at the next 
court and the surrender of his son as a hostage. He died be- 
fore he reached his wigwams. The more moderate of the Puri- 
tans did not hesitate to condemn this rigor. The Indians did 
not forget it. The widow nursed her feelings of revenge. The 
injury rankled deep in tlie heart of the brother, and stirred to 
life the fated germs wliicli (iame to full fi'uition in such disaster, 
devastation and death as liad never before fallen upon tlie Eng- 
lish settlements. 

Metacomet, or Philip, now became chief sachem. He still 
further strengtliened his power by marriage with the sister of 
Wetamoo, widow of Wamsutta, the squaw sachem of the Po- 
cassets. From tiie very beginning of his sway he undertook 
the vast enterprise of a union of the tribes to the alternative of 
Indian independencie or English extei'niination. Prudent and 
politic, iiis line of conduct effectually cloaked his designs. 
Answering witiiout hesitation the summons of the general court, 
he made submission, consented to treaties, even to pay tribute; 
in a word agreed to whatever was required of him by the Ply- 
mouth autliorities. By what means he soothed the jealousies 
of the neigiiboring tribes, assuaged tlieir rivalries and brought 
them to a common action is not, will never be known. Indian 
liistory is in a manner a sealed book. We know their motives 
and see the results, but not their metliods. Strange Indians 
were constantly at Mount Hope, and Philip's emissaries were 
heard of wherever there was disaffection. The mere pi'esence 
of Ills ancient men with Ninecraft, sachem of the Narragan- 
setts in 1669, was held sufficient evidence of a plot to warrant 
the arrest of that chief. At this time also Governor Lovelace, 
of the New York province, informed Governor Arnold of 
lihode Island of apprehensions liad at the east end of Long Is- 

14 



210 HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

land of a rising bj' the Narragansetts, but in the same letter 
said that he did not thin'i them in a condition strong enough to 
make any such attempt. But in the spring of 1671 Lovelace 
was of another mind. In a letter to Governor Prince lie says, 
"I verily believe by what relations I have met with, even of 
our own (New York) Indians, the defection seemed almost uni- 
versal." Again Philip, not yet ready, bent to the storm. At 
a conference held at Taunton in April his men gave up their 
arms, and in September he made submission at Plymouth. 

No data exist by which even to appro.xiraate the number of 
the Indian tribes to which Philip addressed himself. We only 
know that in the report of the king's commissioners, made in 
December, 1660, the Rhode Island colony is credited with the 
"greatest number of Indians," but as yet there had been no 
harmony of feeling or action between them and the neighbor- 
ing tribes. 

Early in May, 1667, on information of the suspicious deport- 
ment of the Indians, especially of Philip, the Rhode Island 
council which sat in the intermissions of the assembly, had or- 
dered the disarming of all the Indians on the island, leaving 
the magistrates of Providence and Warwick to do as they saw 
fit ; and on the lOtli, fully satisfied of the existence of plots, 
every Indian above sixteen was ordered by proclamation to 
leave the island. Only a license from the governor, the deputy 
governor or two assistants in the island was an adequate pass- 
port. But even at this juncture the number on the island 
proper must have been small. It does not ajipear that this or- 
der had been repeated. 

On the eastern mainland Philip naturally turned to his sister- 
in-law, Wetamoo, the squaw sachem of Pocasset (now Tiverton) 
who, although she had condescended, after Wamsutta's death, 
to a marriage with an Indian of lesser degree, was eager to re- 
venge the death of her first husband. Beyond, on the head- 
land opposite to Rhode Island, was the tribe of the Sogknonates, 
who occupied the territory from Fogland ferrj^ to the sea, some 
seven to eight miles long; Seconnet, later Little Compton. 
Their squaw sachem, Awashonks, timid or prudent, hesitated, 
controlled by the advice of Mr. Benjamin Church, who had 
lately made a settlement on the point, and chanced upon a great 
dance at the very moment when she was entertaining Philip's 
She was herself quite willing to be dissuaded 



HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 211 

fioni joining the league, but the young braves would not be held 
back. For weeks Philip entertained the youth of the tribes 
from near and far, at Mount Hope, with dances, until crazed 
with excitement, and even he could not longer control them. In 
an unfortunate hour, furious with the indignity put upon him 
in the hanging of his executioners, as though he were a vassal 
of the English power and not a lord of the soil, he yielded to 
the entreaty of his braves and consented to the beginning of 
depredations. 

For four years constant rumors had alarmed the borders. 
The plans of Philip, it is generally believed, were laid for an 
uj^rising in the spring of 1676, but as usual in time of extreme 
tension, the outbreak was hastened in an unforseen manner. 
One of John Eliot's "praying Indians" of the Massachusetts 
tribe, who had received instruction at Harvard College and later 
served Alexander and Philip as secretary-, discovered and be- 
trayed tJie plans of the sachem to the Plymouth governor. In- 
dian justice quickly reached the traitor, who was found dead in 
an ice pond. The executioners were in their turn betrayed, 
tried by a mixed jury of whites and Indians, found guilty and 
put to death. From this time Philip kept his men in arms, 
moving from place to place, gathering forces and to avoid sur- 
prise. 

Alarmed at the near approach of hostilities, Mr. John Easton, 
the deputy governor of Rhode Island, together with three other 
magistrates, reljdng on their ancient friendship, sought an in- 
terview with Phili]). By Easton's own account of the interest- 
ing event the Indians had the best of the argument. Indeed, 
what answer could be made to Philip's complaint that " when 
the English first came their king's father (Massasoit) was as a 
great man and the English as a little child ; he constrained 
other Indians from wronging the English and gave them corn 
and showed them how to plant, and was free to do them any 
good, and had let them have one hundred times more laud than 
now the king had for his own people." To the magistrates' 
persuasion that he should abandon the thought of war " for the 
English were too strong for them," the Indians said " then the 
English should do to them as they did when they were too 
strong for the English." 

Not less striking was Philip's reply to John Borden, of 
Rhode Island, a warm friend who urged him to peace. "The 



212 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Engjlish wlio came first to this country were but an handful of 
people, forlorn, poor and distressed. My father was then 
sachem. He relieved their distresses in the most kind and hos- 
pitable manner. He gave them land to build and plant upon. 
He did all in his power to serve them. Others of their own 
countrymen came and joined them. Tlieir numbers rapidly in- 
creased. My father's counsellors became uneasy and alarmed 
lest, as thej'^ were possessed of firearms which was not the case 
with the Indians, they should finally undertake to give law to 
the Indians and take from them their country. They therefore 
advised him to desti'oy tliem before they should become too 
strong and it should be too late. My father was also the father 
of the English. He represented to his counsellors and warrior.s 
that the English knew many sciences wliich the Indians did not; 
that they improved and cultivated the earth and raised cattle 
and fruits, and that thei-e was sufficient room in the country for 
both the English and the Indians. His advice prevailed. It was 
concluded to give victuals to the English. They flourished and 
increased. Experience taught that the advice of my father's 
counsellors was right. By various means they got possession 
of a great part of his territory. But he still remained their 
friend till he died. My elder brother became sachem. They 
pretended to suspect him of evil designs against them. He was 
seized and confined and thereby thrown into sickness and died. 
Soon after I became sachem they disarmed all my people. They 
tried my people by their own laws and assessed damages 
against them which they could not pay. Their land was taken. 
At length a line of division was agreed upon between the En- 
glish and my people and I myself was to be responsible. Some- 
times the cattle of the English would come into the cornfields 
of my people for they did not make fences like tiie English. I 
must then be seized and confined until I sold another tract of 
my country for satisfaction of all damages and costs. Thus 
tract after tract is gone. But a small part of tlie dominion of 
my ancestors remains. I am determined not to live till I have 
no country. 

With such a spirit there was no room for comjjosition. Nor 
was there more disposition to arrangement on the part of the 
English, for hardly had the Rhode Island mediators departed 
from the Ferry, the scene of their interview, " without any dis- 
curtiousness," when they were notified by the riymouth gov- 



irrsTouY c)i.^ newi'ort county. 213 

ernoi- tliat he intended '•inarms to conform Philip," that is to re- 
duce him 'to subjection. All hopes of peace were now at an end. 
Hostilities were preceded by individual depredations. The war 
opened by an attack made at Swansea on Sunday, the 24th of 
June, 1675, on the people returning from public woi'ship. 
Philip's young braves would no longer be restrained. At first 
only deserted houses on the neck of Pocanoket were plundered, 
but a shot being tired and an Indian wounded, the savages could 
not be controlled. A number of whites were waylaid and 
killed. Troops soon arrived and under the guidance of Mr. 
Benjamin Church, of Little Compton, the neck was occupied 
and Philip withdrew from Mount Hope to a swamp at Pocasset, 
where he successfully defended himself and drove back the 
soldiers, and later, hard pressed, escaped toward the Nipmucks 
in Worcester county. 

During the summer and autumn the Indians hung about the 
Massachusetts and Connecticut settlements with brand and 
tomahawk. No further doubt existing that the Narragansetts 
were in alliance with Philip, the commissioners of the United 
Colonies declared war against them in November and in Decem- 
ber marched an army of fifteen hundred to two thousand men 
to their reduction. The Indians' force at the beginning of the 
war has been estimated by the highest authorities at ten thou- 
sand warriors ; of these the Narragansetts alone had two thou- 
sand, those of the Plymouth country at least four thousand. 

But perhaps because of the precipitancy of the war the 
scheme of Philip to the westward seems to have failed. The 
Long Island Indians, none of whom were warlike tribeSj and 
always held well in hand by the governor of the New York 
province, were early disarmed and their canoes secured, while 
an armed sloop patrolled the sound to i)revent the crossing of 
the ill disposed. Watches were kept, block liouses erected on 
the coast and heavy guns sent to the islands of Nantucket and 
Marthas Vineyard, both of wliicli were under New York 
authority. Later in October, news reaching New York of an 
extraordinary confederac}'' of the Indians and a threatened at- 
tack on Hartford of from five to six thousand and of disturb- 
ance at the Navesinks, the same stringent rules were applied in 
the vicinity of New York and all the canoes in tiie sound east 
of Hell Gate were ordered into the ))lock house. A few days 
later proclanuitions were sent out comnumding the erection 



214 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

and fortification of a block or palisadoed house in every town 
or village in the province. The sale of powder at Albany to 
the Indians was prohibited by an order of council. In Mary- 
land theSusquehannas rose. Fortunately for the New England 
colonies the great Mohawk confederacy stood aloof and the 
river Indians, of whom the chief were the Mohegans, who occu- 
pied the eastern border between the Hudson and the Connec- 
ticut colony, were controlled by Uncas, their sachem, a revolted 
Pequot and a faithful ally of his English neighbors. The ex- 
tent of the alarm is itself proof of the genius of Philip. 

On the 18th of December, 1675, the English troops found the 
Indians with Philip at their head, gathered with their families 
to the number of three thousand on a piece of upland or high 
ground three or four acres in extent, in the midst of a difficult 
swamp in what is now SoTith Kingstown, about seven miles 
nearly due west from Narragansett south ferry. The Narragan- 
setts had surrounded his camp with pallisades and a heavy 
abattis of inclined trees. They were thoroughly provisioned 
and well armed. And here it may be stated that the Indians 
were now well used to firearms, though owing to the disarma- 
ment to which Philip had been forced to submit, the supply of 
muskets, powder and ball was small. Not until their territory 
was invaded did the Narragansetts forget their old league of 
friendship with the Rhode Island colony, and the English 
array was almost at their wigwams before they fell upon the 
isolated garrisons of the whites. 

The first overt act of the waj' was the surprise of Bull's garri- 
son at South Kingstown about the 15th of December. On the 
18th, the weather being intensely cold, the English army 
marched through heavy snow to the assault of the fortified 
enclosure. Besides the enlisted quotas of Massachusetts, 
Plymouth and Connecticut, one thousand men, including a 
troop of horse, there marched one hundred and fifty Indians, 
Mohegans of the tribe ruled by Uncas, and the remains of the 
broken Pequots, eager for revenge on the destroyers of their 
race. With the volunteers who joined the marching body in 
the Rhode Island colony the number could not have been less 
than fifteen hundred men. No records show how many men 
the councils of war in the Rhode Island towns mustered for 
this engagement, nor yet if there were any regularly enlisted. 
Indeed, but for the recent massacres of the outlying garrisons, 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 215 

it is questionable whether any of her people would have volun- 
teered for the fray. They were commanded by General Josiah 
Winslo\v,with whom rode, as an aid and counsellor,Captain Ben- 
jamin Church, who was already well known for his knowledge 
of Indian character and ways, and who now showed not only 
great personal courage, but high military qualities, prudence, 
judgment and foresight, which won for him his indisputable 
place in history as the foremost Indian fighter of his day. 

Arriving before the narrow entrance to the enclosure, which 
■was flanked by a block house, early in the afternoon, the Eng- 
lish sought in vain to force the passage or climb over the sharp 
breastworks. For three hours the carnage I'aged, at one time 
the assailants being driven from the assault. At last an en- 
trance was effected in the rear by the reserve guai'd. The Indians, 
out of powder and ball, had but their bows and arrows with which 
to resist this double attack. The wigwams were flred and the 
enclosure blazed with the flames of five hundred dwellings. 
Night closed the dreadful scene. In this, the most deadly bat- 
tle in the history of New England, the Indians lost in killed, 
wounded and prisoners not less than one thousand, of whom 
one-third perished in the flames and as man}^ more in the fight. 

To the English the victory was at a heavy cost. How many 
were slain, how many wounded, how many perished in the snow 
on the return is not now known. The estimates vary from two 
to four hundred. But among these were a large number of the 
officers that led the assault. Six of the cajotains fell in the first 
attempt to force the entrance. Church himself was badly 
wounded. From motives of policy, as well as humanity, he had 
opposed the firing of the w-igwams. Owing to this error the 
victors and the vanquished alike suffered. One half of the 
losses of the English are ascribed to the want of shelter for the 
wounded on the night of the battle, and in the forced march 
homeward in the cold and snow of the December night. No 
positive evidence has come down as to the presence of Philip at 
this fight. That there were AVampanoags of his adherents 
among the Narragansetts is certain from the refusal of Canon- 
chet, the Narragansett chief, to the demands of the English in 
November, but according to Church's recital Philip himself was 
at this time on the Hoosac river, engaged in an attempt to enlist 
the Mohawks in the general cause. 

Andros, governor of New York, writing to the governor of 



'J16 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Maryland a few days before the swamp fight, says that, " bas- 
ing tlinir action on their means in the Plymouth and Massa- 
chusetts colonies, the eastern Indians were endeavoring by all 
means of command and profit to engage the Maquas (Mohawks) 
and sent to all other parts, as far as Canada."' All accounts 
agree that Philip failed in these negotiations, and some assert 
that he was driven from the Hoosac by a descent of their war- 
riors. However this may be, he is found in the spring with the 
Narragansetts. They had tlien made their winter quarters in a 
"rocky swamp," about twenty miles to the northward of Wick- 
ford, where the English troops went into garrison. The winter, 
rude in the beginning, was unusually mild in January. The 
troops, re-inforced, dislodged the Indians from their new po- 
sition, pursued their broken organization, and were then dis- 
banded. 

The war was by no means over, the hostile tribes gathering 
in the spring in the Nipmuck country, in the rear of Wachuset 
hills, in the neighborhood of Worcester, where it is supposed 
that Philip joined them. The upper towns of Rhode Island 
colony, trembling not only for safety, but for life, besought aid 
of the general assembly. This body convened on the 13th of 
March, 1676, at Newport, to consider the hazardous situation, 
replied by letters to the appeals of Providence and Warwick 
that the colony was not "of ability to maintain suflicient gar- 
risons for the security of the out-plantations," and advised the 
inhabitants to come into the island, which was most secure. 
The Newport and Portsmouth inhabitants had taken care, they 
said, that land should be provided by the towns for those to 
plant who could not otherwise find land, and pasturage for a 
cow would be given to each family ; and they warned those that 
stayed out with their cattle, provisions and ammunition that it 
was at their own hazard and to the probable advantage of the 
enemy. On the same day, to further enforce the orders of the 
council of war on the island, they directed that every Indian 
from twelve years old and upward in the custody of the inhab- 
itants should be secured, a keeper attending him by day and 
securely locking him up at night, under heavy forfeiture This 
order was published in the towns of Newport and Portsmouth 
by beat of drum. 

To temper this rigor the assembly voted that " noe Indian in 
this colony be a slave, luit only to pay their debts or for tlieir 



HIST01!Y OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 217 

bring-ill"- up or custody they have received'or to perform cove- 
nant as if they had been countrymen not iu war." How many 
Indians there were on the island at this time is not known, tlie 
census taken in separate lists of English, Negrues and Indians 
in April, as also the provision of corn, guns, powder, shot and 
lead, having disapi)eared Ironi the archives, nor is there author- 
ity for even an approximate estimate. 

The fears of the petitioners on the mainland were immediately 
realized. Warwick was sacked and burned, only one house, 
and that of stone, escaping. On the other hand, only one of 
tlie inhabitants was slain. Providence was deserted. The town 
records give the names of thirty men only "That stayed and 
went not away." The venerable Roger Williams, the father of 
the colony, now seventy-seven years of age, was the captain of 
the train l)and. It is related that when the Indians approached 
tlie town he went out alone to meet and admonish them. 
" Massachusetrs," said he, so runs the tradition, "can raise 
iliousands of men at this moment, and if you kill them the 
King of England will supply their places as fast as they fall." 
"Well, let them come," was the reply, "We are ready for 
them. But as for you. Brother Williams, you are a good man; 
you have been kind to us many years ; not a hair of your 
head shall be touched." The town was assaulted on the 29th or 
:!Oth of March. Some fifty-four houses at the north end were 
l>urned. There is no record of any killing of persons. Certain 
it is that Roger Williams was n(jt harmed. 

h\ April, the assembly, at an adjourned meeting, held on the 
first Tuesday, organized a service of boats for defen.se of the 
waters of the bay ; four boats, with live or si.\ men in each, 
well furnished, one-third of the men to be of Portsmouth if 
thought best. The persons charged with the ordering and em- 
ploy of these were : Mr. John Easton, deputy governor, Mr. 
Walter Clarke, Captain John Cranston, Mr. John Coggeshall 
and Mr. Caleb Carr for Newjjort ; Captain John Albro, Mr. 
Robert Hodgson and Mr. Robert Hazard for Portsmouth. 
Power was given them to increase or diminish the number of 
boats, as tiiey found cause. This is the first mention of a naval 
force on the records. It appears from other sources that it con- 
sisted of sloops, and tiiat tlie colony had sent out several sloops 
well manned in June of the ])revious year. It is claimed by 
.Mr. Arnold, the historian of the state, that it is the first instance 



218 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

in the history of the colonies when a naval armament was relied 
on for defense. "It was," he says, "the germ for a future 
Rhode Island squadron a century later, and for an ultimate 
American navy." 

It was further voted that a barrel of powder be supplied to 
Portsmouth, and the two great guns lying in the yard of the late 
deceased Mr. William Brenton be pressed for the country's ser- 
vice and carried to Portsmouth, and placed one in the ferr\' neck, 
the other at or near the house of Mr. John Borden. The pow- 
der and guns were entrusted to Captain John Albro, Mr. Robert 
Hazard. Lieut. William Correy and John San ford, who were 
empowered at the charge of the country to cause the guns to 
be set on carriages and fitted for service, and to appoint for the 
care and ordering of each. And further the company and 
council of the most judicious was invited at their next sitting 
of the assembly, which was adjourned to meet again the ne.xt 
Tuesday, the 11th inst., at Henry Palmer's houSe in Newport. 

The hot work of March seems to liave forced the peace loving- 
people from their neutrality, and there were surely those among 
the judicious inhabitants who longed to have a hand in the 
stirring fray. For nearly ten years little or nothing had been 
done by the authorities to further the organization of the militia 
or the discipline of the train band on the island, but now it was 
agreed to choose a major to be the "chiefe Captain of all the 
colony's forces," to have his commission from the general as- 
sembly. Captain John Cranston was chosen major, yet true to 
the old spirit of purelj'^ popular will, it was conditioned that 
this action should "noe wayes extend to hinder the liberty of 
the soldiery in their election of a major when soe appointed by 
the assembly to elect." The acts, as usual, were published by 
beat of drum at Newport and Portsmouth. Major Cranston 
continued in his command during tlie remainder of King 
Philip's war, and his commission was later renewed in 1077. 

Canonchet was surprised in April near the Biackstone river. 
The fall of this, the last of Narragansett's great sachems, was 
a fatal blow to Philip's cause. For two months the Rhode Is- 
land colony was left in comparative peace. In June the Indians 
made the famous assault on Hadley on the Connecticut river. 
While Philip was absent on this raid Colonel Church made a 
treaty with Awashonks, queen of the Seconnet tribe. The 
squaw sachem received a safe conduct from the Rhode Island 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 219 

assembly sitting at Newport. About tlie same time this body- 
sent back to Providence the Indian captives which had been de- 
livered them for safe keej^ing, "judging they properly belonged 
to Plymouth colony." 

After the defeat at Hadley the Indians again ravaged the 
Plymouth country. Pursued by the English, they were again 
surprised in a cedar swamp near Warwick. Magnus, an old 
queen of Narragansett, and sister of Ninegret, was taken, and 
with ninety other captives, slain. In this engagement the In- 
dians lost one hundred and seventy-one, the English not a sin- 
gle man. The savages now began to submit,, many coming in 
to Conanicut. The main body fled to the Housatouic, where 
they were overtaken by Major Talcott and nearly annihilated. 
Meanwhile Governor Winslow had commissioned Captain 
Church to take a force of two hundred men and break up 
Philip's retreat at Mount Hope. Two Rhode Island companies, 
under Lieutenant Richmond and Captain Edmonds, brought in 
nearly fifty captives, who were sold into service in the colony 
for a term of nine years, as were all other captives taken. None 
were permitted to enter the island. Philip's followers were 
gradually captured, and the sachem himself took refuge in a 
swamp near Mount Hope, the home of his race. But his un- 
daunted spirit would not stoop to surrender. A follower who 
counselled submission was slain by his own hand. The swamj) 
was now surrounded. Captain Roger Goulding, of Rhode Is- 
land, went in to drive out the few that remained. An Indian 
named Alderman, a brother of the man Philip had thus uncere- 
moniously killed, shot the chieftain through the heart. The 
body was dragged to Captain Church, who ordered his head to 
be cut off and his body to be quartered. The head was sent to 
Plymouth, where it was exposed on a gibbet for twenty years. 
The body was hung on four trees. One hand was sent to Bos- 
ton as a trophy, the other was given to the Indian who killed 
him and was exhibited for money. 

Some of the Indians escaped from the swamp under the lead 
of an old warrior, Annawan, a chief counsellor of Massasoit. 
Church captured him l)y surprise and received from him, as his 
memoirs say, "Philijj's belt, curiously wrought with wampum, 
being nine inches broad wrought with black and white wam- 
pum in various figures and flowers and pictures of many birds 
and beasts." This, when hanged upon Captain Church's shoul- 



220 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

ders, reached liis ankles, and another belt of wampum he pre- 
sented him with wrou,2;ht after the former manner, which Philip 
was wont to put upon his head. It had two flags on the back part 
wliich hung down on his back, and another small belt with a star 
upon the end of it which he used to hang on his breast, and 
they were all edged with red hair which Annawan said they got 
in the Mohoys (Mohawks) country. Then he pulled out two 
horns of glazed powder and a red cloth blanket. He told Cap- 
tain Church these were Philip's royalties which he was wont to 
adorn himself with when he sat in state." 

Young Metacomet, the only son of Philip, and numberless 
Indian captives taken at this period, were sent as slaves to 
Spain and the West Indies. In the entire struggle the Pagan 
Indian, in his treatment of captive.?, showed a higher civiliza- 
tion than his Christian foes. 

After defeat punishment. Such is the customarj- sequence of 
war. And now the hand of vengeance was no longer stayed by 
tlie fear of reprisal by the crushed foe. Already the council of 
Rhode Island by act of July 24th, 1676, had empowered a com- 
mittee to sell the Indian men aiid women able for service, an 
act confirmed by the general assembly on the 6th of August fol- 
lowing with the limitation tiiat those so sold should be for the 
term of nine years. In .Tune it had been voted to return the In- 
dians sent by Captain Roger Williams from Providence on the 
])lea that they belonged to Plymouth colony, because it was said 
that they were left as hostages to the English forces. The 
peaceful colony stood iu equal dread of the United Colonies 
and of Philip's savage confederacy. 

Philip fell on the morning of Saturday the 12th of August. 
On Monday the 14th, the town authorities of Providence, upon 
the recommendation of a committee of live, of which Roger 
Williams was the first named, condemned all their Indian cap- 
tives, innocent and guilty alike, to terms of servitude — " All In- 
dians under five to serve till 30, above 5 and under 10 till 28, 
above 10 to 15 till 27, above 15 to 20 till 26. From 20 to 30 to 
serve 8 years, all above 30, 7 years;" a graduation seemingly 
devLsed to secure tlie master against any contingency of loss by 
the support and nourishment of the servant at a non-wage earn- 
ing age. A record of the proceeds of this sale of the first com- 
pany of Indians on account of the townsmen, shows the share of 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 221 

each mail to have been sixteen shillings and fourpence half- 
pennj^ 

Bnt there were other captives made by the Rhode Island 
troops in the course of the campaign and held for trial and the 
stern I'igor of the law. Among the powers granted to the colony 
in its charter was that " to exercise the Law-Martiall in such cases 
as occasions shall necessarily require and ujion Just (^ause to 
invade and destro.y the native Indians and other enemies of the 
said colony." A court martial, composed of the major part of 
the government and a large number of military officers, was 
convened at Newport on the 24t]i of August, 167(), for the trial 
of the Indians charged with being engaged in Philip's designs, 
that is with rebellion against the colony in adhering to Philip, 
chief sachem of the Indians of another colony and in particular 
of assisting in the burning and destroying of Pawtuxet, South 
Kingstown and Warwick and f)ther towns. Edmund Calveiley, 
the attorney general, brought the impeachment. Quanopen, a 
cousin of Canonchet, bravely owned to the charge that he was 
in arms against the English nation, "admitted liis presence at 
the destroyinges and l)urnings and declined to say anything 
against the Indians so engaged." He was voted guilty of the 
charge and condemned to be "shot to death in the town on rlie 
26tli." Quanopen was the second in command in the Narra- 
gansett country. Two of Quanopen's luothers were condemned 
to suffer the death ])enalty at the same time and place. There 
is no record that tliere was either respite or commutation of this 
sentence. 

The court was still sitting on the :nst of August when Penja- 
min Church ajapeared with a letter of the 28th from Josiah 
\Yinslow, governor of the Plymouth colony, to Governor 
Clarke, demanding the surrender of all Indians, "whether men, 
women or children," who had been received and entertained on 
the island and further empowering the captain to conduct them 
to Plymouth, "and to s»]l and dispose of them there to the in- 
habitants or others for term of life or shoi'ter time as there may 
be reasons." Perhaps the taste for blood of the more gentle 
Newporters was already sated with the sliootings of the 26th. 
However this may be, the records of the court show a vote that 
the three Indians, whose trial was in progress, were ordered to 
be delivered out of the prison to Captain Church, seven more to 
Captain Anthony Low, who engaged to transport them out of 



in 



222 HISTORY OF NEWPOliT COUNTY. 

the colony, and singular to add, "one more to be at the dispose 
of Henry Lilly which he I'eceives in fall satisfaction for his at- 
tendance at this court and to be transported as the other to 
Captain Low." The Henry Lilly thus gratified was the 
rnarshall and cryer of the court. That these unfortunate crea- 
tures were destined to tlie slave block seems beyond question, 
OaiJtaiu Anthony Low commanding a vessel in the westward 
trade. The records of the court close with the declaration in 
the name of his majesty '' that noe Indian either great or small 
be landed on any part of Rhode Island or any Island in the 
Nairagansett Bay upon the penalty as formerly imposed upon 
such offenders ; and they shall be taken as being contumacy of 
the authority of this colony." 

Walter Clarke, the governor, was a Friend, and as such op- 
posed to the war, which he believed, with many of his sect, 
might have been averted by negotiation. He does not appear 
to liave attended the court martial, over which it fell to him as 
governor to preside. • On the contrary, though there is evidence 
that he was in Newport, the court directed the copy of the 
transactions to be rendered to the deputy governor, and em- 
powered that officer to summon them at his pleasure. 

From Church's narrative of his father's proceedings in this 
memorable war, it appears that Captain Church brought old An- 
na wan and a half dozen of his Indian soldiers to Rhode Island, 
sending the rest of his company and his prisoners by his lieu- 
tenant, Jabez Howland, to Plymouth. On his return to Ply- 
mouth, where the general court was then sitting, he took with 
him Annawan. Thence he visited Boston, to wait upon Gov- 
ernor Leverett. On his return to Plymouth "he found to his 
grief the heads of Annawan, Tispaquin, etc., cut off, which were 
the last of Philiji's friends." Tispaquin was one of the most 
famous of Philip's captains. Ciiurch had captured his wife and 
children and carried them with him to Plymouth, leaving word 
to the chief that if he would come in their lives and his would 
be spared. But his safe conduct seems to have availed not with 
the stern authorities. For this ruthless barbarity the only ex- 
cuse is the temper of the times. Governor Hutchinson, in his 
history, justly observes: "Every person almost in the two col- 
onies [Massachusetts and Plymouth] had lost a relation or near 
friend, and the people in general were exasperated; but all does 
not excuse this great severity. One eleventh of tlie able bodied 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 223 

men of New England are said to have been slain during the 
tw(j years of the war. and such was the suffering from the inter- 
rui)tion of farming tiiat a famine was only averted l)y tliechar- 
itit" of London and Dublin." 

It is some comfort to know from contemporary authority that, 
like their comrades at Newport, these chiefs had a soldier's 
death ; they were shot and their heads cut off, and their bodies 
quartered after execution. No history'- of New England nor of 
the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, nor 
yet of the Island of Rhodes proper, were complete without some 
narrative of this terrible war, on the result of which the destiny, 
nay the very life of the English settlements hung. The part 
taken in it by Rhode Island was not active. While defending 
themselves they gave aid and comfort to their sister colonies, 
but little or no armed assistance. Callender sums it up in one 
graphic phrase : "As to the part this colony had in that war it 
must be observed that tho' the Colony was not, as they ought to 
have been, consulted, yet they not only afforded shelter to the fly- 
ing English, who deserted from many of the neighboring Planta- 
tions in Plymouth Colony and were I'eceived kindly by the inhab- 
itants and relieved and allowed to plant the next year on their 
commons for their suppart ; but they likewise furnished some 
of the Forces with Provisions and Transports ; and some of their 
principal Gentlemen, as Major Sanford and Capt.Goulding, were 
in the action at Mount Hope as Volunteers in Caj^tain Church's 
Company when King Philip was slain. The Indians never 
landed on the island in the war time ; armed boats kept plying 
round to break their canoes and prevent their making any at- 
tempts. . But our settlements on the JNTain suffered very much 
both at Petequamscut and at Warwick and at Providence where 
the Indians burnt all the ungarrisoned and deserted houses. 
And the inhabitants nuide numy complaints that when the army 
of the United Colonists returned home they did not leave a suffi- 
cient number of forces to protect our plantations, which were 
now in a very peculiar manner e.\'posed to an exasperated and 
desperate enemy." 

This attitude of self defense, as is claimed by the defenders of 
Rhode Island, of apathy, as was charged by its unfriendly 
neighbors, was long a subject of bitter quarrel. The agents of 
the Plymouth colony charged the colonists of Rhode Island 
Avith ingratitude to them, indifference to their distresses and a 



224 IIISTOKY OF NEWPOItT COUNTY. 

want of English spirit. This tliey ascribed to the authority of 
Khode Island being at the time of the war in the hands of the 
Quakers. But though, as was charged, the governor and 
lieutenant governor were both of this persuasion, there 
are military commissions still in being under their hands and 
seals, to Benedict Arnold, junior, and others, to go in an armed 
slooj) to visit the garrisons at Prt)viilence and other towns, and, 
as Callender justly observes, " It was but reasonable the United 
Colonists should have left a sufficient guard at least at their 
own headquarters and some other places while the island, the 
only part of the colony able to contribute to the charge of the 
wars, was at so great an expense in supporting and defending 
the distressed English who tied to them from all the adjacent 
parts;" and he adds that to confound the slanders of the day 
the deputy governor gave an affidavit or evidence or solemn en- 
gagement that "he never was against giving forth any Com- 
missions to any that might have been" for the security of the 
King's interest in this colony. The further charge that the 
Rhode Islanders took in many of the Indians who, routed and 
almost subdued, were Hying before the victorious and savage 
English, is not questioned by historians. It was, to say the 
least, a safe as well as humane policy. It does not appear that 
any of those who shared in the burnings, destroying^ or massa- 
cres sought this shelter, l)ut rather the peaceful and helpless, 
who still clung to the old amity pledged between Mas.sasoit and 
Roger Williams. Nor yet does it appear that these were ex- 
empted from the official sale and servitude. 

Canonicus or Quanuanone, chief sachem or prince of the Nar- 
ragansetts, was the oldest son and heir of Canonicus, and the 
grandson of Tashtassuck, the first of his line of whom there is 
any account. According to Indian tradition he was the might- 
iest chief in the country who, having a .son and daughter and 
finding no one equal to them in dignity, married them together. 
From this union sprung the first Canonicus, the father of the 
sachem whom the whites found in supreme authority on their 
coming to the shores of New England. On the arrival of the 
first Pilgrims he sent them as a warlike message a bundle of ar- 
rows tied in a snake skin, and received in return, it is said, the 
skin filled with powder and l)all. By the declaration of Canon- 
icus he and his forefarlicrs had long ruled the country, " liav- 
ing ourselves been the Chief Sachems or Pi-inces successively 



IMSTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 225 

time out of iiiiud." Under their rule rlie tribe hiid extended its 
territory by wars, its influence by confederacy and its comfort 
and happiness by ])eace. 

While the Narragansetts were proud and warlike they were 
not, at least under the rule of Canonicus or at any time during 
their intercourse with the whites, an aggressive tribe. Their 
conquests were assured, not by tyranny, but by conciliation, 
and their policy was to absorb the subjected race into their own 
nation as individuals, or to bind them to themselves as parts of 
a common confederacy. But for the coming of the English it 
is probable that, with their advanced ideas, they would have 
welded the coast tribes of the continent into a great and happy 
nation. They had every element of power, an extensive coast 
line for their trade, an understanding of agriculture, a better 
knowledge of manufacture tlum their neighbors and, what was 
of more importance as a political factor, they provided the cur- 
rency for a large section of country. They showed a keen 
appreciation of the arts and appliances of civilization and were 
quick to supply themselves with guns, kettles and tools. 

It cannot be supposed that Canonicus looked with any favor 
upon the coming of the English into his territory. The treaty 
of alliance which Ou.samequin (Massasoit), chief of the Wam- 
panoags, had made with the Massacluiseris had withdrawn from 
him his most powerful ally and greatly weakened the intiuence of 
the Narragansett nation. Roger Williams says ^)f him that 
" he was most shy of the English to his last breath." It is dif- 
ficult to decide whether the old princ^e had ever put himself 
within the power of the whites or visited them at their Massa- 
chusetts settlement. In one letter Williams says, "I spend no 
costs towards tliera and in gifts to Ousamequin (Massasoit) and 
all his, and to Canonicus and all his, tokens and presents many 
years before I came in person to the Narragansett, and there- 
fore when I came I was welcome to Ousamequin and the old 
prince Canonicus." In another he says, " When the hearts of 
my countrymen and fiiends and brethren failed me his (the 
Most High) infinite wisdom and mercy stirred up the barbarous 
heart of Canonicus to love me as his son to his last gasp, by 
which means I had not only ivriantonomi and all the Cowesii 
Sac^hems my friends but Ousamequin also who, because of my 
great friendship with liim ai Plymouili and the authority of 
CaTionicus, consented freely (being also well gratilied l>y me) trv 

1.5 



226 HISTORY OF KEWPORT COUNTY. 

the Governor Wintlirop's engagement of Prudence, yea of 
Providence itself, and all the other lands I procured of Canoni- 
cus which were upon the point, and iu fact whatever I desii-ed 
of him." Thus, as he does not state tliat he had met Canonicus 
at Plymouth, it is reasonable to suppose that their first personal 
interview was when tliey met in treaty for the settlement in the 
Narragansett territory which he named Providence. 

It is not to be supposed that when Canonicus gave i)ermis- 
sion to his new friend to settle on his lands, he had the 
least idea of the nature of an English deed, or supposed that it 
carried with it any exclusion of himself or his people, or any 
surrender of his authority over them. By William's letter to 
Winthrop in 1637, on the subject of the occupancj- of the con- 
quered Pequot territorj'-, it appears that the right of hunting 
was tacitly reserved everywhere. "I told him (Miantonomi) 
that they (the Narragansetts) might hunt in the woods as they 
do in Massachusetts and here notwithstanding the English did 
generally inhabit; and this satisfied." The Indians themselves 
had no individual rights in the soil. Williams expresslj' says 
that "according to tlie law and tenor of the natives (as I take it) 
in all New England and America, viz: that the inferior sachems 
and subjects shall plant and remove at the pleasure of the high- 
est and supreme sachems;" such was the habit of the Peru- 
vians under the Incas. Not that the Narragansett chiefs were 
long left unier this delusion. First they were requested to re- 
move their Indians, tlien ordered to remove them and soon for- 
bidden to sell their lands except to such persons as were agree- 
able to the new comers. But amid all these encroachments 
Canonicus held fast to his friendship to Roger Williams. 
He was already a man of seventy when the settlement of Provi- 
dence was made. His age and his temper induced him to peace. 
Moreover his nephew, Miantonomi, then in the vigor of his age 
and power, was inclined to closer relations with the whites. 
The old chief yielded no doubt to the more active and superior 
will. 

Roger Williams was at heart and in true spirit a practical 
missionary. In his zeal, and urged besides by his natural love 
for the acquisition of languages, he had spent " many a day in 
their filthy, dirty holes to gain their tongue." Later the chiefs 
would not trust themselves with the Massachusetts authorities 
unless he went with them as their Interpreter as well as their 



HISTOllY OF NEWPOUT COUNTY. 227 

safeguard. So well pleased was Canonicus with him that hegave 
to him the island of Chibachiiwesa (Prudence) as an inducement 
to him to settle near himself. A careful study of the history of 
tliH period shows that both he and Miantonomi usually yielded 
to the peaceful counsels of their friend. Roger Williams was 
in England when the old chief was stricken by the perfidious 
murder by the "elders of Massachusetts," of liis beloved 
nephew, but had it been otherwise no persuasion of his could 
have overruled the determination of the Narragansetts for re- 
venge. On his return he attempted to quench their wrath and 
to hold them to the league thej' had subscribed with the Mas- 
sachusetts, but as he wrote, there was "a spirit of desperation 
fallen upon them to revenge the death of their prince and re- 
cover their ransom for his life or to perish with him." It is a 
satisfaction to know that the result of this expedition was the 
severe chastisement of the Mohegans, whose sachem, Uncas, 
was as treacherous a savage as there is any record of. 

The United Colonies imposed and collected a forced tribute 
which precipitated the ruin of the Narragansetts. They were 
in this crisis of their affairs when Canonicus died, June 4th, 
1647. He had already passed his eightieth year. He had once 
said to Roger Williams, " I have never suffered any wrong to 
be offered to the English sinc^^ they landed nor never will. If 
the Englishman speaks true, if he means ti'uly, then shall I go 
to my Grave in peace and hope that the English and my pos- 
terity shall live in love and peace together." To this Roger 
Williams bore testimony in his appeal in favor of the Narra- 
gansetts to the general court of Massachusetts some years later. 
He was then president of Providence colony. "I cannot yet 
learn that it ever pleased the Lord to permit the Narragansetts 
to stain their hands with any English blood, neither in open 
hostilities nor secret murders. * * * For the people many 
hundred English have experimented them to be inclined to 
peace and love with the English nation. Their late famous, 
long-lived Canonicus so lived and died, and in the same honor- 
able manner and solemnity (in their way) as you laid to sleep 
your prudent peace-maker, Mr. Winthrop, did they honor this, 
their prudent and peaceful Prince." The burial of an Indian 
chief was an impressive ceremonial. On that of the son of 
Canonicus, the father burned his own home, with all its con- 
tents, that the young brave might want for nothing in the spirit 



228 HISTORY OF newpout county. 

land. Hardly more than a decade had passed since Canonicus 
received the exiled, landless wanderer to liis broad and beauti- 
ful territory, and to the protection of his proud and powerful 
nation ; yet that decade had sufficed to strip him of his lands, 
his i:)eople and his authority, nearly to the last vestige. 

In 1883 the Rhode Island Historical Society, with suitable 
ceremonies and addresses, erected a boulder memorial in a place 
called the Glen, in the North burial ground at Providence, to 
the great chief. The site is now known as the Sachem's Glen. 
The boulder was a short time before unearthed in the town. It 
is a symetrically shaped, oblong rock of primitive granite, about 
five feet in height and two feet square. It bears the name of 
Canonicus, and beneath the carving of a rude bow and arrow. 

MiANTONoMi, or Mecumeh, prince sachem of the Narragan- 
setts, was the nephew of Canonicus, the son of his youngest 
brother, Mascus — so Roger Williams testifies in a solemn depo- 
sition made in 1682, in reference to his purchase of the lands 
about Pi'ovidence from these two sachems. Canonicus, hesays, 
was the heir, and Miantonomi, "his Marshall and Executioner, 
and did nothing without his uncle Canonicus' consent." He 
first apj^ears in history as leading his tribe in 1636 to the rescue 
of the Niantic country about Misquamicut and the mouth of 
the Pawcatuck river from the dominion of the Pequots, who, 
in the year 1682, had, in a fierce struggle with the Niantic 
tribe, "extended their territory ten miles east of the Pawca- 
tuck." Overcome by their superior force, the eastern Niantics 
had called on the aid of Canonicus and making an alliance with 
the Narragansetts, had become tributary to their power. To 
this Wawatoam, the wife of Miantonomi, gives certain testi- 
mony in her confirmation of Socho or Sosoa or Sassawwaw's 
title to the land of Misquamicut, "Whereas my uncle Nine- 
gret sayeth that it is his land, I, Wawatoam, do utterly deny it 
before all men for it was conquered by my husband, Miantono- 
my, and my uncle, Canonicus, long before the English had any 
war witli the Pequots, therefore I, Wawatoam, do really con- 
firm it and affirm it to be Socho' s land." Socho was a renegade 
Pequot who, as Roger Williams informed Governor Winthrop, 
had deserted his native tribe and become Miantonomi' s "special 
darling and a kind of General of his forces." For his service 
in this successful campaign, which forced the Pequots to the 
westward of their river, Socho received a grant of the territory 



HISTOIJY OF NEWrOKT COUNTY. 229 

from his new prince, though it appears that Ninegret, theNian- 
tic sachem, lield the Niantic fort on Fort Neck in 1637, when 
Captain Mason, with his Connecticnt troops ;nid INIohegan and 
Narragansett allies, halteil there on their mai'cdi to the destruc- 
tion of the Pequot fort at the Portal rocks on the Mystic river, 
and the complete overthrow and destruction of this savage and 
warlike lace. 

The guide on this expedition was Weqnash, a revolted Pe- 
quot. This man, who is said to have been " the first convert 
to the Christian faith among the aborigines of New England," 
was a brother of Ninegret, but it is presumed by a Pequot wo- 
man, and not of the blood royal of the Niantics. In 1637, soon 
after the fall of the Pequots, Roger Williams wrote to John 
Winthrop that his guide had slain Sassawwaw (Socho) treach- 
erously, and that Miantonomi was bent on revenge, but a few 
days later reported that Socho was still alive. This attempt of 
Wequash was probably before his conversion, and perhaps 
prompted by his jealousy of Miantonomi's favor to Socho to 
the detriment of his brother Ninegret' s interest as the sachem 
of the Niantics. As of Canonicus, there does not appear to be 
any evidence that Miantonomi was ever within the limits of the 
Massachusetts colony, or had ever personally met Roger Wil- 
liams before his coming to the Narragansett country in 1636. 

The first letters of Williams to the governor and deputy gov- 
ernor declare that Canonicus was by no means pleased to see 
him but that Miantonomi was more cordial. "At my first 
coming," he says, " Canonicus was very sour and accused the 
English and myself of sending the plague amongst them, and 
threatening to kill him especially. * '■' - I discovered cause 
for bestirring myself and staid the longer, and at last (through 
the mercy of the Most High) sweetened his spirit. * * * 
Miantonomi kept his barbarous court lately at mj' house and 
with him I have far better dealings. He takes some pleasure to 
visit me and sent me word of his coming eight days hence." 
In the autumn of 1636 Roger Williams, at the request of the 
Massachusetts authorities, at risk and peril of his life, broke up 
the league the Pequots were seeking with the Narragansetts, 
and succeeded in foi'ming an allia!u;e between the English, the 
Narragansetts and the Mohegaus agaiust the Pequot power. 
Immediately afterward Miantonomi, at the request of Governor 
Vane, went up to Boston, taking with him two sons of Canonicus 



230 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

and a large train of attendants. He was received with military 
honors, and after the conclnsion of a formal treaty of alliance, 
departed with the same honors. But it does not seem that the 
Indian prince put great faith in the English. 

Williams wrote in the spring of 16.37, just before the depart- 
iire of Miantononii on the expedition against the Pequot fort, 
that Miantononii had visited him with a great train and that the 
Narragansetts were "at present doubtful of realitj' in all our 
promises." After the complete success of the expedition his 
trust seems to have been strengthened, for Williams then wrote, 
" If I mistake not I observe in Miantonomi some sparks of true 
friendship, could it be deeply imprinted into him that the 
English never intended to disjioil him of the country, I prob- 
ably conjecture liis friendship would appear in attending of us 
with five hundred men (in case) against any foreign enenly;" 
and yet the proposal made by Miantononii at this time that 
Governor Vane would send some English to take possession of 
the Pequot country and there inhabit does not seem to justify 
this hesitation. 

Miantonomi proposed that the English should inhabit near 
the Connecticut and leave the Narragansetts free to hunt in the 
neighborhood of Mystic on their own immediate border; but to 
Williams' answer that the English might inhabit and the In- 
dians be free to hunt in the same places Miantonomi made no 
objection — "this satisfied." As Miantonomi was bold in war 
so he was generous in victory. It was he that proposed to his 
Massachusetts allies that " if the Governor were so minded they 
(the Narragansetts) incline to mercy and to give them (the 
Pequots) their lives;" and in all the negotiations that followed 
he showed a higli souled nature. In all the jDreceding years, 
he said, "we never killed nor consented to the death of an 
Englishman." 

The destruction of the Pequot stronghold left the range of 
country between the Pawtuxet and the Connecticut rivers with- 
out any certain jurisdiction. The Mohegans on the one side 
and the Narragansetts on the other roamed over it in pursuit of 
the scattered Pequotsand not seldom came to blows themselves 
over their captives. This continued warfare was a source of 
alarm to the English, who were never at ease when any of the 
Indians were on the war path. Miantonomi, anxious that his 
good faith should not be doubted, proposed a visit to the Massa- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 281 

chusefts governor, "if he may safely go." Williams assured 
him of good treatmenf. He returned satisfied of their good 
intentions. In his gratitude for Goveinor Winthrop's " loving- 
carriage" to him, he ordered all the Indians off from Prudence 
island, which had been given to Williams and Winthrop, and 
upon which they were about to commence a little plantation for 
the drying of fish and the breeding of hogs. 

The Pequot war ended with the murder of Sassacus, their 
chief sachem, by the Mohegans, to whom he had fled for shelter, 
and the division of the survivors of the tribe as slaves among 
the conquerors. The share of the Narragansetts Miantonomi 
left to the wisdom of Cxovernor Winthrop. The correspondence 
of Williams shows that the Narragansetts, though they had a 
principal share in the captures, were not liberally treated in the 
division; Miantonomi's request for a Pequot squaw being 
haggled over if not refused. Nor does Williams' own temper 
seem to have been over kindly, as he advises Winthrop " if there 
be any just exception (to their demands) which they can not 
well answer tliat the use be made of it (if it may be with safety 
to the common peace) to get the bits into their mouths especi- 
ally if there be good assurance from the Mohawks." Of the 
possible enmity of this powerful confederacy the New England 
colonies were in daily dread. There was a bitter quarrel over the 
disposal of the captives. The Mohegans on the one side and the 
Niantics on the other wished for the additional strength this 
recruitment would bring to them. The Niantics refused to 
yield up any of those to whom they had promised life, either 
to the Mohegans or to the Connecticut government who sup- 
ported their Mohegan allies in all their demands. Canonicus 
and Miantonomi in vain endeavored to persuade the Niantics 
to give up the Pequots, but they in turn threatened that for 
every life the English should take they would have revenge 
even in the settlements of Prudence, Aquidneck, Providence 
and elsewhere. 

In 1640 Uncas, the Mohegan chief, having cai)tured three 
Niantics, refused to give them up and Miantonomi determined 
to go himself with a sufficient force to Monhegan (Norwich) and 
bring them in. The Massachusetts government again summoned 
Miantonomi before them but he declined, not satistied with in- 
terpreters whom he feared to trust, or to go up without being 
accompanied by "Williams. Yet in all this period he lost u>* 



292 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 



opportunity of propitiuting the governor b\' an exchange of 
gifts. Canonicus and he sent beads to Winthrop and Mianto- 
nomi's wife a "basket" to Mrs. Wintlirop. "In return Ca- 
nonicus asks for little sugar and Miantonomi for a little 
powder." In August of this year the general court of Massa- 
chusetts summoned the sachems to answer charges of a con- 
spiracy with the Mohawks against the colonies. These charges 
originated in Connecticut. Miantonomi answered in person, 
accused Uncas of the malicious intrigue, and entirely satisfied 
the court. 

In 1642 Roger Williams sent to England to obtain a charter 
which might compose the dissensions of the Rhode Island set- 
tlements at home and secure them against the threatening ag- 
gressions of their neighbors of Massachusetts and Connecticut. 
In the summer of tliis year a war broke out between Uncas, 
sachem of the Mohegans, and Sequasson, a sachem on the Con- 
necticut river, an ally of the Narragansetts. The English de- 
clined to interfere. Miantonomi, before going to the aid of his 
allies, faithful to his old engagement, sent to the governor of 
Massachusetts "to know if he would be offended if he made 
war on Uncas," and was answered "If Uncas had done him or 
his friends wrong and would not give satisfaction we should 
leave him to take his own course." In July, 1643, Uncas began 
the war against Sequasson. Miantonomi, with a thousand 
braves, took the trail across the country toward Monhegan and 
came upon Uncas at a place about a mile and a half southwest 
of the Yantic river. According to tradition Uncas sent a mes- 
senger across the space which lay between the forces and asked 
an interview. Miantonomi is said to have consented but to 
have been outwitted by a stratagem of the wily Pequot, and the 
Narragansetts being thrown into panic by a sudden charge, fell 
prisoner, being now no longer young, to his fleeter footed ene- 
mies and was carried by Uncas to his fort li"ard by. No violence 
was at the time offered to him. He was soon after taken by 
Uncas to Hartford, where he was held prisoner for judgment by 
the commissioners of the United Colonies. He was taken in 
July. 

His defeat was ascribed by the good people of Connecticut to 
the prayers of their minister, Thomas Hooker, who was reck- 
oned by the colony as the "Moses who turned away the wratli 
of God from them and obtained a blast from heaven upon tlie 



HISTORY OF NEAVPORT COUNTY. 233 

Indians by liis uplifted hands in those remarkable deliverances 
which they sometimes experienced." On tlie occasion of this 
war in wliich, it must not be forgotten, the English took no 
part, the "Magnatia" says: "Much notice was taken of the 
prevailing importunity wherewith Mr. Hooker urged for the ac- 
complishment of that great promise unto the people of God 'I 
will bless them that bless thee and I will curse him that curseth 
thee,' and the effect of it was that the Narragansetts received a 
wonderful overthrow from the Mohegans though the former did 
three or four to one exceed the latter. Such an Israel at prayer 
was our Hooker." 

The united commissioners met at Boston in August, when the 
case of Miantonomi was debated. They were all of opinion 
that "it would not be safe to set him at liberty neither had we 
sufficient ground to put hitu to death. In this difficulty we 
called in five of the most judicious elders and propounding the 
case to them, they all agreed that he ought to be put to death; 
Mild we agreed that upon the return of the commissioners to 
Hartford they should send for Uncas and tell him our determi- 
nation that Miantonomi should be delivered to him again and he 
should put him to death so soon as he came within his own ju- 
risdiction, and that two English should go along with him to see 
the execution and that if any Indians should invade him for it 
we should send men to defend him." It is to be regretted that 
the names of these elders are not known and that they escape 
their xiroper place in the pillory of history. The reason for the 
hatred of the elders to the Indian prince was the sale he had 
made of the Shawomet country to Gorton, the proscribed her- 
etic of the Massachusetts colony, and the consent of the com- 
missioners to the murder, their jealousy of the Narragansett 
power and their desire to promote animosity among the Indian 
tribes. With such a cause of quarrel and the aid of the Mohe- 
gan power, they might repeat upon the Narragansetts the story 
of the Pequot destruction five years before. It is said that the 
commissioners stipulated with Uncas that Miantonomi should 
not be tortured, but proof is lacking of any such humanity. It 
is of tradition that Unc:is took Miantonomi back to the spot 
where he had been overtaken, when his head was cloven with a 
hatchet from behind and he was buried where he fell. A heap 
of stones was raised about his body, which disappeared nmny 
vears after. Some citizens of Norwich have erected on the tra- 



o 



234 HISTORT OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

ditional spot a monument about eight feet high, a solid cube of 
granite five feet square on a massive pedestal, with the simple 
inscription, "Miantonomi, 1643." 

Thus fell the " noble souled," high spirited chief, whom Hop- 
kins calls " the most potent prince the people of New England 
had any concern with; and this was the reward he received for 
assisting them seven years before in their wars with the 
Pequots." 

Pessicus was the son of Mascus, the youngest of the brothers 
of Canonicus, and himself the brother of Miantonomi. Aftei' 
the murder of that prince in 1643 he shared the sovereignty of 
the Narragansetts with his uncle, now well advanced in years. 
His name first appears in an official way as " Chief Sachem and 
successor of that late deceased" Miantonomi, in the letter of 
submission to King Charles. Next in order comes the mark of 
" that ancient Canonicus, Protector of that late deceased Mian- 
tonomy during the time of his nonage," after which the " marke 
of Mixan, son and heire of that above said Canonicus." The 
mark of Pessieus is a strung bow and arrow, the head pointed 
downward, the mark of Mixan a hatchet or tomahawk, while 
that of the old chief is the familiar carpenter's instrument 
known as a T square. The act or deed, as it is styled in the 
record, was witnessed by two of the chief counsellors to sachem 
Pessieus; Awashoosse and Tomanic, Indians. It will be observed 
that Pessieus signed first in order. The paper is dated the 19th 
of April, 1644. It is followed on the record by a letter sent to 
the general court of Massachusetts on the 24th of May, 1644, 
which is signed by Pessieus and Canonicus, the formality of 
the signature of young Mixan probably being deemed un- 
necessary. 

The power of the government was wholly in the hands of 
Pessieus. It fell to him when the affairs of the tribe were in a 
difficult financial and political situation. Financially they were 
impoverished by the large amount of wampumpeage they had 
paid and paid in vain for the ransom of Miantonomi. Politically 
the authority of the sachems was compromised by the contempt 
of their power which this breach of faith implied, and further 
by the disloyalty of Pumham in his denial of the validity of 
the sale made in 1642 by Miantonomi, as sachem of Shawomet, 
which he himself witnessed, and his more recent submission to 
the jurisdiction of Massachu.setts. This act brought theNarra- 



HISTORY OF NP^WPOIIT COUNTY. 235 

gansett chiefs face to face with tlie powerful and meiciles.s 
Massaclmsetts colony; the general court of which inipioved the 
pretext thus given tiiem, and which no doubt was of their own 
suggestion, to gain a footing on the shores and in the affairs of 
Rhode Island and "an outlet into Narragansett bay." 

Gorton and his followers, who made the purchase of Mianto- 
nomi, were forcibly ejected from their settlement and banished 
on peril of their lives. After confinement at hard labor for a- 
while the leaders were released, but, being notified by Governor 
"Winthrop that their own purchased territory was included in 
the ban, they took refuge at Aquidneck. The occasion seemed 
propitious to Canonicus and Pessicus. Messengers were sent 
to invite Gorton and his friends to visit the Narragansett chiefs 
assembled in council on the island of Conanicut. The question 
before this conference was one of the jurisdiction of Canonicus 
as against the claim of a subordinate sachem, Pumham; of Gor- 
ton and his associates as to the title to the land they had pur- 
chased and paid for. The result was the formal act of sub- 
mission to King Charles. " Our desire is," they, say, " to have 
our matters and causes heard and tried according to his just and 
equal laws in that way and order His Highness shall please to 
appoint; nor can we yield ever ourselves unto any that are sub- 
jects themselves in any case; having ourselves been the chief 
sachems or princes successively of the country time out of 
mind." This voluntary and free submission, as they styled it, 
was placed in the hands of Gorton, wlio, with three others, his 
associates, were made attornies or commissioners for the safe 
custod}', careful conveyance and declaration thereof unto his 
Grace. Gorton is supposed to have gone to England with tliis 
document in the ensuing winter. 

After their murder of Miantonomi the general court of Massa- 
chusetts summoned the Narragansett chiefs to appear before it. 
To this Pessicus and Canonicus replied with a formal notice of 
their submission to King Cliarles and of their intention to refer 
any disputes to his royal decision. They decline to go up to 
the court and assign as their sufficient reason "Our brother 
(Miantonomi) was willing to stir much abroad to converse with 
men and we see a sad event at the last thereupon. Take it 
not ill therefore thougii we resolve to keep at home (unless some 
great necessity calls us out) and so at this time do not repair 
unto you according to your request." They give plain notice, 



236 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

however, that they intend to take revenge for the death of 
Miantonomi, and ask to know why they are advised " not to go 
out against their so inliuman and cruel adversary who tool\ so 
great a ransom to release him and his life also when that was 
done." Alarmed at the new posture of affairs, the general court 
sent messengers to dissuade the Narragansetts from war. 
Pumham and Sacconoco, who had played the same part at 
Pawtuxet as the wily savage had done at Shawomet, were so 
fearful of punishment that thej' applied for and received a guard 
of soldiers from Massachusetts. In reply to the message of the 
court, the Narragansetts sent messengers to the commissioners 
of the United Colonies demanding the payment by Uncas of 
one hundred and si.xty fathoms of wampum or a new hearing 
of the case within six weeks, threatening war in case of re- 
fusal. 

In the spring tlie Narragansetts, one thousand strong, and 
partly armed with guns, defeated Uncas and his Mohegans with 
.slaiigliter. The Connecticut colony sent troops to the aid of 
their old ally. Both the tribes were summoned to Boston to 
explain the cause of the troubles. Tei'ms of neutralitj^ were 
agreed upon between Rhode Island and the Indians, and a con- 
tinuation of the war was inevitable, although Roger Williams 
again exerted himself for peace. The Narragansetts were de- 
termined on the thorough subjection of Uncas. The United 
Colonies now declared war, sent back the peace offerings of the 
Narragansetts, who sought no quarrel with any but the Mohe- 
gans, and mounted troops were impressed and sent forward un- 
der Lieutenant Atherton. The Narragansetts, alarmed in their 
turn, sought for i:)eace. Roger Williams, accompanied by Pes- 
sicus, two other sachems and a large Indian train, went up to 
Boston. Disappointed in their hope of exterminating the Nar- 
ragansetts by war, the commissioners imposed upon them a 
treaty which was their ruin. An indemnity was imposed upon 
them of two thousand fathoms of wampum, to be paid within 
two years, in four equal installments; each, it will be observed, 
three times and more the amount demanded of the Mohegans 
by the Narragansetts. They were required to give up all right 
to the Pequot territory, originally a part of their own domain, 
and recovered in great measure by their arms. 

The next year (1647) the Narragansetts were charged with an 
attempt to engagp the Mohawks in a war with the English. 



HISTORY OF NEWPOHT COUNTY. 237 

Canonicus, dying in Jnne of this year, left Pessicus in sole 
command, aided, however, by young Mexham, the grandson of 
the old chief. Pessicus was summoned to Boston, but in his 
stead sent Ninegret, whom they held as a hostage until some wam- 
pum was forced from him. The ensuing installments not being 
forthcoming, Captain Atherton, who seems to have been about 
the most brutal of the unscrupulous henchmen of the United 
Colonies, was sent with an armed band to collect it by force. 
Surprising Pessicus in his wigwam before he could summon as- 
sistance, he dragged him out by the hair of his head, and col- 
lected the debt in true highwayman fashion at tiie point of his 
pistol. Arnold considers this a courageous act, but we fail to 
see the courage in surprising an unarmed man, while holding 
his assistants at bay through fear of the murder of their chief. 
For his conduct on this occasion Captain Atherton was given a 
farm of live hundred acres, carved out of the lately stolen and 
newly anne.ved possessions at Warwick (Shawomet). 

Both Warwick and Pawtuxet were now attached to Ply- 
month by the commissioners of the United Colonies. 

There is an entry on the Rhode Island records. May 2'3d, 
1650, which shows the change in the attitude of the colonists to 
the Narragansetts ]u-inces which ten years had wrought. It is 
an order "that Pessicus shall have libertie to gett so many 
chesnut rinds, upon the common of the Island as may cover 
him a wigwam ; pnjvided he take John Greene with him that 
no wrong may be done to any particular person upon the is- 
land." In 1653 the council of Massachnsetts sent messengers 
to question the Narragansett princes, among whom iMe.vham, 
son of Canonicus, now appears for the first time, and to de- 
mand reasons why they had taken up arms against the Long 
Islanders. A satisfactory answer not being received, war was 
declared by the United Colonies, but Massachusetts held back, 
refusing her quota. 

In 1660 the commissioners of the United Colonies completed 
their woik of spoliation. Under the pretense that the Mohe- 
gans had been injured by the Narragansetts they sent down an 
armed force, witli instructions to collect a fine of five hundred 
and ninety-five fathoms of wampum within four months. To 
raise this sum the sachems mortgaged their entire country to a 
company consisting of Mr. John Winthrop (the governor of 
Connecticut), Major Atherton and their associates, who had al- 



238 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTS. 

ready purchased tlie previous year the northern tract known as 
Narragansett country and Coweset country ; but the signature 
of Pessicus does not appear in this instrument. In 1661, how- 
ever, we find his supreme authority again in his denial of the 
right of Ninegret, the Niantic sachem, to the Misquamicut 
lands lateh' conve\'ed to a party of settlers. In 1665 tlie three 
royal commissioners appointed to settle all the colonial dis- 
putes, arrived at Pettaquamscot. The Narragansett sachems 
confirmed their submission to the crown, and the commissioners 
set up a new authority in the king's name over the entire terri- 
tory, from the baj' to the Pawcatnck river, under the name of 
the " King's Province," the Rhode Island charter recognizing 
the validity of the Indian titles to the soil. The governor and 
council of Rhode Island were appointed magistrates until the 
May election. And what was of supreme importance, the 
mortgaged lands held by the Atherton company were ordered 
to be released on the payment of two hundred and thirty-five 
fathoms of peage by Pessicus or Ninecraft, the pnrcliase of the 
tracts being declared void for lack of consideration of the deed 
and because of prior cession to the crown. 

In the report sent to England by the commissioners the same 
year thej' state that two of the sachems then living did actually 
in their own persons surrender themselves, people and country, 
into his royal majesty's protection before his commissioners, 
who had made the submission in 1644. To each of them a coat 
was presented in the name of his majesty. They in turn en- 
gaged thereafter, in token of subjection, to pay a tribute of two 
wolf skins to his majesty on a fixed day, and by the commis- 
sioners they then sent to the king two caps of peage and two 
clubs inlaid with peage as a present, and a feather numtleand a 
porcupine bag as a present for the queen. Pessicus also de- 
sired the commissioners to piay King Charles that no strong 
liquors might be brought into that countrj', for he had thirty- 
two men that died by drinking of it. At that time Ninecraft 
seems to have divided the autliority with Pessicus. Pumham, 
however, maintained his independent position, and in s])ite of 
all the efforts of the English commissioners, declined to submit 
to Pessicus. He was supported in his resistance for twenty 
years by the counsel and force of the Massachusetts colony. 

With this account of the commissioners Pessicus disappears 
from the scene. What part he played in the great war in which 



JIISTORY OK NKWl'Uirr COUNTY. 239 

his kinsman, Canonchet, led the tribe is not known. TJpdilve, 
in his account of this chieftain, says that " he was put to death 
by the Mohawls^s in 1076." 

CAN0>fciiKT — Naunuiiteno, "as be was last called," says 
Drake in his notes to Cliurch's narrative, was tlui last sachem 
of the race of Narragaiisett princes. ITis name does not appear 
at all on the records of the Riiode Island colony. He was noted 
fur bis enmity to the English race, for which he had good and 
sufficient cause. His name appeal's first of the six sul)scribing 
sachems of the Narragansetts to the treaty forced ujjon them by 
Captain Hutchinson on behalf of the Massachusetts government, 
at the point of the sword at Petaquamscott in July, 1675. By 
this treaty they agreed to harbor none of King Philip's people 
in the course of the war which had broken out in the spring. 
The tribe as a whole kept to their engagement but it is proba- 
ble that some of their young braves had a hand in the hot tights 
of this battle summer. 

On the defeat at Hatfield (Connecticut) Philip's forces dis- 
persed, and as winter was now approaching, the greater part re- 
treated to Narragansett where they were warmly received by 
Canonchet and his tribe. The United Colonies, di-eading that 
the Narragansetts would join Philip in the spring, summoned 
them to surrender Philip's men and the women and children he 
had put under their protection. To this Canonchet gave the 
spirited and famous reply: " Not a Wampanoag nor the paring 
of a Wampanoag's nail shall be given up." No word of notice 
was given to the Rhode Island colony, and the entire proceed- 
ing of Massachusetts, tiiis demand and the hostilities which fol- 
lowed, were in direct disregard and contravention of the char- 
ter of Rhode Island, in which it was explicitly declared "not 
lawful for the rest of the colonies to invade or molest the native 
Indians without the knowledge and consent of the Governor 
and Company of the Providence Plantations." 

The three colonies of Plymouth, Massachu.setts and Connecti- 
cut raised eleven hundred and thirtj'-five men, including one 
hundred and fifty Mohegans and Pequots, and marched under 
the command of General Winslow, the govei'nor of the Ply- 
mouth colony, upon the winter fortress of the Narragansetts, 
about fifteen miles distant from Wickfordin the present town of 
South Kingstown, R. I., hardly a stone's throw from the line of 
the Stonington railroad, "biit then the center of an impassable 



240 HISTORY OF NEWPOUT COUNTY. 

swamp upon some rising ground containing about four acres of 
land. It was securely hid by tall junipers which, with the 
cedar and pine, formed the intricacies of the place, and was 
fortified wit li great ingenuity and strength. * * * Upon the 
approach of winter the tribe had removed to tliis fortress all 
their women and children and had rendered it as impregnable 
as their knowledge of defensive warfare could possibly make it. 
Thej'^ had erected about live hnndred wigwams of a superior 
construction, in which their provisions were stored, and had 
piled the tubs and baskets of grain around inside of the walls, 
making their dwellings still more impervious to the bullets nf 
their enemies. The tubs were made of hollow trees cut or sawed 
into suitable lengths, with a wooden bottom. More than three 
thousand persons had taken refuge within these huts. ''• * * 
The passage over the ditch that surrounded the fort was by a 
single tree which had been felled, on which all must pass to 
gain the opposite side. * * * Besides the high palisades the 
Indians were protected by a breastwork of fallen trees about a 
rod in thickness, which extended entirely around the fortress, 
their tops foremost." 

This was the scene of the celebrated swamp fight of the 19th 
of December, 1675, the most hardly contested and bloody con- 
test in the early history of the colonies. The English lost 
about eighty killed and one hundred and fifty wounded; the 
Indians three hundred to three hundred and fifty slain and as 
many more captured. Cliurch, in his narrative, says that he 
was informed at the time that "near a third of the Indians be- 
longing to all the Narragansett country were killed by the En- 
glish and by the cold of that night;" and adds that "sixty or 
seventy were from Pumham's town of Sliawomet who never be- 
fore then fired a gun against the English. "' Nor in fact do the 
histories of the colonies contain mention of one single act of 
hostility by the Narragausetts upon any of the colonies until 
this invasion of their home and territory. 

It is not probable that Philip was in this fight. If he were, 
Church, who acted as aid to General Winslow, would certainly 
have known it and his son, who wrote the history of Philip's 
war, would have made mention of it. It seems hardly possible, 
as he was in force enougii in January to plunder Warwick and 
desolate the neighborhood on his way up to the Nipmuck coun- 
try, but it is certain that ('anonchet commanded his tribe in the 



HISTORY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 241 

last grand struggle, and that he was with Philip in the ensuing 
winter. 

The Narragansetts sued for i)eace but the Massachusetts col- 
ony refused the overture and marched reinforcements into the 
territory. Canonchet accompanied Philip in his invasion of the 
Massachusetts colony. He is supposed to ha.ve commanded at 
the bloody attacks upon Lancaster and Medtield, and in the 
raid upon Weymouth within fifteen miles of Boston in Febru- 
ary, and it is certain that he led the party which surrounded 
and destroyed in March the party of Captain Pierce, whom he 
surprised on his way to attack him at Pawtuxet. Such was 
the terror in Providence, which the Indians nearly destroyed, 
that the records preserve the names of but " thirty that stayed 
and went not away." Among these was Roger Williams, of 
whom the tradition is preserved that lie went out alone to meet 
the approaching savages and was kindly received. As Canon- 
chet commanded at Pawtucket falls on the 26th of March and 
the burning of Providence was on the 29th, there is little doubt 
that it vvas Canonchet who thus remembered the ancient friend- 
ship of Canonicus and Miantonomi for the venerable founder of 
the Providence Plantations. 

The whole colony was now in terror; gunboats patrolled the 
island. But the alarm vvas now widespread and from every 
quarter troops marched to the center of hostilities. In April 
Colonel George Denison led a force of English and Mohegans 
from New London along tiie okl Indian trail, across tlie Pawca- 
tuck ford, through Westerly and the heart of the Narragansett 
territory, and came upon Canonchet near the Pawtucket river, 
close to the spot wliere nine days before he had destroyed Cap- 
tain Pierce and his party. Canonchet was surprised in his tent. 
Flying in haste, lie missed his footing in the ford of the river 
and wet his gun. He was overtaken and captured " without 
resistance, though a man of great strength," by one of the 
Pequots. A young Englisliman coming up to him asked him 
some questions but was answered, "You too much child! No 
understand matters of war! Captain come; him I will answer." 
He was offered his life on condition of the submission of his 
tribe. He would not listen to tiie proposal, wished '• to hear nc 
more about it." 

Drake, in his notes to Cluirch's narrative, says ''lie was 
afterward shot at Stonington." Arnold says that "he was sent 

1(! 



242 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

in charge of Captain Denison to Stonington where a counnil of 
war condemned him to be shot." But Mr. C. H. Denison, 
from whom free quotations have alreadj^ been made abi)ve, 
says: " Tlie army continued its march (liomewardi until 
it reached and crossed tlie Pawcatucli river at the ford where 
tlie present bridge is situated, and after advancing about two 
miles came to a halt on a small plain. A council of war was 
now held by the captains, assisted by the Rev. James Noyes, 
whose residence was at hand, and it was decided that the 
prisoner must be shot. While they were deliberating, a mat 
was spread for him to sit upon, and while resting upon it one 
of the soldiers sat down by him and looking him in his face 
insultingly while he was speaking, he took it in such indigna- 
tion that although his arms were pinioned, he gave the man 
such a violent thrust or blow that the fellow went sprawling 
along the ground. The plain which was destined to be the 
spot where the noble chief sliould be executed is about two 
miles from Westerly, R. I., toward Mystic, and is now known 
as Anquilla. When told that he must die and that his last 
hour had arrived the chief said, ' I like it well; I shall die be 
fore my heart is soft or I have said anything unworthy of my- 
self.' * * Two Indians were appointed to fulfill the order of 
the court. The whole army stood to their arms, a quick, sharp 
word of command was given and a report of two muskets echoed 
among the surrounding hills. Down, like a tall jiine stricken 
by a thunder bolt, fell the stately form of the Narragansett 
chief. With a loud, exultant whoop, the Niantics, Mohegans 
and Pequots, traitors to their race, rushed upon the fallen foe 
and the work of death was finished. He was quartered, be- 
headed and his body burned by the Indians, who carried his 
head to Hartford and. presented it to the governor," 

Arnold gives some other interesting details. He says, "To 
insui'e the fidelit_y of the friendly tribes by committing them 
to a deed that would forever deter the Narragansetts from 
seeking their alliance, it was arranged that each of them should 
take part in the execution. Accordingly the Pequots shot him, 
the Mohegans cut oflf his head and quartered him and the 
Niantics who, under Ninegret, joined the English, burned his 
body and sent his head as 'a token of love' and loyalty to the 
commissioners at Hartford." In the story of these barbarities 
t'lere is little difference between the English and the savages. 



HISTORY OF NEWl'ORT COUNTY. 243 

The English, however, do not. seem to have tortured their cap- 
tives but to have reserved this mode of punislinient for their 
religious enemies or antagonists of tlieir own race. 

Pu.vii.\M was a Narragansett Indian; the local sachem of that 
tribe of the nation which inhabited the countiy about Warwick 
neck in Kent county. His own residence was on the neck. 
This land was sold bj^ Miantonomi, sachem of the Narragansetts, 
on the 12th day of January, 1642, for four hundred and fifty- 
four fathom of wampumpeage. Totanomans joins in the con- 
veyance, though his name does not appear in the body of the 
instrument; Pumham and Jano being witnesses to the deed. 
The purchasers were Holden and eleven others, among whom 
was Samuel Gorton, whose eccentric career is stated elsewhere. 
The land conveyed is described as "lying upon the West side 
of that part of the Sea called Sowhames Bay from Copassnatuet, 
over against a little Island in the said I3ay being the North 
bounds and the outmost point of that neck of land called 
Shawomet; being the South bound from the Sea Shore from 
each boundary upon a straight line westward twenty miles." 
It may be observed here that as in all the deeds or titles granted 
to the whites, this deed is made by the chief sachem or prince 
of the nation, the local sachem simply witnessing the transfer. 
Arnold, in his History of Rhode Island, estimates the consid- 
eration as the equivalent of seventy-two pounds sterling, if 
black peage is meant, or half that sum if white. It was prob- 
ably the black peage, the ordinary currency. 

With this sale Pumliam, the sachem of Shawomet, was dis- 
contented. He seems to have been attached to his lands and to 
have striven to maintain his own residence and that of his tribe 
upon them. The weakness of the young colonies on the Narra- 
gansett territory and their inabilitj'^ to aid their allies, Canonicus 
and Miantonomi, in any effective way, were apparent. In his 
discontent Pumham followed the example set by Ousamequin 
(Massasoit), chief of the Wampanoags,' and together with the 
sachem of Pawtuxet, submitted himself and his lands to the 
jurisdiction of Massachusetts. lie at the time denied having 
consented to the sale of Shawomet or having received any part 
of the i:>urcha.se money. Thirteen years later, in 1656, he 
pleaded having been drawn into the covenant by the awe of his 
superior sachems, to which Roger Williams made answer that 
"it was the law and tenor of the natives in all New England 



244 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

and America, viz: that the inferior sachems and subjects shall 
plant and remove at the pleasure of the highest and supreme 
sachems." And again, in 1665, Pumham and his tribe are 
described by the same authority as "a melancholy people and 
judge themselves by their former sachem [Miantonomi] and 
these English oppressed and wronged." 

The submission to Massachusetts brought protection to Pum- 
liam, but little peace or enjoyment of his lands. The charter 
of 1643 distinctly placing this territory within the Providence 
Plantations, the only hope of Massachusetts to secure a footing 
on Narragansett bay was through the usurped jurisdiction over 
the tribe of Shawomet. In 1645 the general court of Massa- 
chusetts granted ten thou.sand acres of the lands of Pumham 
to thirty-two persons, and Benedict Arnold was appointed to 
negotiate with the sachem for the right in any Improved ground. 
The houses in the Holden-Gorton settlement granted by Mian- 
tonomi were included in this new grant on such payment, if 
any, as the general court should order. Plymouth also claimed 
the land as within her jurisdictioq, and surely with as much 
right as Massachusetts, if the original title of the supreme 
prince were to be disregarded. 

The return of Gorton from exile, the determination of Rhode 
Island to maintain her rights under the charter, and the direct 
submission of Canonicus and Pessicus and the Narragansett 
kingdom to the English crown, were of perilous omen to Pum- 
ham, and his fear of the anger of his inferior sachems in view 
of the threatened renewal of war with the Mohegans, so alarmed 
him that he applied to Massachusetts for a guard, in response 
to which an officer and ten men were sent to build a fort and 
hold it for his protection until danger was over. 

In 1649 the general court for Rhode Island and Providence 
Plantations meeting at Warwick, summoned "Pumham and the 
other sachem (Sacconoco)and ordered letters to be sent to Bene- 
dict Arnold and the rest of Patuxet" about their subjecting to 
the colony of Rhode Island. Pumham does not appear to have 
paid much regard to their summons, and Warwick neck seems 
to have become a- thorn in the side of the colony. In 1655 
Roger Williams, at that time president of Providence Planta- 
tions, comijjained to the general court of Massachusetts of the 
insolence and injuries done to themselves and their cattle by the 
Warwick and Pawtuxet Indians under shelter of the authority 



HrSTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 245 

of Massachusetts. '"J'hese Indians," he says, "live as bar- 
barously, if not more than any in the country;" and he adds, 
to show the general condition of affaii's at that period, "The 
barbarians all the land over are filled with artillery and ammu- 
nition from the Dutch openly and horridly, and from all the 
English over the country by stealth." 

The next year, 1656, on the complaints of the Warwick set- 
tlers of oppression by Indians, a committee, including Roger 
Williams, Benedict Arnold and Gorton, was named to treat 
with " Pumham and his company." Williams went to Boston 
and wrote to the court a month or two later that his negotiations 
with the sachem were progressing favorably. That the accord was 
not of long duration appears by the order of the general court 
in 1658 for any that see canse to arrest Pumham, "who dwells on 
Mishowamett Neck," or any other Indians upon Warwick lands. 
His men had been again busy killing cattle and nuiking forci- 
ble entry on the settlers' lands. And the next year the sheriffs 
had warrants to arrest Pumham himself and any other Indians 
concerned in an insurrection at Warwick, and the rescue of an 
Indian there as well as a robbery at Pawtuxet. 

In 1664, on the receipt of their new charter from Charles the 
Second, and the sufficient assurance that its terms would be en- 
forced, the general court of Rhode Island, on the petition of 
the Warwick inhabitants, gave notice to Pumham by letter 
from the governor and deputy governor that "he was within 
the Jurisdiction of the Rhode Island colony, and that he must 
take some speedy course to remove the difference betwixt the 
men of Warwick and himself concerning lands, or else he may 
expect that upon a legal trial the Courts of the Colony are re- 
solved to do justice in the premises." But the determined old 
.sachem still refused to leave Shawomet neck, the home of his 
fathers ; and it was not until the Icing's commissioners came 
into the province to settle the outstanding disputes between the 
colonists themselves and with the Indians, that he was finally 
induced to remove. These commissioners, according to their 
instructions, entered npon the Narragansett territory and 
named it the King's Province. In thoir report they state tliat 
" the Matachusetts did maintain Pamiiam (a petty sachem in 
the province) twenty years against this (R. Island) Colony." 
The commissioners in April ordered that Pnndiam and his In- 
dians should that j'ear plant their corn on the neck, but before 



246 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

the next planting remove to some other place out of the 
King's Province provided for them by such as thej'^ have 
subjected themselves unto (a reference to Massachusetts) or to 
some other place within the King's Province appointed for them 
by Pessicus, their rightful prince. On his removal the courts 
of Warwick to pay him twenty pounds at eight a penny, and 
if he and his tribe subject themselves to Pessicus, then the town 
of Warwick to give ten pounds at eight a penny as a present. 
And it seems that Cbeesechamut, eldest son of Pumham, hav- 
ing received thirty pounds in peage, at eight a penny, from the 
gentlemen of Warwick, and the promise of ten pounds more 
in like pay, engaged to depart from and quit the tract of land 
known as AYarwick neck, as also that province now called the 
King's Province, formerly the Narragansett country, imme- 
diately on the receipt of the said ten pounds, and not at any 
time thereafter to return to inhabit in tlie aforesaid place or 
places. This acquittance and agreement, signed at "Mr. 
Smith's trading house," at Narragansett, was signed by Cbeese- 
chamut, Nauswahcomet and Assowaet, in the presence of a 
number of witnesses, of which Robert Carr, the king's commis- 
sioner, was one. December 28th, 1665, the additional ten 
pounds was paid by Robert Carr himself to help along the ne- 
gotiation, and on his advice the final sum was paid by Gorton 
and his Warwick associates. 

Pumham would not or at least did not join in this agreement, 
although he is said to have taken the ten pounds from the 
Warwick people, and did not leave the neck, although formally 
ordered in a requisition addressed by Sir Robert Carr, "To 
Pumham, pretended Sachem on Warwick Neck and his adher- 
ents." Pumham had endeavored to interest his Massachusetts 
friends, and John Eliot himself had written to Carr interceding 
for him, saying, " Pumham and his 2)eople have suffered much 
hard and ill dealings by some English ; and tliere hath been 
both force and fraud used toward tliem to drive them or deceive 
them out of their lands.'' Eliot adds that they are in no wise 
willing to part with that little which they still hold, and be- 
seeches Carr, as the king's commissioner, to deal honorably by 
them ; to which Carr replied that, at their hearing of tlie case, 
he had heard nothing of hard and ill dealings to Pumham and 
his people, nor did he understand whom it was intended to ac- 
cuse, and raps Eliot severely over the knuckles for his interfer- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 247 

ence. And Roger Williams also, in the March succeeding the 
order to remove, notifies Sir Robert Carr of his "having heard 
of a late confederacy amongst great numbers of these barbarians 
to assist Pumham." 

Thei'e is nothing more curious in the whole of this curious 
history of Indian disputes as to sovereignty and English dis- 
putes as to jurisdiction, than this letter of Roger Williams. It is 
printed in the Rhode Island Colonial Records, II, 135. In it he 
calls Shawomet Pumham's "Lordship," and insists on a satis- 
factory consideration for it; a matter of some hundreds of 
pounds. He states that in his negotiations with Pumham "he 
would not part with that necke on any terms." He intimates 
that the Narragansett chiefs, Ninecraft and Pessicus, were bar- 
barians who would join against the English if it came to blood, 
but adds that if " King Philip keep his promise they will be too 
great a party against those Sachems;" the first intimation had 
of Philijys power. One clause is especially significant in Roger 
Williams' notice: " Your honor will never effect by force a safe 
and lasting conclusion until you have first reduced the Massachu- 
setts to the obedience of his Majestie and these their appendants 
(towed at their stern) will easily (and not before) wind about 
also." 

A year after the hearing and supposed settlement at Warwick, 
Sir Robert Carr informed Lord Arlington of his attempted ar- 
rangement with Pumham and the unwillingness of that chief to 
submit to Pessicus, but stated that the matter had been finally 
arranged by Roger Williams, "an ancient man" who was "very 
much instrumental in forwarding Pumham's removal, who with 
his company are removed" to general satisfaction. Arnold, in 
summing up this part of Pumham's career, styles Pumham " a 
renegade" and " the abject slave of the Puritans" of the Massa- 
chusetts colony, but this the records scarcely show; and it is 
questionable whether, as in the case of Ninegret, had the Nar- 
ragansett princes not disposed of their territory, they would 
have proven false to their tribal duties as subordinate sachems. 
That he was not the "abject slave" of the English is shown by 
the readiness with which he joined the confederate chiefs who 
tiocked to Philip's side in the spring of 167;"). 

When the Massachusetts commissioners nKuched into the 
Narragansett territory they found the "villages in Pumham's 
district " deserted, from which it is to be supposed that he had 



248 HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

been provided with lands somewliere in the iving's Province. 
That he had been reconciled with the Narragansett chiefs ap- 
pears from the fact that he was one of the six sachems who 
"treated with the Narragansetts sword in hand" in July, 
and subscribed the treaty of peace, which they broke without 
hesitation the moment the overawing force was withdrawn. He 
had composed his difficulties with Warwick or else returned to 
that neighborhood in the progress of the war, as Church states 
in his narrative that General Winslow, on his march against 
the Narragansetts in the winter campaign, marched around that 
township by night instead of crossing the bay to Smith's gar- 
rison house at the ferry (Wickford) in the hope of surprising 
Pumham and his town, but found them gone. His village was 
destroyed at this time, a fewda^-s before the swamp fight. It is 
not known whether PuiTdiam was engaged in this last great 
stand of the Narragansets, when Canonchet, the son of Mianto- 
nomi, led his nation. Pumham was killed at the head of his 
warriors on the 25th of July, 1676, in a fight near Dedham, 
Massachusetts. Trumbull says that his grandson, who was 
esteemed the best soldier and tiie most warlike of the Narra- 
gansett chiefs, had before this been taken by Captain Denison. 
Thus says Arnold: "Pumham effaced the stain of a servile life 
by a manly death." We heartily agree in the conclusion of 
this sentence. 

NiNEGRET, who tlrst appears in history as at the Niantic fort 
when Lieutenant Mason passed by it on the " Old Indian path," 
on his way from Narragansett (Wickford) through the woods 
to surprise the Pequot stronghold, is said in the writings of the 
times to have been a renegade from that tribe which, like the 
Bulgarians of the Lower Empire, seem to have been ready for- 
any service. Roger Williams mentions him as one of the chief 
sachems, a " chiefe soldier," a "notable instrument." He is 
occasionally called Yanemo or Juanemo. His early fighting 
reputation was gained in his feud with the Montauks, whom, 
with their sachem Wyandance, he defeated with great slaughter, 
after which he attacked their iinprei^ared headquarters at 
Metoac, devastated their villages and returned with a store of 
booty, wampum and shells. 

Ninegret was the chief sachem of the Niantic Indians, who 
were tributary to the Narragansett nation; their chief ruling un- 
der the authority of the Narragansett princes in a semi-feudal 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 249 

manner. The Niantics, according to Indian tradition, held pos- 
session of the coast from the Pawcatuclv to tlie Connecticnt 
river, the territory on the east of the former and the west of 
tlie latter and from the coast line northward thirty to forty 
miles into the forests, and by the Europeans were divided geo- 
graphically into the Eastern and Western Niantics : the eastern 
having their stronghold near Weccapang, now Charlestovvn, 
K. I., and the western at Lyme, Conn. They were said to have 
been a peaceful tribe and to have fallen an easy prey to the 
fierce Pequots who swept down upon them from northeastern 
New York, established their headquarters at the mouth of the 
Pequot (Thames) river where they built two strongholds, and 
pushed their conquests to the mouth of the Pawcatuck. Here 
they were met by the Niantics and the Narragansetts called to 
their aid, but defeating them in battle extended their con- 
quests ten miles east of Pawcatuck in 1632. The land occupied 
by the eastern Niantics, of whom Ninegret was then sachem, 
embraced thesonthwestern part of Rhode Island and was known 
by the name of Misqnamicut (in the Indian language meaning 
Salmon) after the neck of the land on the east side of the Paw- 
catuck river. This seems to have been included in the Pequot 
contest, but the intruders were in their turn driven from the 
' territory in 1635 by Socho (Sassawwa), a renegade Pequot, who 
had become one of the most trusted of Miantonomi's Narragan- 
sett captains, a service for which he was rewarded bv Mianto- 
norni with a gift of the tract of Misqiuimicut. Roger Williams 
says of Socho in 1637, in a letter to Govei-nor John Winthrop, 
that he became Miantonomi's "special darling" and a kind of 
general of his forces. This tiact Socho sold in 1660 and gave a 
deed for it to William Yaughan and others, "all of Newport in 
Rhode Island." The grant of Miantonomi was confirmed in 
1061 by Pessicus, the In-other and successor of Miantonomi and 
after the death of Canonicus, chief sachem. Against this sale 
and transfer of the old territory of the Niantics Ninegret pro- 
tested, claiming the tract as the property of his people — and 
here may be found perhaps the key to Ninegret's subsequent 
desertion of the Narragansett cause. 

Ninegret had no kinship with the Narragansett sachems. His 
.sister Quiapen, however, was the wife of Mexham, the son of 
Canonicus. (So says Updike, but Arnold says Ninegret claimed 
the tract l)ut his "nephew Pessicus denied his right thereto." 



In 



250 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Pessicus and Miantonomi were nephews of Canoiiicus, father of 
Mexham. Ninegret was therefore the brother-in-law of the 
cousin of these princes and not the uncle of Pessicus.) The 
tract of Misquamicut, which was incorporated as Westerly, the 
fifth town of the Rhode Island colony in 1669, embraced tlip 
greater part of the territory of the eastern Nianties including 
their best trading and fishing station and the Pawcatuck ford. 

After the death of Miantonomi in 1643, Ninegret seems to 
have been admitted to a share in the rule of the confederated 
tribes of the Narragansetts and Nianties. In 1647, when the 
New England commissionei's demanded the appearance of Pes- 
sicus at Boston to demand the payment of the indemnity of 
wampum forcibly imposed upon them in 1645, Ninegret was 
sent in his stead and was held hostage until his messenger went 
home for an amount on account of the same and engaged to pay 
the remainder. He protested against the i)ayineut of tribute to 
the English, to whom the Narragansetts owed nothing. While 
in Boston on this visit, Ninegret's portrait was taken. An en- 
graving of this picture, which is owned by the WinthroiJ family, 
is to be found in Drake's " History of Boston" and also in 
Denison's "Westerly and its Witnesses." 

In 1653 the council of Massachusetts sent messengers to ques- 
tion the sachems of the Narragansetts as to their intention to 
ally with the Dutch (in the war between England and Holland 
then raging), directing their queries to Pessicus, Ninegret and 
Mexham, as chief sachems, and again on hearing of the attack 
of the Narragansetts on the Long Island Indians. In 1654, war 
having again broken out between the Narragansetts and the 
Long Island Indians, the United Colonies summoned Ninegret 
to Hartford. He answered that the enemy had slain the son of 
a sachem and sixty of his tribe. " If your governor's son were 
slain and several other men, would you ask counsel of another 
nation how and when to right yourselves?" He refused to go 
to Hartford and asked " to be let alone." 

Roger Williams, in a letter to the general court of Massa- 
chusetts in 1654, throws the blame of this Indian quarrel on the 
Long Island tribe. " The cause and root of all the present mis- 
chief is the pride of two barbarians, Ascassassotic, the Long 
Island sachem, and Ninegret of the Narragansetts. The former 
is proud and foolish ; the latter is proud and tierce. I have not 
seen him these many years, yet from their sober men I hear he 



IIISTOHY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 251 

pleads. First — that Ascassassacotic, a very inferior sachem 
bearing himself [i-elying] upon the English hath slain three or 
four of his people, and since that sent him challenges and dar- 
ings to light and mend [avenge] himself. 2 He, Ninegret, con- 
sulted by solemn messengers with the chief of the English 
Governors, JNIajor Endicott, then Governor of the Massachu- 
setts, who sent him an implicit consent to right himself, upon 
which they all plead that the English have Just occasion of dis- 
pleasure. 3 after he had taken revenge upon the Long Is- 
landers and brought away fourteen captives divers of their chief 
women, j^et he restored them all again upon the mediation and 
desire of the English. 4 after this peace made the Long Is- 
landers, pretending to visit Ninegret on Block Island, slaught- 
ered of his Narragansetts near thirty persons at midnight, two 
of them of great note, especially Wepiteammoe's son, to whom 
Ninegret was uncle. 5 In the prosecution of this war, although 
he had drawn down the Islanders to his assistance, yet upon 
protestation of the English against his proceedings, he retreated 
and dissolved the army." It seems that the Connecticut colony 
had taken the Long Island Indians under their protection, in 
reference to which Roger Williams continues, "II know it is 
said the Long Islanders are subjects ; but I have heard this 
greatly questioned, and indeed I question whether any Indians 
in this country remaining barbarous and pagan may, with 
truth and honor, be called the English Subjects. 2 But grant 
them subjects, what capacity hath their late massacre of the 
Narragansetts, with whom they had made peace, without the 
English consent, though still under the English name, put them 
into?" 

Notwithstanding tins appeal which, as it was written on the 
5th of October, probably reached its destination too late, the 
commissioners of the United Colonies despatched Major Wil- 
lard against Ninegret with a force of two hundred and seventy- 
four foot and forty horse. Ninegret retreated to a swamp on 
the 9th of October, and tiie troops returned to Hartford with- 
out success toward the close of the month. The commissioners 
at Hartford were greath^ angered, l>ut Massachusetts no doubt 
in consideration of Roger Williams' appeal, interfered, and the 
war went no further. Ninegret had a fort, but it was no de- 
fense against the English troops. The swamp is supposed to 
be the cedar swamp in Westerly, near Burden's pond. The Nian- 



252 IIISTOEY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

tic fort was oriojinally built as a protection against the Pequots. 
It stood or Fort neck, about eighty rods southwest of Cross' mills. 
The land had steep banks on the soutli side, and projected 
into Pawaget pond (sometimes called Ninegret's pond), an arm 
of which runs northerly. The fort was close on the beach, 
square and about three-quarters of an acre in extent. It had 
three bastions twenty feet square at the three angles. The main 
entrance was near the pond at the south corner, where there 
was no bastion. 

The sale of the Niantic country in 1660 to Vaughan and the 
Newport company has been noticed. In 1659, in defiance of a 
law of Rhode Island, John Winthrop, governor of Massachu- 
setts, and others purchased from Coginaquam, sagamore or 
sachem of Narragansert, the northern neck of Wyapumscott, 
on the mainland about Narragansett fWickford). In 1660 the 
final outrage was committed by the commissioners of the United 
Colonies on ihe unfortunate people. An armed force was sent 
into the territory, and under pretense of wrongs done the Mo- 
hegans, their allies, which the Narragansett sachems denied, a 
lieavy fine was laid, and they were compelled to mortgage their 
entire country for the payment of five hundred and ninetj'-five 
fathoms within four months. In October, 1660, Sucquansh 
(grandson of Canonicus), Ninegret, Scuttup and Wegnakaumut, 
alias Gideon Chief, sachems of the Narragansetts, for them- 
selves and their tribe, mortgaged by deed all the lands in their 
country, commonly known and called by the name of Narra- 
gansett country and Cowesett country, on condition they should 
pay the fine of six hundred fathoms merchantable wampum 
peage to the United Colonies. Six months was named for re- 
demption. Atherton paid the fine. The Indians were unable 
to redeem the land, and in the spring of 1662 the sachems made 
formal delivery of the land. The narrow strait in wiiich tlie 
successor of Canonicus was at this time, appears from the order 
of the general coui't of May, 1661, to the recorder to issue a 
writ to arrest "Susquans, the Indian Sachem," and bring him 
before the court of trials in an action for debt of thirtj^ pounds. 

Reading the history of these atrocious proceedings, it is some 
comfort to remember that Rhode Island was not one of the 
United Colonies, and had her hands full defending her own 
rights against her grasping neighbors, without taking up the 
cause of the Indians. In 1644, harrassed and disiieartened by 



HISTOIIY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 253 

the conflicting claims to jurisdiction, Pessicus and Canonicas 
made submission to King Charles I., saying that they could 
''not yield over themselves to any that are subjects themselves 
in any case, having been the chief sachems or Princes succes- 
sively of the country time out of mind." When, in 1663, on 
receiving the charter from Charles the Second, the commis- 
sioners notified '' the Indian Kings viz Quissuckquansh (grand- 
son of Canonicus) and Nineganet (sachem of the Nigantocott 
country; this of course is Ninegret,) that the king in his patent 
had taken the said Sachems and all tlie Narragansett Indians 
into his gracious protection as subjects to himself, the sachems 
thanked his nuijesty for his gracious relief in releasing their 
lands from theii' forced pui'chasers and mortgages of their lands 
by some of the other Colonies." 

They .se^m still to have had hopes of redress, but his gracious 
majesty was otherwise employed in the gay days of th.e restora- 
tion, and too busy with the fair dames at Whitehall to listen 
to the complaints of his loyal subjects of "King's Province," as 
the Narragansett and Niantic (H)untries were now styled, even 
had they reached his ears. He was too heedless of his own inter- 
ests to care for those of others. For some years nothing more is 
heard of Ninegret. Shorn of the authority which he had shared 
with Pessicus, and overruled if not excluded from the council 
of the Narragansetts by the authority of Canonchet, the son of 
Miantonomi, Ninegret probably "sulked in his tent" literally. 
In 1075, when the genius of Philip of Pokaiioket attempted to 
gather the tribes for a stand for wigw^ams and country, Nine- 
gret and his Niantic followers stood aloof. When, after the 
first outbreak. Captain Hutchinson, commissioner From Massa- 
chusetts, marched arms in hand to Petaquamscott (on Narrow 
river in South Kingstown) and forced a treaty upon tiie Narra- 
gansetts, Ninegret was one of the six subscribing sachems 
(Canonchet, Canonicus, Matatoag, Ninegret and Pumiuim, and 
Maquus, sister of Ninegret, squaw sachem of the Narragansetts). 
Church's narrative does not mention Ninegret. Drake, who 
annotated the narrative, mentions him as one of the six, .saying 
that " he did not join with the rest in the war." The "rest," 
although they had given hostages, all turned against the Eng- 
lish in the course of tlie campaign. What hostages they gave 
and whom Ninegret- gave up for his good faitji are not men- 
tioned. Perhaps in this may l)e found tlie reason for his re- 



254 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

serve. Drake adds in another note that the war histed "until 
the Narragansetts were all driven out of the countrj' except 
Ninegret.'' Easton makes no mention of him in his narrative. 
But Arnold, in his recital, says that on the execution of Canon- 
chet at Stonington, in which all the Indian allies of the English 
took part, " the Niantics, who under Ninegret had joined the 
English, burned his body." This may have been, however, 
without Ninegret's knowledge or consent. Arnold cites no au- 
thority for his statement. Tucker says, " the whites purchased 
Ninegret's neutrality during the Indian war of 1675, and for 
this treachery to his paramount sovereign and. his race the 
' Tribe Land ' in Charlestown was allotted to him and his heirs 
forever as the price of his treason;'' but the same writer rather 
illogically adds, "The Ninegret tribe never were the real Narra- 
gansetts, whose name they bear. It is a libel on their glory and 
their graves for him to have assumed it. Not one drop of the 
blood of Canonicus, Miantonomi or Canonchet ever coursed in 
the veins of a .sachem who could sit neuter in his wigwam and 
hear the guns and see the conflagration ascending from the 
fortress that was exterminating their nation forever."' Yet Drake 
tells us that Maquus, the old queen of Narragansett and sister 
of Ninegret, was with the Narragansett party surrounded by 
Major Talcott in the cedar swamp near Warwick in July, 1676, 
and taken with the rest was put to sword, and this Arnold 
confirms. 

On the death of Canonchet in April, 1676, the sceptre of the 
allied Narragansett and Niantic tribes devolved upon Ninegret. 
It may more properly be said that with Canonchet the sover- 
eignty of the Narragansetts ended and their independent tribal 
organization also. It is a tribute to their power that the Niantics, 
who alone remained standing after the dread catastrophe, 
merged their name in that of the Great Bay tribe. Ninegret 
died soon after the war, leaving his nibe in possession of such 
lands as were left to them after the Misquamicut cession, they 
neither having been taken away from him nor confirmed to him 
by the English as far as can be learned. He was simply not 
driven out. 

He was buried in the burial place of the Ninegrets, the re- 
mains of which are still to be seen on Port neck. Ninegret had 
two wives. By one he had a daughter; by the other a son, 
Ninegret, and two daughters. Weecounkhass, the first daugh- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 255 

tei- by the first wife, succeeded him. Slie was ciowued at Che- 
iiiiingaiiock, now Ixiiowii as Slminaiicauuc iCliarlestown). True 
to fiieir old policy tlie (!oiiiiecriciit authorities who, I'roui the 
tiuie of the Pequot war, had claiuieil jurisdiction over and en- 
deavored to plant tiieir settlers in the Niantic country, had at- 
ti-nipted to set up Catopeci, a Pequot Indian, as joint sachem 
with the hereditary sovereign. True also to the old policy of 
theNiantics and Narragansetts, the injured princess, who in the 
document styles herself " VVecoiiukhass, the queen of the Ni- 
hantick Country in the King's Province in New England, with 
the consent of her Counsell," petitioned the king to leave the 
jurisdiction of the country, as it ever had been, in the hands of 
Rhode Island. The question of jurisdiction over King's Prov- 
ince was finally decided in favor of Rhode Island in 1G87. 

Weecounkhass on her death was succeeded by her half 
brother, Ninegret. In 1708 a committee of the general assem- 
bly was appointed to agree with Ninegret "what maybe a suf- 
ficient competence of land for him and his people to live upon," 
and to view the state of the land. In 1709 they reported a great 
deal of land very poor and some very good, and also that Niije- 
gret had executed a quit claim deed to all Indian lands what- 
ever, excei;)t a tract or reservation of sixty-four square miles. 
In 1717, on the petition of Ninegret (the second), the assembly 
assumed the care of the Indians' lands and appointed overseers 
to lease them for the benefit of the tribe and to dispossess tres- 
passers. In 1718 a memorial was addressed to the assembly in 
behalf of Asquasurhuks, granddaughter of Miantonomi, setting 
forth her claim to the Narragansett lands. The claim was dis- 
proved at the next session and the title shown to have come to 
the present Niantic sachem from old Ninegret as "survivor of 
and joint tenant of the sachenulom with Casuckqunce" (Pes- 
sicus), brother and successor of ^Miantonomi, after his murder 
by Uncas. 

Ninegret's will was dated in 1716-17 and he died about 1722, 
leaving two sons, Charles Augustus Ninegret and George Au- 
gustus Ninegret. Charles Augustus succeeded as sachem. At 
his request certain of his lands in Westerly were granted as a 
site for a meeting house. In 1734 twenty acres of this land 
were laid out and deeded for the use of the Church of England 
in Westerly. Charles Augustus, dying, left an infant son, 
Charles, " who was acknowledged as Sachem by a portion of 



256 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

the tribe but the greater part adhered to George Augustus, his 
uncle, as being of pure royal blood.'' The dispute ended with 
the death of the child. George received the royal belt in 1735. 
On his death he left a widow and three children : Thomas, 
George and Esther. In Updike's history of the Narragansett 
church (here is a minute: " September 6, Thursday, 175'.). The 
bans of marriage being duly published in the church of St. 
Paul's in Narragansetr, no objection being made John Anthony, 
an Indian man, was married to Sarah George, an Indian woman, 
the Dowager Queen of George Augustus Ninegret, deceased, by 
Dr. McSparran." 

Thomas Ninegret, better known as " King Tom," was born in 
1736 and succeeded his father in 1746. He was then ten years 
old and was sent to England where he received a common school 
education. On his return from England be brought the plans 
of a building which was set up and in which, known as the 
sachem house, he lived and died. In 1750 the Indian church 
was i)lanted. In 1759 Thomas Ninegret petitioned for the re- 
peal of the law foj'bidding the purchase of Indian lands, which 
was framed and passed in their interest, and permission was 
given to him and all other Indums to dispose of their lands 
without restriction. This act was repealed on. petition of the 
tribe in 1763, and Ninegret consenting to execute a deed for the 
sachem lands, a committee was appointed to set them off, but 
the tribe could not agree as to what lands should be set (.ff. In 
1765 the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel sent over a 
teacher with books to the Narragansetts, and Ninegret petitioned 
the society to establish a free school, in quitu a touching letter. 
King Tom, though heavy and fat, idle and not over temperate, 
was fond of learning and religion. In 1767 he was required by 
the assembly to execute a deed for the school house lot in 
Charlestown to the colony and to. settle his accounts and to pay 
his debts by sale of his personal estate and lands if not ade- 
quate. The tribe, aggrieved by this proceeding, on the advice 
of Sir William Johnson sunt an agent to England to lay the 
matter before the king. King Tom died in 1769 or 1770. Upon 
his death the saciiein house was sold and a large part of the 
tribe lands to pay his debts, after which, in 1773, the I'eniainder 
was secured to liie tribe by act of the assembly beyond (contin- 
gency of debt. 

King Tom's wife and only son left liini some time before his 



HISTOIJY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 257 

death and went to the west. The son dying before the fathej- 
and George Augustas being also dead, tlie sovereignty passed 
to their sister, Esther, wlio married Tiionias Sachem and was 
crowned queen in 1770. Quile interesting details have come 
down to us as to the ceremony. Tlie rock on which she stood 
is still pointed out. It is about three feet above ground and 
twelve rods north of King Tom's mansion — Sachem House. An 
eye witness of the coronation gave an account of it about 1840 
to Mr. Updike of Westerly. — "I saw lier crowned over seventy 
years ago. She was elevated on a large rock so that the people 
might see her; the Council surrounded lier. There were present 
about twenty Indian soldiers with guns. They marched her to 
the rock. The Indian nearest to the royal blood in presence of 
her counsellors put the crown on her head. It was made of 
cloth covered with blue and white peage. When the crown 
was put on the soldiers lired a royal salute and huzzaed in the 
Indian tongue. The ceremony was imposing and everything 
was conducted with great order. Then the soldiers waited on 
her to the house and fired salutes. There were five hundred 
natives present besides others." 

Queen Esther left one son, George, who was ci'owned after her 
death. He was killed when about twenty-two years old by the 
falling of a tree which was being felled. He was the last of the 
Ninegrets, and the last king of the tribe. His deatli was in 
1827, according to Drake (Notes on Chui'ch's Narrative). 

Massasoit, or Ousamequin, sachem of the Wampanoags, 
was the earliest of the sachems of whom there is record in the 
history of the New England settlements. In March, 1G21, 
three months after the landing of the Pilgrim's in Plymouth 
bay, they were visited by an Indian, Samoset, from the coast of 
Maine, who had learned some English fi'om tht; fishermen wlio 
visited the coast. He informed the whites that they were in 
the region of the Wampanoags, whose territory extended to 
the Narragansett bay. A few days later Samoset brought in 
another Indian, one Squantum (or Tisquantum), a native of Pa- 
tuxet (or Plymouth), the place in which they now were. This 
savage was one of those who had been carried oif to England 
by one of the sea captains, and also spoke English. An 
hour later he was followed by Mas.sasoit. An interview was 
held at which Squantum acted as interpreter, and a treaty of 
alliance was made between tlie settlers and the Wampanoag'-. 
17 



258 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

which was maintained unbroken for fifty-four years. Massasoit 
had already some knowledge of English power from Sqnantum, 
his subject, and from a visit made to him by Captain Dermer, 
an English captain, who, coasting from Maine to Virginia in 
1615, in an open pinnace, had fallen in with Squantnm, whom 
he knew, and had been taken by him to the headquarters of his 
chief at Pokanoket. 

The territory of the Wampanoags extended from Cape Cod 
to Narragansett bay, and by some (Miller's King Philip and the 
Wampanoags) is supposed to have included the islands in the 
bay. The Tndian plague of 1616 had been particularly fatal to 
this tribe, and they had fallen under the dominion and become 
tributary to the Narragansetts, who had taken to themselves 
the islands before the coming of the English. There are sup- 
posed to have been four large Indian villages of the Wampa- 
noags on the neck, a jjeninsula which projects into Narragan- 
sett bay ; one at Montop, the name of which was later changed 
to Mount Hope ; another at the head of the cove ; a third at 
Kickamut, the back river ; and a fourth at Sowams or Sowam- 
set. The Indian remains at all these places show that it was 
cultivated and thickly inhabited. The sachems had tlieir resi- 
dences at Metacom in Montop bay, and at Pokanoket or 
Sowams. 

In the summer of 1621 Governor Bradford sent a deputation 
of the Plymouth colony to return Massasoit's visit : Edward 
Winslow, Stephen Hopkins, and Squantum as a guide. They 
were received by Massasoit at Pokanoket, and found him 
almost destitute of in-ovisions, save a partridge and a few fish. 
In 1623, word coming to Plymouth that Massasoit was "sick 
and like to die," Winslow was sent to visit him. He reached 
Pokanoket in time to rescue him, and so won the gratitude of 
the sachem that he said, "Now I see the English are my frientls 
and love me ; and whilst I live I will never forget this kindness 
they have shown me." And in fact at this interview he gave 
the English warning of a plot of Massachusetts Indians against 
the white settlements. 

Intercourse soon grew between the bay settlements and Mon- 
top, and as early as 1632 the Plymouth settlers had a trading 
post at Sowams, which they held to be the garden of their 
patent. Here there is a living spring of water known as Mas- 
sisoit's SI? ring. The trading post is supposed to have been at 



HISTORY OF NEWPOIIT COUNTY. 259 

Phoebe's neck, on the Barrington side of hhe Swanzey river. 
Massasoit at this time is believed to have been about forty years 
of ;ige. "The King,'' says the earliest account of him, ''is a 
portly man in his best years, grave of countenance, spare of 
speech." It is known that he made repeated visits to Ply- 
mouth, as indeed was needful, he having i)laced himself and his 
tril)H under the protection of the PljMuouth government. He 
is said to have taken the name of Ousaniequin when he started 
on his war against the Narragansetts in 1630, an e.xpedition, 
the result of which was apparently his freedom from tributary 
subjection, but of which there i-emains no account. Moreover, 
the Indians in the immediate neighborhood of (he Plymouth 
settlements recognized his tribal jurisdiction. Tiie distance 
from Plymouth to Montop is about thirty miles, and the Indian 
trail soon became the route of daily travel. 

It was while on these visits to his white friends that Massa- 
soit became known to Roger Williams, who arrived in Boston 
in 1630, and no doubt also to John Eliot who came to New 
England the next year. Both of these men were ministei's of 
the gospel and admirable linguists, one having been educated 
at the University of Oxford and the other at that of Cambridge. 
Alike deeply concerned for the conversion of the natives, they 
alike from the time of their arrival mingled with them and 
sought by converse to learn their tongue. Of their thorough 
knowledge of the dialects there is proof in "A Key into the 
Language of America; or a Help to the Language of the Natives 
in tiiat part of America called New England," by Roger Wil- 
liams, ])ublished at London in 1643, and in John Eliot's gram- 
mar and tianslation of the Bible into the Indian language. The 
facility which Williams early acquired was of great service to 
himself personally and to his friend Massasoit, for whom he 
acted as interpreter at his meetings with the English authori- 
ties. Young Governor Henry Vane, during his short stay in 
New England, 1635-87, and Governor John Winthrop, in his 
teini of ofTife, both beforeA'^ane's coming and after his departure, 
anil Edward Winslow, governor of Plymoutli, were Williams' 
friends and alike interested with him in the establishment of 
peaceful relations with the Indians and their conversion to 
Christianity. Indeed one of the objects set forth in the charter 
of the Massachusetts colony was the conversion of tlu' natives; 
and Winslow was the immediate cause of the fonnding of the 



260 . HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in New Enghmd 
(1649). 

When Roger Williams was banislied from Massachusets in 
November, 1635, as a distnrberof the peace both of the church 
and the commonwealth, the first cause of offense named was 
the teaching of an erroneous yet not religious opinion, viz., that 
the natives were the true owners of the land and the settlers 
gained no rights to it by patent from the king. This of course 
was an agreeable recommendation to the natives. It was natural 
therefore that when, to avoid the warrant that was to put him 
on board a vessel about to leave for England, Williams lied in 
the middle of January to the wilderness, leaving his wife and 
children behind, he should have gone directly to Massasoit; 
moreover he was privately advised by his friend WinthroiJ " to 
steer his course to the Narragansett Bay and Indians for many 
high and heavenly public ends,"and particularly because of the 
" freeness of the. place from any English claims or patents." Wil- 
liams made his journey through the winter snows from Salem, 
an exi^osure from which he had not recovei'ed thirty years later. 
He was accompanied by live companions; one of these was a 
Dorchester miller, like himself banished for " erroneous opin- 
ions," another a poor destitute creature, a third poor young 
fellow and two lads. At Montop Williams was warmly received 
by Massasoit and granted a tract of land on the eastern bank 
of the Seekonk river near what is called now Cove Mills. See- 
konkis now Rehoboth. "Here," says Williams, "I first pitched 
and began to build and plant, but I received a letter from my 
ancient friend Mr. Winslow, then Governor of Plymouth, pro- 
fessing his own and others' love and respect to me yet lovingly 
advising me since I was fallen into the edge of their bounds and 
they were loth to displease the Bay, to remove to the other side 
of the water; and then he said I had the countiy free before me 
ami we might be as free as themselves and we should be loving 
neighbors together." From this it is clear that the eastern 
autliorities considered the bounds of their patent and of the 
Wampanoag jurisdiction under their protection to be the 
eastern shore of the Narragansett waters. "As good as ban- 
ished from Plymouth as from the Massachusetts," by this gentle 
advice,WilIiams, about two months after beginning his planta- 
tion at Seekonk, took his canoe and with his five companions 
dropped down the stream to a slate rock on the west shore of 



HISTORY OF NEWPOHT COUNTY. 261 

the stream, at its continence witli tlie liead waters of tiie bay, 
where lie was liailed by someNarragansett Indians and landinii', 
was pleasantly greeted. Again embarking, lie passed aronnd 
the headlands and canoed up the river on tlie west side of tlie 
peninsula to the mouth of the Mooshassic and chose for the seat 
of his new plantation the slope of the hill which rises fi'oni the 
stream, and gave to it the name of Providence. This was witli- 
out question in the jurisdiction of the Niwragansetts, but it 
would seem that this country had also belonged to the \Vam- 
panoags, for Williams himself says that "some time after the 
Plymouth great Sachem Ousamequin (Massasoit) upon occasion 
affirmed that Providence was his land and therefore Plymouth's 
land."' To this Bradford, the governor of Plymouth, and also 
an old friend of Williams, answered that even if the claim 
proved true Williams should not be molested again. 

Williams early gained the favor of Canonicus and Mianto- 
nomi,the Narragansett sachems, and at the request of Governor 
Vane of Massachusetts visited them at their headipiarters on 
Conanicut island and negotiated the league against the Pequots. 
Within two months of his settlement at Providence he was be- 
come their chief adviser. In return they had freely granted to 
him the lands and meadows where his plantation lay, between 
the two streams at the continent point of which Providence 
lies. No doubt this dispute about the land was " the great 
contest between the three Sachems (to wit, Canonicus and Mi- 
antonomi were against Ousamequin on Plymouth side)," in 
regard to which Williams, from whom this is quoted, "was 
forced to travel between them three to pacify, to satisfy all 
their and their dependants' spirits of my honest intentions to 
live peaceably by them." 

It is not at all probable that tlieie was any armed contention 
or bloody feud between the Narragansetts and the Wampan- 
oags at the time Williams settled. In the same declaration 
Williams says that Ousamequin "consented freely, being also 
well gratified by me to the Governor Winthrops' and my en- 
joyment of Prudence yea of Providence itself," etc. In fact 
the land neighboring on Providence to the north, and perhaps 
that on which Providence stood, had belonged to the Cowesets 
who, after the defection of Massasoit, were gradually falling 
away from their tribal allegiance and, with their northern 
neighbors, the Nipmucks, subjecting to the Massachusetts col- 



262 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

ony. Indeed a few years later, in 1646, when the Narragansett 
power had greatly weakened, we find the Providence settlers 
buying the "right which Ousamequin pretendeth to a parcel 
of land" between their bounds at Pawtucket and an Indian 
plantation northwest from thence called Loquasquscit (Smith- 
field, at the lime quarries), although they claim that they had 
the right of feeding and grazing cattle there by their grant from 
the Narragansetts .before they had "released him (Ousame- 
quin) of his subjection," which gives evidence of a formal con- 
tract to his withdrawal from tributary subordination. 

The name of Ousamequin first appears in the Rhode Island 
records in connection with the first of these transactions. In 
1687 there appears annexed to the deed to Coddington and his 
associates of the island of Aquidneck, a memorandum of a con- 
sent to them by Ousamequin for a gratuity of five fathoms of 
wampum of the use of any grass or trees on the mainland on 
the Powakaseck (Pocasset) side. This by his Plymouth pro- 
tection was strictly in Wampanoag territory. In 1646, in the 
matter of the Indian plantation just mentioned, he was in troub- 
le with the town of Providence. They had jjaid him in coats 
and hoes and wampum, which he asked, but over night he 
changed his mind. On the report of Roger Williams and 
others he was, however, compelled to adhere to the "fair and 
righteous bargain." Being outside of the Rhode Island juris- 
diction, Ousamequin' s name rarely appears in the history that 
concerns it, only we may notice that with ten of his men 
he had permission from the town of Portsmouth, in 1644, to 
take ten deer on the island of Aquidneck, within the liberty of 
that town ; but the deer were to be taken to Portsmouth, there 
to be viewed, and neither Ousamequin nor any of his men were 
to carry any deer or skins off from the island except at that 
time, and they were to depart off from the island within five 
days. 

Massasoit and his Wampanoags had no part in the wars l^e- 
tween the Narragansetts and the Mohegans which were the 
indirect cause of the ruin of the Rhode Island tribe. It was 
not the policy of the Massachusetts government to allow their 
Indian neighbors to go on the war path. The chief, now ad- 
vancing in years, lived quietly at his favorite seats. He had a 
large family: his wife, two brothers, Quadequmet and Akkan- 
poin, three sons and a daughter whose name is not known. His 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 263 

oldest son was Wamsutta, sometimes called Mooannm, his sec- 
ond Pometacnm, Metacom, both of whom figure in history; 
and a third Sunconewhew. Wamsutta and Metaconiet were 
better known by their English names of Alexander and Pliilip, 
by which, according to some authorities, they were called as 
early as 1G56, but which as others hold were given to them 
after the princes of Macedonia, when they went up to Plymouth 
court in 1662. 

Wamsutta, or Alexander, the eldest of tlie sons of Massasoit, 
was admitted to a part in the government of the Wampanoags 
before 1657. In that year he was the cause of a dispute be- 
tween the Plymouth and Rhode Island colonies in his sale of a 
little Island in Narragansett bay to Richard Smith, Jr., the son 
and successor of the old trader of the Narragansett. The 
colony of Rhode Island had always exercised jurisdiction over 
this island. In 1638 the town of Portsmouth granted permis- 
sion to mow its grass to one of their people, and no counter 
claim .seems to have been set up until this sale, which, as 
Richard Smith always leaned toward Plymouth, was no doubt 
one of their practical attempts to help Massachusetts to gain a 
foothold on Narragansett bay. After the purchase by Smith 
the authorities of Plymouth colony wrote to Rhode Ishiiul 
claiming jurisdiction. The letter was answered and commis- 
sioners appointed on both sides to settle the matter, but from 
the fact that private instructions were given to their commis- 
sioners by the Rhode Island assembly, there is little doubt that 
they were resolved in no event to surrender jurisdiction in any 
of the waters of their bay. In 16o9 Smith attempted to take 
forcible possession, but was firmly met and the matter was 
finally decided as of right in favor of Rhode Island. 

In this matter Wamsutta played the i^art Plymouth desired. 
Indeed, as the power of the Narragansetts waned, the lower 
.sachems reasserted their authority. Not only did Pumham, 
the subordinate Narragansett sachem of Shawoniet, refuse to 
leave Warwick neck, which the cliief .sacheuis sold to Gorton 
and Holden, but still another claimant sprung up to the sauie 
land in the person of Nawwusliawsuch, " who lived witii Ous- 
amequin." In 1656 Rhode Island daily looked for hostilities in 
consequence of this feud. Roger Williams sought in vain to 
settle this dispute, as well as the difficulties made by .some of 
the Pawtuxet families who had subjected themselves to Massa- 



2G4 HISTORY OF NEWPOirr county. 

chusetts' jurisdiction before Rhode Island had its charter. Such 
was the state of affairs when old Massasoit died, toward the 
close of the year 1661, at the age of about eighty years, faith- 
ful at the close as he had been from the day when he made the 
first Indian treaty of amity with the Pilgrim fathers. Yet, 
though he had on more than one occasion saved the weak set- 
tiers from disaster, if not utter ruin, he had not escaped with- 
out suspicion and indignity, and had gradually seen his own 
power, notwithstanding his release from Narragansett domina- 
tion, weakened over his own tribe and their subordinate allies. 
To him, as to all with whom the Indians came in contact, the 
touch of the white man's hand was death. At the tirst cele- 
bration of "Forefather's day"' at Plymouth in 1769, one of 
the regular toasts of the dinner was, "To the memory of Mas- 
sasoit, our first and best friend and ally of the native.s.*' It 
may be here remarked that this chief always appears on the 
Masssachusetts records as Massasoit, on those of Rhode Island 
as Ousamequin. 

Wamsutta or Sepaaquet — Alexander, the eldest son of Mas- 
sasoit, succeeded his father as chief sachem, but from what is 
known of his character and his brother, it is not probable that 
either of them shared their father's attachment to the English, 
or at least were willing as thoroughly as he to conform their 
policy to that of the Massachusetts or Plymouth governments. 
His first act was in direct antagonism to Massachusetts policy. 
This was a deed to the town of Providence in 1662 of a tract 
of land west of the Seekonk river which Massasoit had claimed, 
as in the case of the Loquasquscit lands in the old Coweset 
jurisdiction. This sale of lands which the eastern colonies 
itched to possess, to the heretics of Providence, was as deadly 
a sin in the eyes of Plymouth and Massachusetts as the sale of 
Shawomet to the pestilent Gorton, and it is a striking coinci- 
dence that in each case this presumption on the part of the In- 
dians to choose the purchasers of their terrritory was the chief, 
if not the only reason for their death. 

Wamsutta had also strengthened the power of his tribe by 
his marriage with Wetamoo, squaw sachem of the Pocassets, 
who ruled the country which fronted westerly on the western 
waters of Narragansett bay, facing Mount Hope and Rhode Is- 
land in their entire length. Accused by " some of Boston" of 
contriving mischief against the English, and that he had so- 



lIISTOltY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 265 

licited the Narragansetts to engage witli him in his designed 
rebellion, Alexander was ordered by Governor Prince of Ply- 
month colony to appear before the next general court. Not 
answering the summons, but it is said continuing to visit the 
Narragansetts, Major Winslow was sent with a force to bring 
liini up. He was surprised at a hunting station, and only sur- 
lendered at the point of the pistol. He was taken prisoner, 
followed by a train of eighty warriors and women. Halting on 
the way at Winslow's house at Marshfield, Alexander fell ill. 
It is said of him that the day was very hot, but that he would 
not ride Winslow's horse because there was Tione for his squaw 
to ride. To ill to go further, he was allowed to return, on his 
promise to send his son as a hostage for his appearance at the 
next court. He is said to have "died before he got half way 
home;"" some say of "fatigue, rage and heat,"" but there were 
suspicions of crime iu his death. John Easton, in his " Rela- 
tion of the Indyan Warr,'" written at the time, relates that 
Philip and his warriors charged "that their king's brother 
when he was king came miserably to dy by being forced to 
Court as they judge poysoned."" His death, which his wife, 
Wetamoo, as well as his brother, ascribed to foul means, was 
without doubt the determining cause of King Philip's rising, 
and of the teiTible struggle which still bears the name of 
Philip's war. 

End of the Naki:a(iansett8. — In the winter of 1678-9, the 
Indian council of five Narragansetts and others of the tribe by 
the president of the council, Gideon L. Amnions, petitioned the 
general assembly of Rhode Island to name a committee " to in- 
vestigate their affairs in reference to the encroachment of the 
whites upon the tribal lands, and whether it was better to con- 
tinue the tribe as a tribe or enfranchise tliem." Public hear- 
ings were had and testimony taken, some of which were at the 
Indian meeting house in Ciiarlestown, a townsiii]) in the Mis- 
quamicut region in the southwestern part of the state, and orig- 
inally a part of the town of Westerly, incorporated as the (ifth 
town of the colony by freemen of Newport in 1669. The report 
of the committee is authority for the following statement. 

After the death of George Ninegret, no king of the Narra- 
gansetts was ever crowned and the tribe was ever after gov- 
erned by an annually elected governor or president and a coun- 
cil of four members. Wlien the Indian council was established 



♦ 



266 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

is not known. It was in existence in October, 1770. Since 
1707, however, the tribe and the reservation of lands have been 
virtually under the jurisdiction of the colony and state, as the 
Indian kings and their councils, although holding directly from 
the English crown, as of the King's Province, have always har- 
monized with the colony and state authority. They claim to 
be allied by treaty with the state and to enjoy certain privi- 
leges and i)rotection by virtue of their subjection, accepted by 
the English king and their grants of territory. 

They held an election day in March and a religious meeting 
in August of each year. An act for regulating the affairs of the 
Narragansett tribe of Indians in this state passed by the legis- 
lature of Rhode Island in February, 1792, prescribed the 
method of election. All the males of the said tribe of twenty- 
one years of age, born of an Indian woman belonging to the 
tribe, or begotten by an Indian man belonging thereto or of any 
other than a negro woman, was entitled to vote at all meetings; 
the council to be elected at the school house, their accustomed 
place of meeting, in March, by a majority of votes. 

The Indian church was planted in 1750, in the reign of King 
Tom, as their sachem, Thomas Ninegret, was called. In 1847, 
according to Updike, " there was not an Indian of the whole 
blood remaining in the tribe." Their character as well as their 
blood had changed by their mingling with whites and negroes. 
In 1833 a committee reported that there were one hundred and 
ninety-nine of the tribe residing in Charlestown and fifty were 
sujjposed to be absent. In 1858 they enrolled one hundred and 
thirty-eight members. In 1879 the tribe numbered one hun- 
dred and thirty-three, of whom fifty-eight were males and sev- 
enty-five females. They maintained their poor and supported 
public worship,and the state paid tiie expenses of the school. Be- 
sides the original reservation, which contained about sixty-four 
square miles, in 1858 about two thousand acres of their tribal 
lands were held by individual members of their tribe as their 
separate estate. In 1879 they owned in all about three thousand 
acres in the center of the town of Charlestown. 

In 1880, the Narragansetts having consented to a dissolution 
of the tribe, the Indian council made a deed to the state for the 
entire reservation except the meeting house and lot and a right 
of way to it as long as it should be used as a place of public 
worship. The sum of five thousand dolars was agreed upon as 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 267 

the price, and the purchase money was divided among three 
hundred and twenty-i'our persons admitted to be members of 
the tribe, the individual share of each being fifteen dollars and 
fifty-three cents. It is curious to note in the list of the tribe 
not an Indian name unless that of Noka is found. The words 
of Denison are now true to the letter in all their force. 

Of the old pride and power of the Indian kings and war- 
riors only their mouldering sepulchres remain. The royal 
burying ground of the most ancient date is located in Charles- 
town, about a mile north of Cross' mills, on a piece of pleasant 
table land near fifteen feet above the surrounding high ground. 
The spot commands a beautiful view of the adjacent country 
and the sea. Royal graves were privileged above others. On 
this plateau, in a mound one hundred feet long, thirty feet 
wide and three feet high, and in the spaces around it, are the 
remains of the kings, queens, members of the royal family and 
chiefs of the Narragansett nation. Some of the graves are evi- 
dently very ancient. In 1878 the general assembly of Rhode 
Island, having received a deed of half an acre of this plateau, 
set up a post and rail fence five feet high which encloses a plot 
twenty feet by one hundred, including the greater part of the 
graves, and also a tablet of marble thus inscribed: " This tablet 
is erected and this spot of ground enclosed by the state of 
Rhode Island to mark the place which Indian tradition iden- 
tifies as the Royal burying ground of the Karragansett tribe, 
and in recognition of the kindness and hospitality of this once 
powerful nation to the founders of this state." 



CHAPTER V. 



NEWPORT IN THE COLONIAL WARS. 



Bv John Austin Stevens. 



Privateering from Rhode Island.— War with the Dutch, 1652-3.— Privateers and 
Pirates, 1653-90.— War with France, King William's War, 1689-98.— Depre- 
dations by Privateers. — Queen Anne's War, 1702-13. — The Old French War, 
n.Jlr-61.— War of the American Revoluticin, 1775-83.— Rhode Island in its 
Political Relations, 1763-74.— Stamp Act Congress.— Non-Importation Agree- 
ment. 



ALTHOUGH the treaty of \Yestpha1ia of 1648, which closed 
the thirty years' war between France and Sweden, the 
victorions powers and the Honse of Anstria, assnred the inde- 
pendence of the Netherlands as one of its great results, and gave 
a temporary peace to Enrope on land, the depredations of the 
maritime powers npon each other by no means ceased. Priva- 
teers still roamed the seas with their commissions. Spanish 
galleons, with the treasures of the Indies, still crossed the ocean 
at fixed periods, and were too rich a prize to be lightly aban- 
doned. England, under the reign of James I. and Charles I, was 
neutral in the continental struggle. The great revolution kept 
lier too busy at home to meddle in foreign war ; but her ad- 
venturous sea-faring men took letters of marque from France 
and probably from Spain also. At first the colonies had too 
much to do at home in their plantations and little coasting trade 
to think much of foreign plunder. The time soon came when 
it was a chief source of occupation and fortune. 

In the early part of 1649 a prize, captured from the Dutch, 
though at what date does not appear from the letter of Roger 
Williams to John Wiuthrop, ,Ir., of Connecticut, which relates 
the incident, was bought by Captain Clarke, of Newport. It 
had pi'obably been brought into this port by some adventurous 
Englishman. Trouble was threatened by Stuyvesant, the gov- 
ernor of New Amsterdam, who claimed that the capture was 



HIRTOIiY OF NEWI'Oirr COUNTY. 269 

"contrary to the i)eac!e with Spain." This attitude of the Dutch 
gave alarm because of the purchase by one of their number of 
Dutch island, at tlie mouth of the bay ; a x"»iii'chase which fell 
through later. The peace with Spain was the treaty of West- 
phalia. 

In the spring of 1650, as is also learned from a letter of Roger 
Williams to John Winthrop, Jr., of Connecticut, the records of 
the Rhode Island colony being silent on the subject,one Bluefield 
brought a prize into Newi)ort, and some Frenchmen who came 
with him, i)robabIy his companions in the expedition, "bought 
a frigate of Captain Clarke [of Newport] to go out upon their 
voyage to West Indies." The vessel was the Dutch prize pur- 
chased the year before. To this the English residents demurred, 
fearing tliat they would practice their trade upon this coast. 
There was at this time great uncertainty as to the state of 
affairs abroad. King Charles had been beheaded. Prince 
Charles, proclaimed king in Scotland, had found it necessary to 
leave the Hague and his Orange kinsmen and friends to take 
refuge in Paris. The last vessel from Bristol had brought word 
of great divisions in England itself and " a fresh report of wars 
with France," from the court of which an armed attempt at 
restoration of the monarchy was feared. There is no informa- 
tion as to the nation from which the Frenchmen, "flesht with 
blood," as Williams describes, took the pi'ize they brought in, 
nor yet whether they were permitted to take out the ship they 
purchased ; but in the absence of contrary order on the records 
it is probable. But they could have taken no commission from 
Newport, as England was at peace with all the contracting 
powers of the treaty of Westphalia. 

The "crowning mercy" of Worcester, and the tliglit from 
England of Prince Charles, after that disastrous and decisive bat- 
tle, left the parliament free to pacify the country and engage its 
forces in foreign affairs. A war abroad has alway.s been a 
favorite mode of securing peace at home. The prosperous col- 
onies and great wealth of the Dutch decided Cromwell to tnrii 
a deaf ear to tho.se of the parliament, who were urging a close 
confederacy with the Holland states. Among these was Sir 
Henry Vane, the old friend of Roger Williams, and after a man- 
ner an early jjatron of the Rhode Island colony. The famous 
"Act of navigation" was aimed directly at the Dutch, who 
had almost a monopoly of the carrying trade of the world. Not 



270 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

content with this war of enactment, the parliament issued letters 
of reprisal to sundry Englisli merchantmen who complained of 
Dutch ill-treatment, and numbers of Dutch vessels were taken 
and brought in as prizes. The states-general rei^lied by equip- 
ping a large fleet, and a collision, accidental or premeditated, in 
the road of Dover with the English fleet, not satisfactorily ex- 
plained, brought on war, the formal declaration of wliich was 
made by parliament in 16.V2. The orders of the council of state 
to the colonies to prepare for defense found Rhode Island and 
the Providence Plantations in schism, the foimer separated 
from the mainland by the commission to Coddington. The 
latter claimed the authority over the colony by reason of their 
holding to the old charter which the commission abrogated. 

Assemblies were held at Providence and Newport the same 
day — May 17th, 1653; the commissioners of the colony, as the 
deputies from Providence and Warwick styled themselves, re- 
ceiving and considering a letter from the town of Newport, 
written in March, notifying them that for "present security" 
they had taken measures foi' forts and arms and mustering of 
the militia. Tlie reason for tliis hesitancy must be sought, no 
doubt, in the influence of Roger Williams, then in England, as 
the agent of Providence and Warwick, to secure the conflrma- 
tion of the old charter. Williams was the guest of Sir Henry 
Vane at his home, Belleau, in Lincolnshire, and it is known that 
Vane was opposed to St. John's policy of war with the Dutch, 
and no doubt hoped that the colonies might be kept clear of 
entanglement. However this maybe, the colony commissioners, 
on receiving the letter, passed an order restrictive rather than 
menacing in tone. After recognizing the authority of the council 
of state, they forbid further export of provisions from the 
colony for supply of the Dutch, direct that each plantation (or 
town) take measures for its own "safety defence," and Anally 
expressly require that "in the name of the commonwealth of 
England that no man within the limits of this colony presume 
to take vessels or goods from the Dutch, as being authorized by 
this colony, without orders and directions from a General Court 
of Commissioners, upon such a penalty as the nature of his 
facts shall require bj^ the judgment of his peers" — and it was 
further ordered that all writs and warrants shall be issued forth 
in the name of the Commonwealth of England." 

While this waiting policy of self-defense and neutralitj^ was 



IIISTORV OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 271 

being adopted at Providence, the general assembly, as they con- 
tinued to call themselves, which met at Newport on the same 
day, May 17th, and had the usual election of president and 
other officers, proceeded at once to active measures. "Three 
men, Mr. William Dyre, Mr. John Sanl'ord |tlie newly elected 
president] and Mr. Nic^liolas Easton wei-e cliosen to see that the 
Older of the Right Honorable the Council of State be attended 
to. namely in looking and taking caie that the State's part in 
all i)rizes be secured and account kept." This was the first 
court of admiralty in Rhode Island. The next day, on the ad- 
vice of a committee, upon which each town was represented by 
two members (Newport by Nicholas Easton and John Easton), 
it was agreed to help their countrymen on Long Island either by 
defending them against the Dutch or by offensive war, and to 
lend them two great guns and other arms, and the aid of twenty 
volunteers. 

For the trial of prizes brought in, the general court, with 
three jurors from each town, were authorized. Commissions 
were granted to Captain Jolin Underhill and Mr. William Dyre, 
and one to Edward Hull to go "against the Dutch or any 
enemies of tlie Comnumwealth of England." Captain John 
Underhill was from Long Island, where he settled after the 
Massachusetts l)anishment, and had the Puritan hatred for 
Dutch and English alike. He did famous service in the Pequot 
war. Some of the freemen of the towns of Providence and 
Warwick attended this assembly and concurred in its resolu- 
tions. The commissioners for Pi-ovidence and Warwick met 
again at Providence in June and adopted a "brief remon* 
strance," in which, after setting forth their grievances and 
claim to authority under the old charter, and admitting the 
validity of the council of .state's direction to " offend the Dutch 
as they shall think necessary," they protest against tlie com- 
missions issued to Underhill, Hull and Dyre, declare that they 
will not be forced into engaging in the .said commission, but will 
use their endeavor to " free themselves from all illegal and un- 
just proceedings, and finally order that no inhabitants of the 
colony that do own the validity of the commissions granted to 
Undeihill, Hull and Dyre in the name of the Providence Planta- 
tions shall thenceforth have liberty to act in government until 
they have given satisfaction to the respective towns of Provi- 
dence and Warwick." 



272 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Tliis subject has been treated at length, as the action of New- 
port at this time is a point of departure in tlie history of the 
colony between the policy of peace, held to by the Roger Wil- 
liams plantation of Providence, and the more warlike tendency 
of the seaport town. 

In the course of the summer Captain Hull caplured and 
brought in a French ship in a manner that Massachusetts j)ro- 
tested against as unlawful. In the autumn Massachusetts was 
still further aggrieved, and sent a si:»ecial messenger to remon- 
strate against the act. This was tlie seizure by Captain Baxter, 
undei' a Rhode Island commission, of the " Desire," of Bain- 
stable, in Hampstead Harbor, an English settlement under 
Dutch jurisdiction, with stores on l)oard. To the complaint of 
the agent of Massachusetts, President Eastou answered that he 
liad issued the letter of marque under the autliority of the 
council, to whom he had sent a report of the case. Baxter next 
captured a Dutch vessel near New York, and was chased to 
Fairfield harbor by two Dutch men of- war. To this act the 
commissioners of the united colonies answered witii a pro- 
hibition of Dutch vessels from entering any of the English- 
American ijorts. The cause of this lukewarmness of the United 
Colonies in this struggle with Holland must be sought in their 
sympathies with parties in England. They no doubt sided with 
those who disapproved of the breach of the old alliance of 
England and Holland against the House of Bourbon. In May, 
1604, the vessel "Deborah" was commissioned to defend her- 
self. This was, probably, the last letter of marque issued, as 
peace with rhe Dutch had been already signed by Cromwell, 
April 15th, 1654. The records of tlie Rhode Island court of 
admiralty no doubt give the details of the pi'izes taken during 
the war. That the prolits were considerable appears from the 
proceedings before the court of commissioners in May, 1658, 
wherein it is stated that there was " remaining in the hands of 
Mr. Nicholas Easton a considerable sum of money or estate, 
which was committed to him by order of court in 1652 (or '53), 
which estate is duly appertaining to the use of his Highness, 
the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, and the 
-colony is accountable therefor when his Highness shall please 
to call for an account of those passages, viz. concerning the 
State's part of prizes taken in the time of the differences in the 
colony with the Dutch." Suits were brought both against 



HISTORY OF NKWPOUT COUNTY. 273 

Easton and William Dyre, the latter of whom declined to give 
any account. The cases were still pending in 10(50. 

The unhappy influence of this legalized freebooting on the 
morals of the inhabitants of the colony is shown by the act 
which the court of commissioners found it necessary to pass in 
I608, four years after the close of the war, on the information 
of "several considerable members of the colony of the inordi- 
nate desires and mischievous conducts and endeavours of ill- 
disposed persons pretending to make prize of such Dutchmen 
as come to trade witli the English in this colony." All such 
persons were warned not to be " so hardy as to attempt or put 
in i)ractice any such design of seizing any either Dutch goods 
or vessels that shall arrive or be brought into this colony to be 
sold to the English here, unless by express commission from the 
State of England or an order of the law making Assembly of 
the Colony under pain of felon}-." 

Privateers and Pirates, 1653-1690. — This isolated case, un- 
der the very eyes of tlie staid authorities of Rhode Island, is but 
a feeble expression of the license of sea-faring adventurers. 
The contest of the two great maritime powers of the world for 
colcMiial dominion was the (opportunity of the freebooter — an 
opportunity which the dismantling of posts, the weakening of 
defenses and the aggregation of protecting vessels in large fleets 
for concerted action greatly increased. Nor was it much more 
than the extreme of that domineering spirit, that love of con- 
quest and adventure which animated Raleigh and Drake and a 
hundred other kindred spirits a century before ; only that their 
successors were not always disposed to inquire into the nation- 
ality of their prizes, and often captured the vessels of their own 
flag with as little ceremony as those of their traditional enemies. 

In 1683 the grievance had reached its height. The American 
coast swarmed with privateers, and this lax commerce soon de- 
generated into uncontrolled piracy. The vessels were often 
owned by honest gentlemen, whose sense of nu)rals was dulled 
by heavy profits, and who rarely inquired closely into the con- 
duct of captain or of crew. The West Indies, with their easy 
ccxist, became the Held, and .lamaica the center of the lawless 
traffic, but the vessels occasionally entered, on one or another 
pretence, into the north Atlantic ports. In .Inly, 1683, Captain 
Thomas Paine ari-ived at Newport with a privateer ship from 
Jamaica. The deputy collector of Boston came down to seize 
18 



274 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

her. The capuiiii showed Jamaica papers, which satislied Gov- 
ernor Coddington, who refused to give her up. The Boston of- 
ficer claimed that the papers were forged, and sent down from 
Boston a pass of the Jamaica governor to prove the forgery. It 
would seem that Paine was a Rhode Island man. 

In March, 1684, the home government sent oi'ders to Jamaica, 
and later to all the American colonies, to take measures against 
privateering and piracy and the harboring of suspicious craft. 
In June following a letter from the king, together with one 
from Sir Leoline Jenkins, one of his principal secretaries, en- 
closing a proclamation for the suppressing of privateer.s and 
pirates, reached the assembly, and was forthwith published in 
the town of Newport by beat of drum, and read by the recorder 
at three of the most public places in the town, and the same 
day an act for the restraining and punishing privateers and 
pirates was passed. The serving, without a special license 
from the colony, was made felony, with the i)roviso that any 
persons belonging to the colony who were then serving any 
foreign prince, state or potentate, who should return before the 
end of December next following and surrender himself should 
be exempt from pursuit under the law, and commissioners were 
appointed under the king's seal, subject to the judges of ad- 
miralty in the colony, to hear and determine all matters of 
treason, felony, piracy, etc., committed on the sea, or in any 
haven, creek or bay. 

War with France. King William's War, 1089-1697.— The 
revolution which drove out James the Second, and brought 
William and Mary to the throne January 22, 1689, was wel- 
come to the New England colonies. The new sovereigns were 
proclaimed in Newport in May. The policy of English sub- 
serviency to France came to an end and William, whose views 
of state craft extended far beyond the limits of his new king- 
dom, was not slow to throw the weight of its arms into the 
struggle of the Protestant nations to maintain the balance of 
power in Europe. Louis XIV. had made a war unavoidable by 
sending troops into Ireland to aid in the reinstatement of King 
James, and parliament heartily pledged themselves to Wil- 
liam's support. 

The king's declaraticju of war was proclaimed in Newport by 
beat of the drum by the clerk of the assembly, in "solemn 
i'.'.anner," in March, 1690. The rumor had already come in of a 



HISTORY OF NKVVPOHT COUNTY. 275 

raid of the French and Indians from Canada on one of the 
towns above Albany, and soon after the proclamation news ar- 
rived of a French fleet off the coast. In May seven sail of French 
privateers swept the coast from Cape Cod to New London. Ves- 
sels were sent out in pursuit, and again on subsequent similar oc- 
casions, but there is no record of letters of marque being issued. 
It is known, however, that in 1096 a Rhode Island privateer 
brought in the "Pelican," a vessel which the French had taken 
on her voyage from Boston to Loudon, armed and fitted as a 
privateer. She was coasting on the banks of Newfoundland 
when she was fallen in with and again captured. 

That there were letters of marque issued from the Rhode Is- 
land colony and that some of those persons to whom they were 
granted were not over-scrupulous in their proceedings, is cer- 
tain from the nature of an order of the assembly called by Gov- 
ernor Clarke on special occasion in July, 1696, when it was 
voted that "considering of the many great complaints that sev- 
eral vessels have been fitted out of this colony and by all likeli- 
hood and circumstances are upon some unlawful design which 
is to the great dishonor of his Majesty and this his Majesty's 
Government ; and for the prevention of such proceedings for 
the future be it enacted by this Assembly that there be no per- 
son or persons comraissionated from this government but shall 
first give bond of one thousand pounds with good securities 
that they shall not proceed upon any unlawful act as aforesaid ; 
except such vessels as shall be sent out by the authority of this 
Colony for the defence bf his Majesty's interests against a com- 
mon enemy ; any act to the contrary notwithstanding." 

There was no court of admiralty provided under the royal 
charter, but the general council of the colony passed an admir- 
alty act in January, 1694, as appears from a document in the 
British State Paper office, which vested the authority, with the 
approval of the assembly, in it;self. The occasion of its passage 
was the arrival of the Dublin frigate, of Jamaica, with a French 
prize, the first which had been brought in since the declaration 
of war. This seems to have given an immediate impulse to a 
movement for privateering in Newport. 

In December following the home government took perhaps 
the most effectual measure to check these illegal and irregular 
acts by the establishment of courts of admiralty in all the col- 
onies, and in June, 1097, the High Court of Admiralty of Eng- 



27G HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

land issued comniissions to Peleg Sanford as judge of the court 
of admiralty in the colony of Rhode Island, and to Nathaniel 
Coddington as register of the same. The governor, Walter 
Clarke, refused to recognize the commissions, holding them to 
be a violation and infringement of the charter rights of the col- 
ony, and informed the assembly that if they allowed them he 
would leave the seat of governor, in which case there would be 
no more choice or election according to their charter. But the 
assembly not taking that view of the matter, Clarke pocketed 
the commission and dissolved the assembly. Clarke appears 
soon after to have resigned his of&ce. 

He was succeeded by his nephew, Samuel Cranston, who also 
refused to administer the oath of office to the judge in admiral- 
ty, and withheld from him his commission. The records men- 
tion no inauguration of the court, but that it was established is 
certain from Bellomont's commission to Its members, Brinley, 
Sanford and Coddington, to collect evidence in 1699 against the 
pirates and to secure the confederates of Kidd; a difficult matter 
because of the sympathy everywhere felt for the freebooters. 

The war closed with the treaty of Ryswick in September, 1697. 
All Europe was once more at peace. A printed proclamation 
was issued in England in October, and despatched to America 
with orders to put a stoj) to all privateering against the French. 
It reached New England in December and was formally pub- 
lished. 

While refusing to recognize the persons appointed in admir- 
alty, yet no longer venturing to act as such themselves, by their 
governor, in defiance of royal authority, the assembly of Rhode 
Island passed a severe law for the. seizing and securing of any per- 
sons that" may be suspected of having been upon the seas upon 
such wicked designs as piracy and robbing, ordering that every 
person that had or should thereafter bring into the colony any 
foreign coin, gold, bullion, silver, merchandise and other treasure 
supposed to be taken in and upon the seas shall lie apprehend- 
ed and made to show cause how he came by the same." 

King William left the colony in no doubt as to his intentions. 
He addressed a letter by the hand of Lord Shi-ewsbury to 
Rhode Island on the general subject of the trade, and immedi- 
atel}' after the signature of the peace a second letter by the 
hand of the same lord, his principal secretary of state, com- 
manding diligence in the obedience to his proclamation order- 



iriSTOUV OF NKWPOUT COUNTV. 277 

ing the seizure of all pirares and in especial manner of Henry 
Avei-y (the captor of the Mogul's ship). These later documents 
reached the colony two days after the adjournment of the as- 
sembly but were all published together with a proclamation of 
the assembly as of the date of its session, May 4th, 1698, in 
every town of the colony by beat of the drum. 

Theextent to which privateering had been carried on under the 
unrestricted roving commissions, appeal's in the records f>f the 
years 1698-9 in the rejjresenrations to the king about the irregu- 
larities in the government of Rhode Island, the instructions of 
the board of trade and phintations to Bellomont on t)he one hand 
and the letter of Governor Cranston, Clarke's nephew and 
successor, to the board of trade and their instructions to 
Bellomont on the other. The earl of Bellomont, commander- 
in-chief of the king's province of the Massachusetts Bay, New 
York and New Hami^sliire, etc., was instructed to make special 
inquiries into the misdemeanors of Rhode Island and to put cer- 
tain queries to Clarke, the late governoi-. From these it seems 
that he was charged with having granted commissions without 
taking security, to sundry persons named, some of whom were 
notoi'ious pirates; one, William Mayes, was charged with having 
assisted Avery in raking the Mogul's ship " Gunsway," to which 
Cranston replied that " Mayes liad his clearings from the Cus- 
tom House at Rhode Island to go on a trading voj^age to Mada- 
gascar with a lawful commission from the government to fight 
the French, his Majesty's enemies." 

William Mayes lived at Portsmouth. The general as.sembly 
adjoui'ned to meet at his house there in 1682. He does not seem 
to have returned from his voyage, and it is supposed that Avery 
murdered him and his whole company. He was the only per- 
son ever commissioned by Rhode Island, says Cranston, that 
" has been to the southward of Cape Good Hope." 

In a letter to the board of trade Cranston gives information of 
a ship scuttled on the coast a month before — a bagboat of four 
hundred tons belonging in London, l)ound for ]?orneo island. 
On the island of Polonoys, near Sumatra, the crew took ad- 
vantage of the captain's being on shore and ran away with the 
ship. One of the men was (taught at Newport and the rest in 
the neighboring governments, and tlieir money, about twelve 
hundred pounds, taken from them. 

Bellomont visited Rhode Island in September, 1699, with a 



278 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

number of the council of Massachusetts, and met the Rhode Is- 
hind authorities at Governor Cranston's house. Inquiry and 
examination were made, when it appeared that one Gilhim, a 
notorious pirate who came fr(<m ]\Iadagascar to Rliode Island 
with Captain Kidd, had been entertained in Newport at the 
house of the deputy collector. To sum up this curious matter 
John Russell Bartlett, editor of the Rhode Island Records, 
adds in a note that there are various documents preserved among 
the pax^ers of Mr. John Carter Brown, copied from the state pa- 
per office at London, "which corroborate in a measure f lie serious 
charges contained in the report of the earl of Bellomont against 
Rhode Island. It does not appear, however, that there was any 
complicity between the authorities of the colony and those en- 
gaged in piracy, as might be inferred from Lurd Bellomont' s 
report." But it is not so clear that there were not some, indeed 
many who were engaged in privateering between which and 
piracy the line was narrow; and Mr. Bartlett admits " that the 
facility with which commissions for letters of marque were ob- 
tained during the wars with France and Spain induced many 
adventurers to i-esort to Rhode Island for thatpuriwse; while the 
advantages of the fine harbors of Narragansett bay led these 
privateers to fit them out as well as to return here with their 
booty. The notorious Captain Kidd was within our waters 
where he landed portions of his goods and ill-gained treasures, 
as appears from the testimony above referred to. Several of 
his companions charged witli piracy also took lefuge here and 
on the east end of Long Island, where they were sought by the 
authorities at tlie instigation of Lord Bellemont." 

The British cabinet in November, 1(599, issued an order to the 
governors of all the colonies to arrest Kidd, should he appear 
in their waters. He was taken in Boston and with his associ- 
ates, by a ship sent out for the purpose, was carried to England 
where he was executed for crimes in the results of which many 
a man of station in the colonies had his profit. It is a curious 
instance of the temper of the time that commissions to privateers 
should have been issued by such men as Walter Clarke without, 
as he hintself admits, any thought of taking security for a faith- 
ful discharge of this, the most dangerous of trusts. 

Neither royal orders, colony proclamation nor beat of drum 
are much restraint upon men who have once acquired a taste for 
blood and 2'limder, and it is not surprising to find, in the journal 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 270 

of an Englisli Friend who was at Block I.sland on a religious 
errand in 1702, that most of the able bodied men on the island 
had gone off in privateers. 

Depredations by Foreign Privateers.— At the time (1680) 
that the inquiries of the board of trade were submitted to the 
Rhode Island autliorities, England was at j)eace and there 
could be no excuse for the appearance of privateers on the 
waters of the American colonies, but the seventh question of 
the board shows that there were such rovers under the pre- 
tence of commission or in defiance of the law of nations abroad 
on the high seas. The answer of Rhode Island was that "our 
coast is little frequented and not at all at this time with 
privateers or pirates." This hapjay state of affairs was not 
of long duration. In 1682 the first of these freebooters 
made their appearance on the coast and hardy ruffians 
they were. Their bark, the " White Wood," was captured 
and the ci'ew brought into Newport. Some of them broke jail 
and plotted to murder Sanford, the governor of the colony. 
One of them, a negro, betrayed the design and in reward, at his 
own request, was held under guard while the privateers, John 
Smith and his associates, were sent to Virginia for trial. The 
articles seized from the men, moneys, plate, clothing, guns, 
servants and boats, wei'e taken possession of by I he governor 
and recorder, who were ordered to account to the assembly. 

The war began by France to re-establish James the Second on 
the throne of England was marked by unusual activity on the 
part of that continental power on the seas. Proclaimed in 
in the spring of 1690, at Newport, the English settlements were 
thi'own into consternation in July by the descent of a 
fleet of seven French privateers on the coast of New Eng- 
land, which captured Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Block 
Island. An armed sloop was sent out from Newport to watch 
their movements. Some of the French vessels attempted a sur- 
prise of the town but, finding it on guard, withdrew and sailed 
through the sound to New London, where they were driven off; 
Ijonfires lighted along the shore from Pawcatuck having given 
warning of their approach. They landed at Fisher's island and 
burned the only house on it. This party were surprised by 
some Stonington men, and their guide, a renegade Englishman, 
who had led them to Block Island, was killed. For eight days 
they hung about the neighborhood. 



280 HISTORY OF NEWPOUT COUNTY. 

On the 2r)th of July the governor and council commissioned 
Captain Thomas Paine (himself a privateer and later one of 
Kidd's friends). Captain John Godfrey and others to piirsue the 
enemy. Two sloops and ninety men, Captain Paine command- 
ing, fell in with five sail of the French near Block Island. The 
enemy numbered two hundred men and were commanded by 
Captain Pekar, who had sailed some years befoi'e under Paine 
in privateering expeditions. After a severe fight in which the 
French were worsted, they put to sea. Chased by Paine, they 
sank one of their prizes laden with wines and brandies. Paine 
returned to Newport but the people were so alarmed that man)' 
removed their valuables to the interior. 

Block Island, from its exposed position now became, as 
during the Indian wars, a favorite point of surprise. In May, 
1691, a night attack was made upon it and cattle were 
carried off. In the summer of 1692 the British frigate "Non- 
such," cruising at the mouth of the sound, sighted a French 
privateer which had already plundered Block Island and, 
giving chase, captured it in Monument baj% near Elizabeth 
islands, and brought it into Newport. After the "Nonsuch" 
left the harbor another French privateer seized several ves- 
sels, one of which, John Godfrey master, belonged to Rhode 
Island. Governor Easton at once sent out a brigantine un- 
der command of Captain Peter Lawrence, who returned after 
a fruitless search. A fourth attack on Block Island was 
repulsed by the settlers in an "open pitched battle." The 
Rhode Island authorities, in an address to the king this 
summer (1692) liken their position to that of a border post, 
" being frontiers at sea as your Majesty's fort at Albany is by 
land" and therefoi'e as "very great charge by watching and 
warding," and not suitably fortified. These were the last of 
the French descents. Now for a time Block Island, Conanicut 
and even Rhode Island became the quiet refuge of English and 
American freebooters. Block Island has been searched for Kidd's 
treasures and there is a tradition that the cave in the cliffs at 
Ochre point was the favorite landing place of this famous 
" pirate king." 

The peace of Ryswick was but a lull in the great European 
struggle. Four years later (1702) the war of the Spanish suc- 
cession began. Queen Anne's declaration of hostilities against 
France and Spain was proclaimed in May. The news of a strong 



HISTORY OP NEWPORT COUNTY. 281 

French fleet cruising in tlie West Indies again alarmed Rhode 
Island and stimulated every measure of defense. The coast was 
watched by scouts and a garrison established on Block Island. 
In June a sloop laden with provisions was taken by a French 
privateer. Within twenty-four hours an expedition of two 
sloops was sent out after the intruder and the vessel and prize 
brought back in triumiih by Captain John Wanton. The next 
day the general assembly voted the governor a gratuity of 
live pounds for his extraordinary trouble in setting out the 
sloops in the expedition, and empowered him to take up and 
improve any vessels to send out in case of invasion, and upon 
any sudden invasion within the precincts of the colony to press 
any vessel or vessels for the colony's service. In 1708 French 
privateers again made their appearance, this time at Martha's 
Vineyard, when they took two prizes. Again within three 
hours after the news came into Newport Major William Wan- 
ton and Captain John Cranston went out in pursuit with two 
sloops. The French destroyed their' prizes but escaped after 
a twenty-four hours' chase. 

Queen Anne's War wrni France and Spain, 1702-13.^In 
May, 1702, while the assembly was busy in the fortification of 
the harbor and in arming the colony, news was received of the 
declaration of war by Queen Anne upon France and Spain. 
This war, which continued for eleven years, is known in En- 
glish annals as the war for the Spanish succession ; in those of 
the colonies as Queen Anne's war. In July following the brig- 
antine "Greyhound," of one hundred tons, mounting twelve 
guns and manned with one hundred men and boys, was fitted 
out at Newport and her command given to Captain William 
Wanton, with a four months' cruising commission and instruc- 
tions to keep within the banks of Newfoundland on the east 
and the thirtieth parallel of north latitude on the south, where 
the French and Spanish privateers were to be looked for. 

Wanton was of a Quaker family which came to Rhode Island 
from Plymouth. He was himself a shipwright at Portsmouth 
and with his brother John became famous for privateering 
exploits. On his return in September from a cruise in the 
Gulf of St. Lawrence he brought into port three French ships, 
one a privateer of two hundred and sixty tons, carrying twenty 
guns and forty-eight men, another, a vessel of three hundred 



a 



282 IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

tons with sixteen guns and a tiiird of one hundred and sixty 
tons mounting eight guns. Tiiey had cargoes of dried fish. 

The sale of these prizes was the occasion of an attempt on 
the part of Dudley, the vice-admiral, to break up the admiral- 
ty court at Newport and substitute his own authority. It is 
not to be denied that there had been great abuses and irregu . 
larity in affairs of admiralty in Rhode Island. The queen's or- 
ders had annulled the colonial act of 1694. The authority of the 
judges appointed by the crown in 1697 had been disputed by 
the governor and his commission withheld. In 1699 the judge, 
Peleg Sanford, wrote the Earl of Bellomont that he had not up 
to that time been able to discharge his duty owing to the oppo- 
sition of the government which claimed admiralty authority, 
and that pirates and other suspected persons were countenanced 
and entertained and readily found bondsmen in the sums of 
two to three thousand pounds. 

Sanford died in 1701 without, as far as can be ascertained, 
having exercised his official functions. But the judges in ad- 
miralty held their power to be not only to govern the adminis- 
tration of prizes but to issue commissions to privateers. Dud- 
ley denied the validity of Wanton's commission and the entire 
subject was referred to the queen. Colonel Nathaniel Byfield 
was appointed by Dudley to the vacancy made by the death of 
Sanford, but the same opposition was made to his authority as 
to that of his predecessor. The authority of Dudley as vice- 
admiral had been established b,y the orders of the queen in 
council in 1703, which expressly declared that there was no ad- 
miralty jurisdiction in the charter of Rhode Island. 

In 1705 tlie brigantine "Charles," a private man ofvvar, sent 
out from Newport under Captain John Halsey, with the gov- 
ernor's commission, returned with a valuable Spanish prize 
taken in the West Indies. Judge Byfield refused to condemn 
the prize on the ground that the commission was not valid. 
The affair caused great commotion until Dudley wrote to By- 
field, advising condemnation in order to save the cargo which 
would else be embezzled or lost. It had already been dis- 
charged. The vessel was condemned and strange to say the 
general assembly was convened to lay a tax of five hundred 
IKJunds, out of which one hundred and seventy was to go to the 
lord high admiral's tenths, due liim from the colony for prize 
moneys. 



IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 283 

The question seems to have been whether the issue of com- 
missions or letters of marque was a privilege of the judge or a 
chartered right of the governor. In point of fact, being tanta- 
mount to a declaration of hostilities, it was a prerogative of the 
crown. These proceedings must have dampened the ardor of 
the privateers who would ill brook the nice questioning of an 
independent authority into their proceedings, "and we hear no 
more of them during this war. But Captain Wanton again dis- 
tinguished himself in 1706 in the caprure of French privateers 
which hung about the coast. Judge Sheffield, of Newport, in 
his interesting paper on this subject, says that while no records 
now exist to show the number that sailed out, "Fort Ann was 
built from the queen's tenths of the prizes during the war." To 
this purpose the colony devoted the proceeds of the "money, 
gold plate and goods'" forfeited by one Munday, accused of 
piracy in 1699, and thei'e were taxes laid also for the same. Peace 
being declared, the venturesome seafaring men men and the en- 
terprising traders turned their attention to the coast of Africa 
and the slave trade, an account of which elsewhere appears. 

War WITH Spain, 1739; Spain and France, 1744. ^Informa- 
tion reaching Rhode Island in the course of the summer of 
probable hostilities between England and Spain, the colony 
began instantly to prepare for their share of the plunder 
which \ay near at hand. Newport was now a port of some 
consequence, her seafaring men were just the material needed 
for officers and men in this kind of warfare, and her merchants 
were able to put their vessels into commission as fast as they 
could be manned. In August, before the English government 
issued the declaration of war, the king's warrant to commission 
privateers reached Rhode Island. The assembly at once ordered 
that Godfrey Malbone, John Brown and Geoige Wanton should 
be loaned the colonys" small arms and ammunition of all 
calibre. 

War was declared in England in October and further pre- 
parations made by the colony ; beacons were ordered along 
the coast and a sloop not exceeding one hundred and fifteen 
tons, to be constructed for the colony's use and jtut under 
command of Colonel John Cranston for the first cruise. In 
July, word being brought in that a French schooner was off 
the coast on illicit trade, the "Tartar," as the sloop was 
called, went out after her and brought her into port, where 



284 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

she was condemned by the jndge of vice-admiralty. The 
"Tartar" carried twelve carriage guns, twelve swivel guns 
and had a large deck room. In October she was dismantled 
and taken out of commission till the assembly should meet. 

In 1741 the Newport merchants sent out five vessels, the "St. 
Andrews," "Revenge," " Wentworth," "Victory" and "Tri- 
ton," manned together by four hundred men. In 1742 five ves- 
sels went out, of which four were new ; in 1743 seven, of which 
six wei'e new. 

In 1744 new troubles arose in England. Charles Edward, the 
pretender, set up his standard and France declared war in his 
favor. In March war against France was proclaimed in England 
and in June the rumor came down the coast fnuii tlie fishing 
hanks even before the proclamation was received. The colony 
strengthened its defenses and doubled its numl)er of vessels. The 
"Tartar" was at once put in commission, armed and sent to 
cruise between Martha's Vineyard and Long Island. The sol- 
diers on Block Island were ordered on board the sloop and en- 
listed at wages ranging from £25 per month to the captain to £8 
per month to the men. The food allowance was to each man per 
week : seven pounds of bread, four pounds of beef, two pounds 
of jxu'k, two quarts of peas or beans and one pound of butter ; 
and for every day each man half a pint of ruui. The cruise, 
however, was to be undertaken as a coast guard (udy on condi- 
tion of tlie colony of Connecticut fitting out a slooj) to act in 
conjunclion with it. 

Tlie king's declaration of war against France arrived in Au- 
gust. In the spring of the next year (1745) men were pressed 
into the service, "transient sea-faring men, persons who have 
no certain i^lace of abode and such as have no visible honest 
means of getting their living." The "Tartar" was placed un- 
der command of Captain Daniel Fones and attached to the ex- 
pedition against Cape Breton for an indefinite time, and news 
coining in of the capture by Commodore Warren, of the "Vigi- 
lante," a large French man of-war, the colony offered a bounty 
of £17, old tenor, to all who should enlist; strict orders were is- 
sued to prevent any seamen leaving the island and to impress 
forty men for the "Vigilante." 

The "Tartar," while acting with the Connecticut sloop as 
convoy to the troop transports to Cape Breton fell in with the 
French frigate "Renommee" of thirty-six guns and received 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 285 

some damage, but was fortunately not pursued, the French ship 
having despatches on board. The "Tartar" did good service, 
dispersing a Frencii Heet which was transporting troops from 
Annapolis to Lonisburg. In October the " Tartar " was ordered 
home. Two of the guns carried by her on this memorable ex- 
pedition now show their grim muzzles at the foot of the Parade 
in Newport. 

At the close of this year a great disastei- befell the colony in 
the loss of two large privateer ships built and lifted out for a 
cruise on the Spanish main by Colonel Godfrey Malbone. 
Manned by four hundred men they went on the day set for 
them by the horoscope, as was nsual, Friday the 24th of De- 
cember, 1745, in a violent snow storm which rose to a hurricane 
and blew for two days. The vessels were never heard from 
and two Imndred Newpoi't families were left without their 
heads. 

In May, 1746, the "Tartar" was again fitted out to guard the 
coast from Martha's Vineyard to Sandy Hook in company with 
the Connecticut sloop, and in tiie next month was again ordered 
to accompany the new expedition for the invasion of Canada. 
In October Captain Fones received orders to join to intercept 
Admiral Lestrok who was on his way to Nova Scotia with infor- 
mation of the presence of a powerful French fleet in the Canadian 
waters. It is evident that the "Tartar"' was a vessel of uncom- 
mon speed. In the spring of 1748 she was again sent to cruise 
along the coast under the command of Captain James Holmes. 
The first day out he captured a schooner off Point Judith, laden 
with sugar from Hispaniola to a northern port. The vessel 
claimed t()l)e a tiagof ti'uce. A committee of the assembly found 
the captain guilty of imprudence in sending her in but he was 
not relieved of his command. On the news of the peace being 
signed at Aix-la-Chapelle (April 19th, 1748) the "Tartar" was 
taken out of commission but not dismantled, and ordered to lay 
at anchor in the road. A sale at auction closed the career of 
this adventurous vessel. 

The Newport i)rivateers were busy in these years. In 1745, 
fifteen vessels, some of large size, were sent out. In 1746 two 
more were commissioned ; in 1747, ten ; in 1748, three. Some of 
them had eventful histories. In 1746 the "Defiance" and 
" Duke of Marlborough " captured a vessel and sold her crew 
of twenty-two Spaniards in the northern colonies. But in turn 



286 IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

the nineteen of the crew of the "' Defiance " were taken by the 
Spaniards and held at Havana for the release of the enslaved 
men. The Rhode Island assembly looked up the slaves and re- 
turned them by a flag of truce. In 1647 the French at Martin- 
ique sent out a vessel of fourteen guns and a hundred and forty 
men to capture Captain Dennis, a man famous for his ex- 
ploits ; but after an action of four hours the French nuui struck 
his Hag and was taken as a prize into the English island of St. 
Kitts. Sheffield, in liis interesting monograph on tJiis subject, 
gives the names of sixty-five privateers commissioned or re- 
commissioned at Newport during the Spanish-Frencii war, 1741 
-48, and of seventy-seven prizes, a part only of those brought 
in during the same period. 

The Old French VV^vr— Seven Years Wak, 1754-61. — It was 
soon found that the high contracting powers to the treaty of 
Aix-la-Chapelle in 1448, which closed the war of the Spanish 
succession, could not agree upon the boundary lines of their 
respective possessions in America. In 1704 the contest be- 
gan on the land, and in January, 1755, the assembly of 
Rhode Island, summoned for the purpose, made arrange- 
ments for raising troops, but it was some time before New- 
]K)rt piivateers to.olv a hand in the war. The Newport cap- 
tains were fully employed in the slave trade and perhaps 
sometimes combined the two classes of adventure. In 1759, 
nearly one fifth of the adult male population were engaged on 
board of private armed ships. It is rather amusing to find that 
Captain Joseph Wanton, who commanded the snow "King of 
Prussia," which was captured on the west coast of Africa, de- 
clares himself in his deposition of protest against the act of 
prize, that he was one of the " people called Quakers and con- 
scientiously scrupulous about taking an oath." More than 
fifty Newport vessels met the same fortune between 1758 and 
1762, and among others the "Fox," Avhich Captain Dennis took 
out on a cruise to the Spanish main but was never again heard 
from. 

For the better despatch of the business the adjudication of 
prizes threw on the admiralty, the colony applied for the ap- 
pointment of a judge of vice-admiralty, and John Andrews was 
appointed by the admiralty commissioners in 1758. Mr. Shef- 
field's list gives seventy privateers newly commissioned or sent 
out a second time from Newport between 1753 and 1762, and of 



HISTORY OV NEWPORT COUNTY. 287 

fiffy-two vessels, part of tlie prizes brought in. Mr. Sheffield 
ii;inies as the merchants engaged in this bnsiness, the Malbones, 
Godfrey and Evan ; John and Peleg Brown ; .Folui Bannister, 
William Mnmford, Daniel Ayraiilt, Jr., John and Nathaniel 
Coddington, William and Josepli Wanton, Solomon Townsend, 
Isaac and Napthall Hart (Jews) ; and among the famons cap- 
tains, Benjamin Wiokham, Charles Davidson, James Allen, 
Esek Hopkins, William Jackson Barfield, Ciiarles Dyer, John 
Dennis, Simeon Potter, Benjamin Cranston, William Hopkins, 
Robert Morris, Peter Marshall, Thomas Conklin and others. 
Another of these captains, Abraham Whipple, is said to have 
taken twenty-three prizes in one crxiise in 1759 and 1760. These 
privateersmen were not over particnlar as to the nationality of 
their enemy or the flag which was carried, and were as ready 
for a rich Si)anish prize as though there were war with that 
country. An order of council was issued on the subject in Octo- 
ber, 1756, and in 1757 William Pitt, then secretary, warned the 
Rliode Island government of the determination of the king to 
stop the "scandalous discn'ders which, if not stopped, would in- 
volve him in odious disputes with all the neutral powers of 
Eurojje." Nor does it seem that the privateersmen were over- 
scrupulous at home, as a law was passed in the same year fining 
every master who should take away a slave, the sum of £500. 
Their great success in this time of adventure came from the 
rule adopted since the capture of Spanish galleons at Porte 
Bello that the sailors had a share and a very considerable share 
of the prize money. The declaration of war against Spain in 
1761 gave a new impulse to hostilities at sea and the West In- 
dia waters again swarmed with privateers which swept French 
and Spanish commerce from the seas. Martinique, and soon 
after Havana, fell into Knglish power. The peace of Paris 
closed the war in 1763. 

Rhode Island PRiVATEEiiS in the Wai: of the American 
Revolution, 1775-83. — The beginning of hostilities in 1775 
found Rhode Island ready for her favorite service and, on the le- 
galizing of privateering by act of congress, measures were imme- 
diately taken for an active part in this branch of offensive war. A 
prize court was established at Newport and a judge appointed. 
Arnold, in his history of Rhode Island says that " no less than 
sixteen vessels, heavily armed and well manned, were sent out be- 
fore October,1776, by this colony alone," but Sheffield gives a list 



288 • HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

of fifty-seven vessels newly commissioned or sent out a second 
time from New[)ort in the course of the year 1776, of seventeen 
in 1777, of seventeen in 1778, of thirty-eight in 1779, of thirteen 
in 1780, of nine in 1781, of twenty-six in 1782 and of seventeen 
in 1783; in the seven years of one hundred and seventeen. The 
list does not contain all the names as the governor issued near- 
ly two hundred commissions. He gives also a list of i^rizes sent 
into Rhode Island : forty in 1776, four in 1777, eight in 1778, 
nine in 1779, seven in 1780, nine in 1781, twenty-five in 1782 ; in 
all one hundred and two ; but no doubt many were taken into 
other American ports and condemned. And this work was not 
only important but in every way commendable. It was not a 
simple depredation on the commerce of individuals but the 
regular interception and cutting off of transports which brought 
provisions and amunition, under convoy of men-of-war, to suj)- 
ply the British posts on the coast from Halifax to New York 
and Charleston; a different story from that of the bloody excur- 
sions on the Spanish nuiin in tiie old wars. 

The old captains and the old vessels again appear. Esek 
Hopkins, who commanded a privateer in the French war, was 
jint in charge of a fleet of continental vessels as commodore. 
The " Revenge " and the "Defiance" went out again under 
new commanders. Captain Abraham Whipple, who made his 
fame in 1759-60, is said at one time in the revolution to have 
taken prizes to the amount of over one million dollars. Such 
was the i)opularity of this class of service that it was at the be- 
ginning of the war proposed to lay an embargo at all the ports, 
on outgoing vessels, until the quotas for land service ^lould be 
filled. In February, 1783, news of the preliminaries of peace 
having been signed reaching Philadelphia, congress issued 
orders " to recall all armed vessels from the United States." 

Stamp Act. Non Importation Agreement, 1763-74. — The 
Seven Years' War prosecuted bj^ Pitt without stint of men or 
treasure left England in assured possession of the greater part 
of the dominions of tlie House of Bourbon in America, but with 
a public (English) debt doubled and amounting, at the time of 
the signature of the peace of Paris in February, 1763, to one 
hundred and forty millions of pounds sterling. 

Tlie British ministry now turned its attention to the regula- 
tion of American affairs and an enforcement of the acts of trade 
and navigation which had been somewhat relaxed during the 



IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 289 

progress of hostilities. In April, 17G3, Slielbnrne, president of 
the board of commissioners of trade and plantations, notified 
the government of Rhode Island of the new regulations for tlie 
manner of their correspondence and issued instructions which 
were confirmed in September by his successor in office, the Earl 
of Hillsborough. 

A new minister was now at tlie head of affairs. The incom- 
petent Lord Bute resigned in April and George Grenville united 
in himself the offices of chancellor of the exchequer and first 
lord of the treasury. A man of routine and order in admin- 
istration, Grenville was ueithei' a sagacious politician nor a 
wise statesman. This was shown in his first dealings with 
American affairs. On the 11th of October Hillsborough ad- 
dressed' to the Rhode Island government instructions for tlie 
stringent enforcement of the revenue laws and enjoined it in 
the strictest manner to make suppression of the prohibited 
trade with foreign nations. The London custom house commis- 
sioned John Robinson, at Newport, as collector and surveyor 
for Rhode Island, and Temple, the surveyor-general at Boston, 
appointed William Taylor as comptroller of customs for tlie 
port of Newport, and in October the Earl of Colville placed his 
Majesty's ship "Squirrel" on the station at Newport " for the 
encouragement of fair trade by the prevention of smuggling." 

Parliament met in November but as the winter session was 
taken up witli the Wilkes proceedings, which involved questions 
of parliamentary privilege as well as of i)ersonal liberty, it was 
not until March that Grenville brought forward his measures of 
finance. By the re-arrangement of the debt the ingenious min- 
ister contrived to avoid levying new taxes, meeting the interest 
on contracts by a careful collection of the revenue at home 
■which, by the stoppage of smuggling, increased four hundred 
thousand pounds sterling on the article of tea alone. This pol- 
icy Grenville determined to extend to the colonies, but as the 
result of this plan was uncertain, he sought a more direct rev- 
enue by a measure to tax the bills of credit which the colonies 
had issued as legal tender during the war. On the 5tli of 
March, in pursuance of this policy, he introduced the project 
of drawing revenue from America by stamps and announced his 
intention of bringing in a bill at the next session of parliament. 
In the development of his plan Grenville challenged the ojipo- 
sition to deny the riglil of parliament to tax America. No 
19 



•2M HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

voice was raised in denial and the next daj'' it was unaniniDUsly 
resolved that it was right and proper to impose certain stamp 
dnties on the colonies. Granville said in the course of his 
speech that he was not absolutely wedded to a stamp ant if the 
colonies would provide some more satisfactory plan. 

But for the indefatigable exertions of Americans in London 
and especially of William Allen, chief justice of Pennsylvania, 
the measure would have been brought in and passed immedi- 
ately. Parliament was prorogued on the 31st of June. Mean- 
while the very first threats of strict enforcement of the acts of 
trade had caused a protest from Rhode Island. For thirty 
years the colony had been complaining of the unjust operations 
of the sugar act of George II, which was now expii'ing of its 
own limitation. This act, which levied a duty on sugar and 
molasses imported from any of the West India colonies into any 
of the North American colonies, would have been particularly 
onerous to Rhode Island if she had paid much regard to it. 
Now that English power was supreme on the American conti- 
nent, and there was prospect of a rigid enforcement, which 
would destroy the most valuable industry of the colony, the as- 
semblj' prepared a remonstrance against a renewal of the act, 
which thej- sent to Joseph Sherwood, the agent of the colony at 
London, with instructions to secure the joining with him in the 
remonsti-ance of the agents of at least three of the northern col- 
onies to the lord commissioner. Moreover, the governor was re- 
quested to write to the board of trade independently of the re- 
monstrance. 

New York was the first of tlie colonies to make protest against 
the assumption of the king and parliament to levy taxes upon 
them, and " claimed the exclusive right of taxing themselves" 
in a petition addressed to the king and parliament on the 18th 
of October, 1764. The same day the New York assembly 
raised a committee of correspondence to confer with the sev- 
eral assemblies or committees of assemblies in the colonies. One 
of the members of the committee visited Boston and obtained 
the adoption of a petition of the same general nature from the 
Massachusetts colony on the 22d of the same month. 

In July the Rhode Island assembly met at Newport, took 
Into consideration the general subject of the objectionable duties 
and particularly that on stamps, and raised a committee to con- 
fer and consult with any committees appointed by the other 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 291 

colonies, and directed it to report at the next session. This 
seems to have been the lirst committee of correspondence ap- 
pointed, and though no practical action was taken by it until 
after New York adopted its own remonstrance and dispatched 
its committee to secure co-operation elsewhere, Rliode Island 
has the honor of priority in the scheme which has been con- 
sidered as the forerunner of union. At the next session its com- 
mittee was again continued, the assembly having meanwhile 
received a letter from the Earl of Halifax, requesting a list of 
all instruments used in public transactions. In November the 
assembly adopted a petition to the king and at the same time 
ordered an address prepared by Ho])kins, the governor, entitled 
"The Rights of the Colonies examined," which they ordered 
to be sent to the agent in London for publication in print. 

The New York and Massachusetts petitions were laid before 
the privy council on the 11th of December, and the king was 
by it advised to send them to parliament. The king, how- 
ever, suppressed them. The Rhode Island protests were not 
presented, and Governor Hopkins' pamphlet reached London 
too late to warrant its publication. Parliament met on the lOtli 
of January, 176;i, and on the 7th of February, Mr. Grenville 
put the stamp bill on its pas.sage, and it became an act by the 
king's signature on the 22d of March. Conway and Barre 
opposed it vehemently in the commons but without making 
much impression on that body, and the lords passed it without 
debate or protest. 

Rhode Island was already in conflict with the revenue 
officers and his majesty's navy. Rear Admiral Colville, in the 
summer of 1764, sent out four armed vessels from Halifax to 
cruise along the coast to raise men. The officer of one of them, 
the schooner "St. John," while with his vessel at Newport, 
learned of a brig unloading in a creek near Howland's ferry. 
When he reached the spot he found a cargo of sugars unloaded 
but the vessel gone. Manning a boat he sent it in pursuit 
and brought back the vessel, which he reloaded. He was arrested 
and compelled to find bail in Newport, and on his going to 
Boston to consult the surveyor-general on the subject, a mob 
at Newport endeavored to destroy the schooner, stoning 
the crew. The schooner attempting to get under protec- 
tion of the guns of the man-of-war "Squirrel," the mob 
went to the battery and fired upon the schooner, which 



292 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

was only rescued by the " Sqi;irrer' springing her cable and 
bringing the battery under her broadside. The captain of the 
"Squirrel" complained to the government bnt no redress was 
given or attempted. The captain of the " Squirrel " made a 
report in which he styled the government a "very ignorant 
council," and the lieutenant of the schooner prayed for "a 
change of government in this licentious republic." 

In March, 1765, the secretary of his majesty's council sent out 
papers to the government of Rhode Island particularly requir- 
ing a report as to "what was done by the government of the 
colony when the populace possessed themselves of the battery 
upon Goat Island." According to Arnold two of the magistrates 
gave the order to the governor at Fort George to fire on the 
boats. No explanation of this high-handed proceeding appears 
on the records, but it would seem that the offense of the officer 
of the schooner was his supposed intention to take the brig 
with the seized cargo to Halifa.x for condemnation. 

Rhode Island had always been tenacious about her relations 
with the customs and claimed the right of establishing the 
salaries for crown officers. The action of the British navy officers 
at Halifax in sending their cruisers down the coast in search of 
seamen was repeated in 1765. In May the " Maidstone," a 
Britisli armed vessel, laj'' for several weeks in the harbor im- 
pressing seamen from vessels that came into port, from the 
coasters and even the small wood boats and river craft. The 
townsmen of Newport were let alone, but the commerce of the 
port suffered from the avoidance of it by trading vessels. 
Supplies to the town even became scarce. These outrages 
culminated in the boarding by English naval officers of a brig 
arrived from Africa on a June afternoon, and the impressment 
of the entire crew. Exasperated beyond measure, about five 
hundred Newport sailors and boys seized the "Maidstone's" 
boat atone of the wharves and dragging it through Queen street 
to the common, there burned it. 

During the summer all the colonies were in opposition to the 
Stamp Act. The house of burgesses of Virginia declared the 
measure unconstitutional; the people of Philadelphia spiked 
guns at the fort and barracks. In June and July news came 
that the act would be enforced in November. In June the 
Massachusetts house of representatives agreed to a meeting of 
committees from the several colonies at the city of New York 



mSTOKY Ol'' NEWPORT COUNTY. 293 

on the first Tuesday in October. One after another the colonies 
appointed theii' delegates. Tlie general assembly of Rhode 
Island named Metcalfe Bowler and Henrj' Ward commissioners 
to the New York congress. 

News came of a change in the British ministry. Gren- 
ville went out and Conway became secretary for the colo- 
nies. But before this information arrived the colonies were 
in oi)en revolt. Commissions had been received for the 
stamp officers, some of whom accepted the post. The office 
of Oliver in Boston was sacked, Ingersoll in New Haven was 
forced to promise the reshipment of the stamps, Cone of New 
Jersey threw up his commission, McEvers in New York made 
formal resignation. Augustus Johnston, the attorney-general 
who had been appointed stamp distributor for Rhode Island, 
also resigned and notice was published in an extra of the 
"Providence Gazette," which bore the legend, '^Vox Populi, 
Vox DeV above its title. In many of the chief towns the stamp 
distributors were hung in effigy. The rage of the people ex- 
pressed itself in this way at Newport. On the SOtli of August 
effigies of three leading citizens, Augustus Johnston, Martin 
Howard, Jr., a lawyer, and Dr. Thomas Moffatt, a Scotch physi- 
cian, were carted through the streets, hung on a gallows in front 
of the court house and at night cut down and burned. The next 
day their houses were plundered and they were driven to refuge 
on board the "Cygnet " sloop of war in the harbor. The revenue 
officers closed the custom house and sought the same protection. 
The lieutenant governor, Gideon Wanton, Jr., in the absence 
of the chief magistrate, invited them to return, but they demand- 
ed a guard and also the arrest of Samuel Crandall, the le^ider 
of the rioters, who had insisted as a condition of quiet that the 
custom house be managed in accordance with the acts of assem- 
bly, and that a prize sloop from the West Indies, with its cargo, 
held by the "Cygnet" for orders from the prize court of Hali- 
fax, be given up to the captor.*. There was even a plan by the 
citizens to take Fort George, cut out the prize sloop and to fire on 
the "Cygnet" in case of interference. 

The assembly, in September, condemned these violent pro- 
ceedings, and directed the governor to issue a proclamation for 
apprehending the rioters, and at the same time passed and 
made public certain declaratory resolutions concerning the act; 
levying stamp duties and other internal duties, according in the 



294 IIISTOIJY OF NEWPOUT COUNTY. 

main with those imsaed in Virginia and otliers of the colonies. 
Tliese rested on tlie charter rights of Khode Island, its cnstora 
of government by the assembly in matters of taxes and internal 
police, and declared the acts of parliament unconstitutional, 
and their intention to disregard all laws and ordinances except 
of their own making. Tiiis assembly, which Arnold styles one 
of the most important sessions ever held in Rhode Island, ap- 
pointed the commissioners to the congress. 

The Stamp Act congress, as it is known in history, met in 
New York on the 7th day of October,1765. Nine colonies, among 
whi(di Rhode Island were represented; the delegates ajtpointed 
in different forms and differently empowered but actuated by a 
similar spirit. They agreed upon a nuisterly declaration of 
rights and grievances and adopted memorials to the lords and 
commons. The congress adjourned on Friday, the 2.'5th of Oc- 
tober, and the delegates were placed under an engagement of 
secrecy as to their proceeding until the petitions were presented. 
Immediately on their breaking up, a meeting of New York 
citizens was called at "Jones House in the Fields in New Yoi'k " 
(the present City Hall park) for Monday the 28th, but the notice 
being too short for full attendance, it was postponed tothe 31st of 
October at the City Arms (late the City Hotel), when over two 
hundred of the principal merchants solemnly bonnd themselves 
to a ni)n-importation agreement. Philadelphia followed this 
example on the 7th of November. [Here it may be mentioned 
that there is a tablet in Philadelphia stating that this famous 
agreement originated in that city.] 

INIeanwhiie the 1st of November, the day fixed for the stamp 
act to take effect, had arrived. Governor Samuel Ward of Rhode 
Island had refused to take the oath to enforce the act. Bnt the 
people took care that the instruments themselves should be want- 
ing. In New York the mayor himself, as the custodian of the 
people, received the stamps from the lieutenant-governor. In 
Newport the stamp officers placed them on board the " Cygnet," 
sloop of war, for safe-keeping; a town meeting was called at 
which the governor presided, which appointed a military guard 
and a night patrol to maintain peace and order in the excited 
town. No one has better slated the nature of the crisis than .Mr. 
Ainold: " The wheels of every government in America were 
stopped at once, ('ommei'ce was ci'ushed, law was annulled, 
justice was delayed, even the usages of domestic life were sus- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 290 

pendecl by tliis anomalous and terrible act. Not a ship could sail, 
nor even a marriage take place that was not in itself illegal, so far 
as the British parliament could make it so; for every one of 
these acts required the evidence of stamped i:)aper3 to establish 
its validity." 

No one in England, not even Franklin himself, who best 
of all the agents understood the temper of the colonies, was 
prepared for sticli a universal spirit of resistance. At the 
opening of i)arliameiit in January, 17C6, American affairs were 
the one engrossing-subject of consideration. At the close of Feb- 
ruary the act was repealed, but at the same time an act passed 
declaratory of the right of parliament " to bind the colonies in 
all cases whatsoever." The king signed both documents on the 
18th of March. The first impulse given to home manufactures 
in America sprung from the determination of the people to free 
themselves from dependence on Great Britain. Societies were 
established to promote these industries and markets set up in 
the chief cities. Rhode Island was not behind in this enterprise. 
A premium was offered for the largest amount of flax raised dur- 
ing the year in the county of Providence. A paper mill was es 
tablished. The use of homespun garments became general. Lib- 
erty trees were planted in all the chief cities — in New York on 
the Fields; in Boston on the common; in Newport on a plot of 
land given by Captain William Read, one of the deputies for the 
town. A sort of reaction of loyalty followed the repeal of the 
stamp act. Statues were voted to the king and to Pitt. The 
king's birthday was celebrated with Joy. There were rejoicings 
and balls in Providence and at Newport, where the assembly 
met in June and adopted an address to the king and resolutions 
of thanks to the merchants of London who had been zealous 
friends of the colonies. 

The vvhigs now came into power in England and parliament 
passed an indemnity to those who had incui'j'ed penalties under 
the stamp act, and an act regulating trade with the West India 
islands with larger privileges. The Rhode Island colony was 
especially pleased by this legislation and the governor de- 
clai-ed its satisfaction. The true state of public f(,'eling was, 
however, not understood in Englaiul, or if understood disre- 
garded. A measure was brought into parliament to raise rev- 
enue in America by customs duties collected by officers of the 
crown, Kevenue commissioners were appointed with station nt 



296 IIJSTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Boston and John Robinson, collector at Newport, was appointed 
one of the new board. The collectors had nothing to do, as all 
orders for goods on which imports due were to be paid had 
been countermanded, and committees of the citizens took care 
to see that the non-importation agreement was enforced. 

The impossibility of collecting revenue in America for the 
service of government was gradually brought home lo the 
British government, and in July, 1769, Joseph Sherwood, the 
agent of Rhode Island, was able to inform the governor tiiat 
tlie Earl of Hillsborough, one of the secretaries for Ameiica, 
had informed the agents of several of the colonies that the legis- 
latureand ministry had resolved to repeal the act levying duties 
on paper, glass and colors. But before this news reached the 
colony Newport had again been the scene of a violent resistance 
to the revenue laws. The " Liberty," a revenue sloop, had been 
sent by the commissioners of the customs in Boston to cruise 
in the waters of Long Island. Her officers had taken and 
brought into Newport a Connecticut brig and sloop. In the 
night the townspeople cut the "Liberty's" cable, when she 
drifted to shore near Long Wharf, where she was boarded and 
burned. The sloop escaped in the disturbance and the brig 
vi'as duly cleared by thn uutiiorities. Governor Wanton issued 
a proclanuition from which it appears that the real purpose of 
these riotous proceedings was to enable the vessels to get away 
with their prohibited gootk. The commissioners offered a re- 
ward of one hundred pounds sterling for the conviction of any 
of the oifenders. 

The king, while yielding to the desire of his ministry in the 
attempts to collect revenue, insisted on the right ; and " the 
three pence duty upon tea" was therefore excepted in the act 
of repeal. 

In Newport, as has been seen, there was never much attention 
paid to restrictive laws of any character, whether touching priva- 
teering, importations or collection of the revenue. In March, 
1772, the arbitrary conduct of the officers of his majesty's 
schooner " Gaspee," stationed with the " Beaver " in the Nai'ra- 
gausett waters to enforce the revenue acts, and the seizure 
on trivial pretexts of craft engaged in the daily trade of the 
colony, brought on a correspondence between Governor Wanton 
and Lieutenant Duddington, in which the officer expressed 
himself with the customary British insolence, and Governor 



IIISTOIJY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 297 

Wanton answered with tlie independent spirit which was ai- 
I'eady the tone of American communications. The interference 
of Lieutenant Duddington continuing, it was determined to put 
a stop to it. Word coming to Newport that the"Gaspee," 
while in chase of a trading vessel which had arrived in the har- 
bor of Newport and gone up the river to, Providence, had run 
aground below Pawtuxet, volunteers were summoned in Provi- 
dence by beat of drum. Led by Captain Abraham Whipple 
and joined by a boat's crew from Bristol, they boarded the 
" Gaspee " at night and after a short struggle, in which the 
saucy British lieutenant was wounded, tlie crew of his majesty's 
ship was driven below. At daylight the lieutenant was landed 
and the "Gaspee" was burned. 

Large rewards were offered in England for the arrest of the 
offenders and it was ordered that they be sent to England for 
trial, but this was still another of those demands to which the 
colonies would not submit. The rewards were unavailing and 
alter many attempts on the part of the British government, the 
piosecutions were dropped. The friends of absolute govern- 
ment were inclined to pei'emptory measures and Hutchinson, the 
governor of Massachussetts, proposed the annulling of the char- 
ter of Rhode Island. The struggle was now rapidly approaching 
which was to determine whether England was to govern America 
or America to govern herself. 



CHAPTER VI. 



NEWPORT IN THE REVOLUTION. 



By John Austin Stevens. 



Events of 17T4. — First Continental Congress. — Military Preparations in Rhode 
Island. — Events of 1775. — The Army of Observation. — The Train of Artil- 
lery. — Depredations by Captain Wallace and his Fleet. — Events of 1776. 



NEWPORT was not included among the principal Ameri- 
can ports to which the East India Company sent the 
lirst tea ships. Her fidelity to the non-importation agreements 
was not, therefore, subjected to the same practical test as in the 
ports to which the consignments were made, but she left no 
doubt as to her attitude on the question. At a "very full 
town meeting" held on the 12th of January, 1774, Newport 
was the first of the Rhode Island towns to adopt stringent res- 
olutions forbidding the landing or bringing to land of any 
"dutied tea" belonging to the East India Company or any 
other x^erson ; approving the proceedings of the people of Bos- 
ton, Philadelphia and New York, and pledging themselves to 
join with the other towns of the colonies, and with the other 
colonies, in a resolute stand against every unconstitutional 
measure calculated to enslave America, and the tea act in par- 
ticular. 

A committee of correspondence, consisting of Colonel Joseph 
Wanton, Jr., Henry Ward, John Mawdsley, John Collins and 
William Ellery, Esquires, was api)()inted to address the towns 
of the colony and to visit the imjiorters of English goods, with 
notice of the resolutions and a request to countermand ship- 
ments of any dutiable merchandise ordered. 

The other towns followed in rapid succession : Providence 
on the 19th of January, Bristol and Richmond on the 28th of 
February, New Shoreham (Block Island) on the 2d of March, 
Cumberland on the 18th of March, Barrington on the 21st of 
March ; copies of the Newport resolutions having been sent to 



HISTOKY OF NKWPOIJT COUNTY. 299 

each. The published records of the colony name these towns 
and give all the resolutions in full, except those of Newport, 
which are represented to be in substance similar to those of 
Providence as here given. Arnold says that Warren followed 
Providence. Westerly met on February 2d, Little Compton 
February 3d, Middletown on the 9th ; then South Kingstown, 
Jamestown and Hopkinton — the others as above given. Gov- 
ernor Samuel Ward, of Westerly, the Samuel Adams of 
Rhode Island, one of the staunchest of the steadfast band who 
led the revolution, and second to no man in sturdy common 
sense, drew the Westerly resolutions, which were in the main 
the model of those which followed. 

The idea of a Congress was by no means new. The New 
York committee of inspection, discontented with the breach of 
the non-importation agreement by the Boston merchants, to 
their own detriment and the general injury, had, as early as 
August, 1770, urged a Congress on the colonies, to "unite them 
in one system for the whole Continent," which,- as appears by 
the letter of the chairman of the New York committee jiub- 
lished in Holt's "New York Journal," August 30th, 1770, was 
rejected. But now that the liberties of Massachusetts were 
directly menaced, the "rejected" measure became the corner- 
stone of the temple. John Hancock proposed it in a pul)lic 
meeting at Boston on the 5th of March, and with this endorse- 
ment it was at once received by New England and spread by 
the committees of correspondence through every town. 

The news from England of Lord North's measure of coercion ; 
the closing of the port of Boston against all commerce until it 
should give Indemnity for the past and security for future 
obedience, the legalizing of quartering troops within the town 
of Bi^ston, the apxxjintment of General Gage, the military com- 
mander-in-chief for all North America, to the post of civil gov- 
ernor of Massachusetts, and the ordering to that colony of four 
regiments of British troops, left no doubt of the determination 
of Great Britain — king, ministers and parliament — to maintain 
their authority, of whatever nature and at wliatever cost. 
Gage was ordered also to send to Great Britain the leaders of 
resistance — Samuel Adams, Hancock and Warren. The arrival 
of the Boston port bill on the 10th of May, followed by the 
landing of Gage at Castle William, hastened the measures of 
defense. 



300 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTT. 

The general assembly of Rhode Island, at its Maj' session 
(4th), oidered a census of the colony and appointed field offi- 
cers for the four counties : For Newport county, Mr. Daniel 
Dunham, colonel ; Mr. Isaac Dayton, lieutenant-colonel ; Mr. 
John Forrester, major. The census showed the population of 
the colony to be 59,678, including 54,435 whites, 3,761 blacka 
and 1,482 Indians. Newport county had 13,929, Providence 
19,206, Kings 13,866, Kent 7,888 and Bristol 2,789. The town 
of Newport had 9,209 inhabitants and Providence 4,321. 

The committees of the towns about Boston held a conference 
on the 12th of May, at which the speaker of the Rhode Island 
assembly, Mr. Metcalfe Bowler, of Newport, appeared with 
the news that the majority of the several colonies had made 
favorable answer to the circular-letter of the Rhode Island 
house of deputies, the object of which was "a firm and close 
union of the Colonies," and that all were pledged to union. 
A great meeting was held at Faneuil Ilall on the 13th, which 
was spirited in its resolves for resistance but had no word for a 
congress. On the 17Hi the people of Providence resolved 
heartily to join with the province of tlie Massachusetts Bay 
and the other colonies in measures to secure their natural 
rights and i)rivileges, and directed their deputies " to use their 
inttiieuce at the approaching session of tlie general assembly 
of tliis colony (Rhode Island) for promoting a Congress." The 
people of Newport, Mr. Henry Ward, secretary of the colony, 
acting as moderator of the meeting, agreed to "unite with the 
other colonies in all reasonable and proper demands to procure 
the establishment of the rights of the colonies," and heartily 
to join in the measure to put a stop to trade with Great Britain 
and the AVest Indies. The meeting was very full and the 
sjiirit of it firm and determined. A number of gentlemen 
were immediately to form a company for carrying on tlie wool- 
en manufacture extensively in Rliode Ishtnd, there being wool 
enough raised on it to clothe all tiie inhabitants. 

The resolutions of the Providence meeting breathed the true 
spirit, but the claim of Mr. Arnold that it was the "first ex- 
jMicit movement for a general Congress " cannot be sustained ; 
since New York had before then urged that as the only measure 
which would bring relief. The merchants and others of New 
York met on the 16th and appointed a large committee of corres- 
pondence. This committee organized on the 23d, when Paul 



HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 301 

Revere, the express from Boston to Philadelphia, brought in 
the official I'eport of the Boston town meeting of the i;?th, 
recommending strong non-importation resolutions. The New 
York committee instantly replied : "No remedy can be of any 
avail lanless it proceeds from the joint act and approhatlon of 
all. From a virtuous and spirited union much may be ex- 
pected, while the feeble efforts of a few will only be attended 
with mischief and disappointment to ourselves and triumph 
to the adversaries of oiir liberty. Upon these reasons we con- 
clude that a congress of deputies from the colonies in general 
is of the utmost moment ; that it ought to be assembled with- 
out delay and some unanimous resolutions formed in this 
fatal emergency, not only respecting your deplorable circum- 
stances but for the security of our common right ;" and close 
requesting "speedy o[)inion of the propo.sed Congress — that if 
it should meet with your approliation we may exert our ut- 
most endeavours to carrj' it into execution." 

To this the Boston committee replied, on the 30fh of May, 
that the only measure was a "suspension of trade." New 
York answered on the 7th of June : " That (the suspension of 
trade) and every other resolution we have thought most pru- 
dent to leave for the discussion of the General Congress. Ad- 
hering therefore to that measure as most conducive to promote 
the grand system of politics we all have in view, we have the 
pleasure to acquaint you that we shall be ready on our part 
to meet at any time and jilace that you shall think tit to ap- 
point ; either of Deputies fiom the General Assembly or such 
otlier deputies ns shall be chosen not only to speak the senti- 
ments but also to pledge themselves for the conduct of the 
people of the respective colonies they represent. We can un- 
dertake to assure you in behalf of the people in this colony 
that they will readily agree to any measure that shall be 
adopted l)y the General Congress. It will be necessary that 
you give a sufficient time for the Deputies of the Colonies as 
far Southward as the Carolinas to assemble and acquaint them 
as soon as possible with the proposed measure of a Congress." 

Massachusetts hesitated to bind herself to any common ac- 
tion. She wanted her own way and no other way. Rhode Is- 
land was more liberal. It is enough honor to her to say that in 
the movement for a congress she went hand in hand with New 
York. Indeed, since the happy result of the stamp act 



802 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

congress, it must have been plain that a congress with power to 
enlorce its resolutions was the only manner to unite the forces 
of the colonies in a common action for redress of grievances or 
whatever ultimate result might be desired. 

The non-importation agreement originated in New York. It 
had been hailed with satisfaction by the other colonies but had 
not been adhered to by them. The southern colonies had in- 
creased their impoitations and, to quote the words of Bancroft, 
who gives authority for his statement, ''New England and Penn- 
sylvania had imported nearly one half as much as usual; New 
York alone had been perfectly true to its engagement, and its 
imports had fallen off more than five parts in six. It was im- 
patient of a system of voluntary renunciation which was so un- 
equally kept; and the belief was common that if the others had 
adhered to it as strictly, all the grievances would have been re- 
dressed." Insult upon insult had been heaped upcui New York 
because of her refusal to continue iu the agreement, until she 
was resolved that she would make no agreements unless there 
was some power to compel compliance among the parties to it. 
That power was to be found and only to be found in a congress. 
Connecticut entreated Massachusetts to fix the time and place 
of meeting generously yielded to her by New York. 

On the 26th of May the legislature of Virginia was dissolved 
by Governor Dunmore, and on the 28th the comnuttee of cor- 
respondence of that colony addressed the Rhode Island com- 
mittee approving the "appointing deputies from the several 
colonies of British America to meet annually in general con- 
gress."' Here the idea of a permanent body is formulated. 
Rhode Island made a practical response and while the general 
court of Massachusetts, spurred on by Sam Adams, was cau- 
tiously arranging the day and place of meeting which, on the 
15th of June it finally named, the general assembly of Rhode 
Island had already, on the 13th, in a session held at Newport, 
appointed the Hon. Stephen Hopkins and the Hon. Samuel 
Ward to represent the people of the colony in a general con- 
gress of representatives, with instructions to join in a loyal and 
dutiful petition to his majesty for relief of grievances; to con- 
sult as to what measures to pursue in a united manner to pro- 
cure a redress of their grievances and to endeavor to procure a 
regular annual convention of representatives from all the col- 
onies. 



IIISTOIIY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 303 

Thus, stone by Stone, was laid and cemented tlie firm structure 
of American government. On this day also, prompted by their 
solemn undertaking for their own rights and liberties, with an 
adn^irable fitness, this assHrmbly enacted "tliat For the future 
no negro or mulatto slave shall be brought into the colony and 
in case any slave shall be brought in he or she shall be and are 
hereby rendered immediately free so far as respects personal 
freedom and the enjoyment of private property in the same 
manner as the native Indians." Exceptions were made, how- 
ever, in favor of travellers through the colony as to their ser- 
vants and to inhabitants of any of the British colonies who 
brought personal slaves in these colonies with intention to re- 
side with them for a term of years in Rhode Island. Other 
provisos protected the traffic in voyages not yet completed. 

Thursday, June 13th, began also the military arrangements. 
A lottery to raise six hundred dollars was granted to Benjamin 
Greene, one of tlie owners of Greene's iron works in Coventry, 
to rebuild the same. An independent company was chartered 
by the name of "The Light Infantry for the County of Provi- 
dence." It was to consist of one hundred men and its station 
to be "in front of the left wing of the Regiment." Arnold 
gives this detail and says, " that the Providence County Artil- 
lery charter granted thii'tj' years before was amended by a 
change of name to the • Cadet Company ' and the right of the line 
assigned to it in express terms." Little more was done except 
the overhauling of the stores in Fort George pending the meet- 
ing of the continental congress set for the first day of Septem- 
ber at Philadelphia. 

That day Gage's seizure of powder and cannon aroused all New 
England, and men marched toward Boston from all directions. 
While Gage fortified Boston neck the continental congress, the 
most remarkable body of men that ever met in this and per- 
haps in any country, fifty-five in number, X'^ssed a non-impor- 
tation agreement, forbade the importation of slaves, addressed 
the people of Canada to meet them by deputies at the next 
congress and adopted a loyal conciliatory petition with a dec- 
laration of grievances to the king. Boston l)eing in great dis- 
tress from the closing of the port, Rhode Island took her part 
in raising contributions in money and stock. Newport appears 
among the contributors as giving three hundred pounds or one 
thousand dollars. 



304 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

The continental congress dissolved October 26th, and the 
same day the oeneral assembly met at Providence, and at once 
entered upon a consideration of various petitions for establish- 
ing independent coniiJanies. Acts were passed chartering in the 
countj- of Newport the New^iort Light Infanfrj', in the town of 
Providence the Providence Grenadier company, tlie Kentish 
Guards, the Pawtuxet Eangers and the company of Light 
Infantrj' of the town of Glocester, The regiment in the 
countj' of Providence was divided into three regiments, each 
regiment to be a battalion, and the whole to be formed into one 
brigade. On the 3d of November the " Rose" frigate, Captain 
Wallace, came into port on the winter station. Newporr, in 
November, ax^pointed a committee of inspection in accordance 
with the recommendation of congress to insure non-importa- 
tion. In December (Sth) the delegates to congress made report 
to a special session of the assembly held at Providence, were 
thanked and reappointed. 

A letter from Lord Dartmouth of the 19th of October offici- 
ally informed the governor and company of the order of that 
day of the king in council, prohibiting the exportation of gun- 
powder or any sort of arms or amunition from Great Britain, 
and his command to secure whatever might be attempted to be 
imported unless the master of the vessel had a license from his 
majesty or the privy council. The information was timely and 
acted upon in a manner little expected by the honorable secre- 
tary. All the cannon at Fort George (except two eighteen 
pounders and one six pounder) and powder and ball sufficient 
were ordered to Providence under supervision of Colonel Joseph 
Nightingale and to his care. The train of artillery for the 
county of Providence was supplied by purchase with four brass 
cannon. The North Providence Rangers was incorporated, 
and the act regulating the militia amended, musters ordered 
for April and October, and a general review every two years. 
It was also ordered that a major-general of the colony's forces 
be annually appointed by the governor and company, and 
Simeon Potter, Esq., was appointed and commissioned. Finally 
Jeremiah Hopkins, of Coventry, where the iron works were, 
was granted a lottery for the raising of two hundred dollars 
for an equipment of tools and instruments for his establishment 
as a gunsmith. The assembly adjourned on tlip l.ltli of De- 
cember. Firearms were now manufactured on an extensive 



IIISTOUY OK NEWI'OKT COUNTY. 3C5 

scale, nnd sixfy heavy raiinoii, besides field pieces, cast af the 
iron works. Orders poured in for arms from all quarters. 

The removal of the cannon from Port George had been dis- 
creetly manaoed during the absence of Captain Wallace with 
the man-of-war " Rose" on a cruise to New London. He made 
a grievous report to Vice-Admiral Graves of his visit of inquiry 
to Governor Wanton. That gentleman informed him that "it 
had been done to prevent their falling into the hands of the 
king or any of his servants, and that they meant to make use 
of them to defend themselves against any power that shall 
offer to molest them." When he inquired as to whether the 
governor would lend assistance in case it was asked to (^arry on 
the king's service he was answered by him tliat as to himself 
he had no power; and in respect to any other pai't of the gov- 
ernment he (the captain) should meet with nothing but oppo- 
sition and difficulty." So much," he adds, "from Governor 
Wanton," and in fact at this time the governor was in anxious 
uncertainty as to his own course. 

The arrivals from England were now awaited with great in- 
terest and anxiety. A letter was received from Lord Dart- 
mouth, dated at Whitehall on the ISth of December, enclosing 
a copy of the king's speech opening the new parliament sum- 
moned in view of the increasing complications in American 
affairs, and also informed the assembly of the great majority 
by which both houses of parliament had voted the address en- 
gaging their support of tlie measures of repre.ssion. Later 
letters were received from Lon(h)n, December 24th, 1774, from 
the agents of the colonies. Franklin had placed in the hands 
of Lord Dartmouth, secretary of state for the American depart- 
ment, the petition of congress to the king, and they had 
been that morning informed by the earl that the king had 
graciously received and promised to lay it before parliament 
after the Christmas recess. 

During January and February of 177o enlistments were con- 
stant. On the first of March, the day fixed by congress for the 
stopping of the use of tea, the Providence committee of inspection 
addressed a notice to the towns to remind them of the order. 
Tea was at once proscribed, and a large amount, estimated at 
three hundred pounds, was burned in the public square at 
Providence. On the ;3d of April, in conformity with the act of 
assembly, a general muster was held of the militia. Two thon- 
20 



306 IIISTOIIY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

sand men were nnder arms in Providence county and a troop 
of horse. In Kent county nearly fifteen hundred, without 
taking into account the several chartered companies. The next 
day the indejiendent com])anies were reviewed. Details are 
unfortunately wanting of the action of Newjwrt, bur there is 
no doubt the island was fully represented. 

Massachusetts in provincial congress voted to raise an armj'' 
on the 8th, and called on the other New England colonies for 
assistance. The march of the British ordei-ed by Gage to seize 
the stores at Concord, and the news of the fight at Le.xington 
on the 19th of April were known at Providence the same night. 
Expresses notified every town, and a thousand men marched 
the next day, but were countermanded by expresses from the 
eastward. The men of Concord and Lexington had driven the 
invaders to the cover of their guns at Charlestown. The gen- 
eral assembly of Rhode Island met at Providence on the 22d 
day of April. A committee was raised to apportion among the 
towns twentj'-five hundred pounds of the colony powder and 
one-quarter of the lead, bullets and flints. Mr. Thomas Free- 
body was named to receive Newport's share. By the report of 
the committee of apportionment it ap^jears to have been by far 
the largest share, three hundred and eighty-nine pounds of 
powder, six hundred and twenty-three of lead and twenty-four 
hundred and ninety-two flints. South Kingstown came next 
with fourteen hundred and eighty-eight flints. Providence had 
nine hundred and forty-eight. The number of flints presumably 
rejiresent the number of muskets in eacii town. Tue company 
of the train of artillery and the company of fusiliers, both of 
Providence, were consolidated at their request undei- the name 
of " The United Comixmy of the Train of Artillery." 

The 11th of May was set apart as a day of fasting, prayer 
and humiliation, and Governor Wanton was requested to pro- 
claim the same. The Hon. Samuel Ward and William Brad- 
ford were appointed to wait on the general assemblj' of the 
colony of Connecticut to consult with them for the defense of 
the four New England colonies. In view of the " very danger- 
ous crisis of American affairs at a time when we are sur- 
rounded with fleets and armies which threaten our immediate 
destruction ; at a lime when the fears and anxieties of the peo- 
ple throw them into the utmost distress, and totally prevent 
them from attending to the common occupations of life; to 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 307 

prevent the mischievous consequences that must necessarily at- 
tend such a disordered state, and to restore peace to the minds 
of the good people of this colony, it appears absolutely neces- 
sary to this assembly," such were the words of the resolution, 
" that a number of men be raised and embodied, properly 
armed and disciplined, to continue in this colony as an army of 
observation to repel anj^ insult or violence that may be offered 
to the inhabitants— and also if it be necessary for the 
safety and preservation of any of the colonies to march out of 
this colony and join and co-operate with the forces of the 
neighboring colonies." The number of men was to be tiftaen 
hundred. 

The introduction of this resolution brought matters to a head 
in the assembly itself. A protest appears on the record, signed 
in the upper house. Providence, April 2oth, 1775, by Joseph 
Wanton, Darius Sessions, Thomas Wickesand William Potter. 
Wanton was the governoi". Sessions the deputy governor, 
Wickes and Potter of the board of assistants of ten. They dis- 
sented from the vote for "enlisting an army of observation," 
because it would be attended with the most fatal consequences to 
the charter privileges, involve the country in all the horrors of 
civil war, and lie an open violation of the oath of allegiance taken 
on their admission to office. At the close of the session, it 
being made known that Nathaniel Greene was going to the con- 
tinental congress, he was appointed in tlie place of Samuel 
Ward to consult with Connecticut. Finally, there appearing 
urgent occasion that the general assemldy should meet at some 
other place than Newport, at the approaching annual election 
for 1775, the colony house at Providence was selected, and no- 
tices of the change ordered in the Newport "Mercury" and 
Providence "Gazette." The record of proceedings closes as 
usual, with "God save the King." 

The general assembly met as ordered at Providence on the 
first Wednesday (the second day) of May. Newport, instead 
of six deputies to which she was entitled, only returned one; or 
at least only one, Mr. John Wanton, appears on the record in 
the list of deputies from the towns. Some of the deputies 
cho.sen at the election for this assembly, which was held on the 
19th of April, the day of the Lexington fight, did not appear. 

A letter was laid before the assembly from Governor Wanton, 
stating that he was detained at Newport by indisposition, that 



308 IIISTOHY OF NEWPORT COU^fTr. 

be hiul since the last session received a letter from the Earl of 
Dartmouth, dated Whitehall, 3d March, 1775, "enclosing the 
resolutions of the House of Commons respecting the provisions 
they expect each colony or province in America to make for 
the common defense, and also for the supi)ort of the civil gov- 
ernment and the administration of justice in snch colony,'' 
and also a letter from the committee of the j)rovincial congress, 
all of which he had directed to be laid before them. The gov- 
ernor then proceeds in a moderate, while earnest manner to en- 
treat the assembly as he held himself, "bound by every tie of 
duty and affection " to consider the resolutions of the house of 
commons and his lordship's letter with the temper, calmness 
and deliberation their imporrance demanded, and with that in- 
clination to a reconciliation with the parent state which would 
recommend their proceedings to the king and parliament. He 
reminded them that the prosperity and happiness of the colony 
was founded on its connection with Great Britain, and warned 
them of the danger of the forfeiture of their charter privileges. 
He stated his willingness to join them in every measure that 
would secure those invaluable charter privileges to the latest pos- 
terity, and prevent the colony from ruin, which must invariably 
come upon them unless the late orders to raise an army of ob- 
servation were speedily repealed, the expense of which would 
be insupportable, and unavoidably bring on universal bank- 
ruj)tc,y. He closes with the engagement that if he should have 
the honor of being re-elected he would unite in every pro- 
ceeding consistent with the duty he owed tlie king and the 
British constitution. 

Either before this letter reached the assembly or after, in the 
hope that he might yet be won to the cause at heart, he was 
re-elected governor, and Darius Sessions, lieutenant-governor, 
but that gentleman declining to serve, Nicholas Cooke was 
elected in his place, "and duly engaged." There was a. rad- 
ical change in the board of assistants, only four of the ten. 
chosen in 1774 being re-elected. On the 3d the speaker of the 
assembly despatched an express to Governor Wanton, inform- 
ing him of his election, and asking an immediate answer as to 
whether he would accept, and if so that he would at once at- 
tend. The governor replied on the 4th that he would accept, 
but could not po.s.sibly attend this session because of his indis- 
position. On receiving this answer the speaker sent the ex- 



IIIS'IOKY OF NKWP()I!T OOUNTY. 809 

press again to the governor enclosing a "blank commission," 
proposed for the army of observation, and asking an immediate 
answer whetlier he wonhl, as comniander-in-cliief of the col- 
ony, sign them when presented to him. To this the governor 
replied that he oonld not comply with tlie request. 

The issue thus squarely made, the assembly, in consideration 
of the governor liaving neglected to issue the proclamation for 
a fast daj% as voted by the assembly, of his neglect to appear 
and take the oath of office under his late election, as i-equired 
by law, and of his positive refusal to sign the commissions for 
the officers apjwinted to be raised, enacted a prohibition to the 
deputy governor to udrainster the oath of office to him except in 
the presence of and with the consent of the assembly in open 
meeting. Henry Ward, the secretary of the colon j^, was empow- 
ered to sign the commissions, ajid the deputy governor to sum- 
mon the assembly in emergency. The naval officer, James 
Clarke, whose appointment was a ])rivilege of the governor, 
was continued in office and ordered to account to the assembly. 
The committee of safety was ordered to equip the army of ob- 
servation and send an account of the ex[)enses attending 
to the delegates of the colony in the continental congress, 
as a proper charge for the common defense. An embargo 
was laid on all provisions going out of the colony. It was also 
ordered that the sheriff of the county of Newport deliver to 
William Richmond, member of the committee of safety for 
Newport countj% "all the colony arms, pistols, cutlasses, &c., 
which are in the town of Newport." At this assembly Mr. 
Jabez Champlin was chosen sheriff for Newport county. The 
field officers for the several counties were also named ; Wil- 
liam Bradford, major-general of the forces of the colony. For 
Newport county : Mr. John Malbone, colonel ; Mr. George 
Champlin, lieutenant-colonel ; Mr. John Cooke, major. 

The act for embodying the army of observation provided that 
it consist of three regiments of eight companies, and be formed 
into one brigade; the term of service till the last day of De- 
cember, 1775. The officers appointed were : Nathaniel Greene, 
Jr., brigadier-general. For the regiment of the counties of New- 
port and Bristol ; Thomas Church, colonel ; William Turner 
Miller, lieutenant-colonel ; John Forrester, major; William 
Ladd, captain lieutenant; Nathaniel Church, lieutenant; and 
Cornelius Briggs, ensign. Feu- the train of artillery : John 



310 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Crane, captain ; Joseph Balch, captain lieutenant. The com- 
mittee of safety ciiosen for the colony were, for the county of 
Newport, William Richmond; of Providence, John Smitli nnd 
Daniel Tillin.iihast ; of Kings, Jolin Northrup ; of Bristol, Wil- 
liam Bradfoid ; of Kent, Jacob Greene. 

The address of ijarliament to the king, February 7th, 1775, 
communicated to this assembly, denounced the conduct of the 
Massachusetts bay as " a rebellion," and besouo'ht his majesty 
" to take the most effectual measures to enforce due obedience 
to the laws and authority of the supreme legislature." The 
king's answer assured them that "the most speedy and ef- 
fectual measures" would be taken. The further resolution of 
the house of commons of the 27th of February, 1775, was to 
the effect that should the government of any colony make 
provision " to contribute their proportion to the common de- 
fense, that colony should for such time be relieved from levy 
of any duty, tax or assessment, except for the regulation of 
commerce, and the nett produce of these duties be carried to 
the account of each province." This conciliatory measure was 
Lord North's own, introducetl with the written consent of the 
king, and because conciliatory would have driven him from the 
ministry but for the king's interposition. But even if he, 
forced from his new position, had not published a " paper de- 
claring his intention to make no concessions," the colonies 
would nob have swallowed the sugar coated pill, under cover of 
which remained the body of the contention, the right of parlia- 
ment to tax without representation. 

The letter of Dartmouth of the 'M of March, covering these 
documents, dwelt earnestly and at length on the temper shown 
by the commons in this resolution, in the effect of which the 
king, he said, had the greater confidence because the colonies, 
"amidst all the intemperance into which a people jealous of 
of its liberties have been unfortunately misled, they have 
neverthele.ss avowed the justice and the propriety of sub- 
jects of the same state contributing according to their abilities 
and situation to the common burthen," and the earl claimed 
that the resolution held no proposition beyond that. He ex- 
plained the mode of contribution proposed "as one in which the 
colonies will have full security that they can never be required 
to tax themselves without parliament taxing the subjects of 
this kingdom in a far greater proportion." The earl especially 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 811 

applied liimselF to obtain the compliance witli tlie resolution of 
parliament by the general assembly of Rhode Island which 
would be "most graciously considered by the majority not 
only as a testimony of their reverence for parliament ; but also 
as a mark of their duty and attachment to their sovereign," 
and indeed if there were any colony to whom the sovereign 
could appeal with any hope of favorable hearing it was to that 
of Rhode Island which thevoyal authority had alone preserved 
from absorption by its neighbors. 

But the die was already cast. Blood had been shed and 
Rhode Island was pledged to the common cause. The conti- 
nental congress, which was to meet again on the 10th of May, 
was the only body who liad competency now over such ques- 
tions. The asseml)ly does not appear to have made any ac 
knowledgment of and certainly no response to Dartmouth's com- 
munication. Copies of the proceedings of this assembly were 
sent to Connecticut and New York. Yet the commissions 
issued, curiously enough, were all in the king's name. One of 
them has descended to the writer of these lines. There seems 
to be nothing in it that Governor Wanton might not have 
signed without peril. It reads: "By the Honorable the General 
Assembly of the English Colony of Rhode Island and Provi- 
dence Plantations in New England, America. To Ebenezer 
Stevens, gentleman, Greeting: Wiieiieas, for the preservation 
of the Rights and Liberties of his Majesty's loyal and faithful 
subjects in this colony and America the aforesaid General As- 
sembly have ordered fifteen hundred men to be enlisted and em- 
bodied into an army of observation, and the Committee of Safety 
have appointed you, the said Ebenezer Stevens, First Lieutenant 
of the Company of the Train of Artillery belonging to the said 
Troops. You are hereby in his Majesty's name George the Third 
by the Grace of God King of Great Britain, &c., authorized, 
empowered and commissioned to have, take and exercise the 
office of First Lieutenant of the company aforesaid, and to 
command, guide and conduct the same or any part thereof. 
And in case of an invasion or assault of a common enemy to 
infest or disturb this or any other of his Majesty's Colonies in 
America, You are to alarm and gather togetlier the Company 
under your command or any part thereof as you shall deem 
sufficient and therewith to the utmost of your skill and ability 
you are to resist, expel, kill and destroy them in order to pre 



oi2 HISTORY OF NEVVPOKT COUNTY. 

serve the interest of bis Majesty and liis ii;(un\ ,sul)iects in tliese 
parts. You are also to follow such instructions & directions 
and orders as shall from time to time be given forth either by 
the General Assembly or your superior officers. And for your 
80 doing this commission shall be your sufficient warrant. By 
virtue of an act of said General Assembly I, Henry Ward, Esq., 
Secretary of the said Colony, have hereunto set my hand and 
the Public Seal of the said Colony this Eighth day of May, 
A. D. 1775, and the fifteenth year of his said Majesty's reign. 

"Hknky Waku." 

An account of the movements of this train of artillery may be 
properly inserted here. Stevens seems to have taken the place 
.to which Joseph Balch was appointed. John Crane was its cap- 
tain. Crane and Stevens were both of Boston, where Stevens had 
belonged to Major Paddock's company of Massachusetts artil- 
lerj% and probably Crane also. They had both been active in the 
destruction of the tea, and were of what is called the "Boston 
Tea Party," and, pursued by Governor Hutchinson, had taken 
refuge in Providence, Stevens, with Colonel Nightingale.* On 
the news from Lexington they at once set about raising this 
company. General Greene marched the Rhode Island army of 
observation as fast as it was raised to the camp forming before 
Boston on Jamaica Plains. Before the first of June one thou- 
sand of these troops joined the army, and with them the train 
of artiileiy with four field pieces and a siege battery of twelve 
eighteen and twenty-four pounders. 

The arrival of this artillery is noticed in a newspaper of the 
day " as a fine company with four excellent field pieces." 
Tliese no doubt were guns taken up from Newport and placed 
in Colonel Nightingale's charge at Providence. The train was 
first posted on Jamaica Plains, the country seat of Governor 
Barnard, and afterward stationed at Roxbury, though Greene's 
brigade was posted at Canibi'idge. A return of its members on 
the 21st of July gives a total force of ninety-six. At the time of 
(he battle of Bunker Hill Stevens' company was posted at the 
neck. During the siege of Boston it garrisoned tlie fort at Rox- 
bury. At the close of the year 1775 the Rhode Island com- 
pany was disbanded with the rest of the army of observation. 

* " Trials of the Tea Party," a memoir of Hewes, one of the last of the survivors, 
mentions a Nathaniel Green as another of this band, but the writer has not 
ascertained whether he was the famous officer of the revolution. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 813 

Crane and Stevens were conimissioned in the i-egiment raised 
by Massacluisetts in the Ijeginning of 177G, and later transferred 
to the continental artillery commanded by Knox. 

Stevens was detached to the army of the north, and as major 
commanding in the Northern Department, was in con)raand at 
Saratoga, and continning nninterrnptedly in service, was one 
of the three alternate officers who commanded this arm at the 
siege of Yorktown, as lieutenant colonel of the Second Conti- 
nental (^New York) artillery, of which he was long the virtual 
commander, Colonel Lamb, an invalid, being assigned to cog- 
nate duties of a less active nature. 

The Rhode Island assembly met at East Greenwich by ad- 
journuient on tlie 12th of June. Newport was no place for a 
deliberative assembly. Captain Wallace, of the king's ship 
•' Rose," was stopping vessels and his sailors were in collision ^ 
with the townspeople. An affair on the 3d of June had nearly led 
to a serious result. Governor Wanton appeared at the first 
meeting of this assembly and demanded that the oath of office 
be administered to him. He handed in a written demand in 
which he quoted the charter, which directed that every gov- 
ernor shall give his engagement before two or more of the as- 
sistants, notwithstanding which they had required his appear- 
ance in open assembly and forbidden the deputy governor and 
assistants to administer the oath of office, and repeated that 
indisposition had at the last session prevented his appearance. 
He now appeared to take the oath prescribed by law. In his 
letter he explained and defended his conduct. The proclama- 
tion for a fast had been begun by him and would have been 
published but for their divesting him of the authority to issue 
it. Of his refusal to sign commissions he maintained the pro- 
priety. His demand was considered, and the assembly re- 
solved "that he hath not given satisfaction." The act de- 
claring all acts done by him in the pretended capacity of 
governor null and void was continued until the rising of the 
assembl}' at the next session, and publication was ordered in 
the Newport and Providence newsimpers. 

Nicholas Cooke, the deputy governor, was directed to address 
Captain Wallace, and deniaud of him the reason of his conduct ^^ 
lowai'd the inhabitants of the colony in stopping vessels, and 
also to require of him the packets he detained ; and tiie dej)- 
uty governor the ne.xt day wrote a sharp note, which he closed 



314 JIISTOKY OF NKWPOUT COUNTY. 

b}^ saying that as long as the captain "demeaned liimself as 
became his office" he might depend upon the protection of 
the laws, but that the whole power of the colony would be used 
to " protect the inhabitants against any lawless invader." An 
immediate answer being demanded, Captain Wallace made a 
curt reply, in which he said he was unacquainted with Mr. 
Cooke or what station he was in, but supposing he wrote in be- 
half of some body of i^eople, he desired to know lolwlher oi- 
iiot he, or the people in whose behalf he wrote, were not in open 
I'ebellion to their lawful sovereign and tlie acts of the British 
legislature. 

One of tlie packets detained had been armed as a tender to 
the "Rose." The very day of Wallace's saucy letter she was 
chased by a colony's sloop on to Conanicut and captured. 
Captain Abraham Whipple commanded the M'ar sloop, and to 
him, says Arnold, "is thus due the honor of discharging the 
first gun upon the ocean at any part of his majesty's navy in 
the American revolution." Captain Wallace, hearing that 
Whipple burned the " Gaspee," wrote him that "he would 
hang him at the yard-arm." Whipple answered, "Always 
catch a man before you hang him." 

At this session William Potter, the late assistant who joined 
in Governor Wanton's protest, excused his action as i)rompted 
by a fear that the passing of the act at that time would dis- 
tress the trade, particularly of Newport, which a little longer 
time migiit prevent, and lamented the unguarded exjiressions 
of the document, wliich he had only seen in a rough draft be- 
fore he signed it. He declared his readiness to embark with 
the friends of liberty in every difficulty and against every op- 
pression until the glorious cause was established on the most 
firm and iiermanent basis. This memorial being read, he was 
by vote reinstated in favor of the assembly. 

In the assignment of officers to command the trained bands 
or companies of militia, Portsmoutii is included but Newport 
and Middletown are omitted; the reasons for which do not ap- 
pear. 

The American postal system having been disturbed, if not 
broken up, by the removal of Benjamin Franklin as the super- 
intendent, by the British parliament, William Goddard, the old 
founder of the "Providence Gazette," undertook to I'e-organ- 
ize it throiTgh all the colonies on an American basis, independ- 



lirSTOIlY OF NEWPOIiT COUNTY. 315 

ent of the aid of parliament. The Rhode Island assembly 
voted at this session to Join with the other colonies in es- 
tablishing post offices and post riders and for the present to 
defray the expense of riders on the usnal post road in the col- 
ony. Post offices were established at Newport, Providence, 
Bristol, Warren, Tower Hill in South Kingstown, and Wester- 
ly, and postmasters appointed: for Newport Mr. Nathaniel Otis. 
For post riders. Mr. Peter Mumford from Newport to Provi- 
dence and Mr. Benjamin Mum ford from Newport to New London. 
Newport was the connecting point or chief station. The assem- 
bly was careful to provide that all letters for Boston should 
be postjiaid and submitted for examination by the command- 
er-in-chief of the American forces at Cambridge or by the com- 
mittee of the provincial congress of the Massachusetts Bay, and 
all letters arriving from Boston were also to be examined. 

The proceedings of this assembly were sent to the Rhode Is- 
land delegates in congress. On June the 15th Washington was 
by congress appointed commander-in-chief, and on the 22d four 
major generals, of whom General Nathaniel Greene was tlie 
fourth in order of nomination. The battle of Bunker Hill was 
fought on the 17th. No Rhode Island troops were in this 
action. 

The assembly met in extra session on the 28th. The act le- 
stricting Wanton from assuming the authority of governor was 
continued and again published. For the better commandment 
of the army of observation it was ordered that during the cam- 
paign^ it be under the direction of the commander-in-chief of 
the combined American army stationed in Massachusetts. Or- 
ders were issued to the committees of inspection to collect all 
the saltpetre and brimstone in the town and forward it to the 
provincial congre.ss at New York, powder mills being in opera- 
tion there. A baker was appointed for the army of observa- 
tion; the governor and all the soldiers at Port George were dis- 
charged; the fort boat was to be hauled up and the cannon, 
some of which it seems had been stolen, were ordered over to 
Newport. Six companies of troops were raised to recruit the 
regiments before Boston and officers appointed : Ebenezer 
Flagg, captain; Joseph Perry, lieutenant, and Noel Allen, en- 
sign of the Eighth company; Thomas Grey, captain, Lemuel 
Bailey, lieutenant, William Southworth, ensign of the Ninth 
company ; both companies to be raised in the counties of New- 



316 HISTORY OF NEWPOUT COUNTY. 

port and Bristol. One fourth of the militia of the colony was 
ordered to be enlisted as minute men to drill half a day once 
each fortnight. The Newport enlisting officers were the cap- 
tains of the companies of militia. 

By the August assembly it was ordered to bring off and land 
on the continent all the neat cattle and sheep upon New Shore- 
ham (Block Island) except enough for the supply of the inhab- 
itants, and two hundred and liL'ty men were sent to secure the 
stock until it could be taken off. James Rhodes, Gideon Hox- 
sie and George ShefReld were entrusted with the delicate mis- 
sion of collecting, removing and appraising the stock. Two 
companies of Colonel Varnum's regiment were assigned to the 
duty and placed under the orders of Rhodes and Hoxsie, who 
were commissioned officers for the occasion. In pursuance of 
this order nineteen hundred and eight sheep were brought off 
from Block Island valued at £534, 9 shillings; from Conanicut 
eiglify-tvvo cattle, four hundred and forty-four sheep at £850, 
9 shillings; and from Prudence fifty-six cattle and three hun- 
dred and eighty-four sheep at £530 ; the sums appraised 
being paid to the owners. An act w'as passed to punish all per- 
sons piloting armed vessels except American in or out of any 
of the waters of tlie colony, and one to purchase all the gun- 
powder imported from ])orts beyond sea at three shillings the 
pound. 

A committee of Providence deputies and others named was 
raised to act upon sudden emergency in the recess of the as- 
sembly, and particularly empowered to employ the two armed 
colony vessels in such voj^age and in such manner as they 
should elect. The ensigns in tiie forces encamped on Prospect 
hill were raised to be second lieutenants and their pay in- 
creased to bring them upon an equality with their Massachu- 
setts brethren. The old beacon on Prospect hill was tested, 
and the flames seen from Cambridge on the east and New Lon- 
don on the west, and as far as Pom fret. A choice of officers 
was made for the colony. For the regiment of militia in the 
county of Newport ; .Joseph Belrhei', colonel ; John Cooke, 
lieutenant colonel ; William Channing, major. Two row gal- 
lies were ordered to be built, to carry sixty men, fifteen oars 
on a side, and to mount an eighteen pounder in the bow and a 
number of swivel guns. These were named the " Washington " 
and the "Spitfire." The sliips-of-war having stopped the 



IIISTOltY OK NKWI'OIIT COUNTY. '517 

post rider who crossed the bay I'rom Newport to the mainland 
and stripped him of his mail, John Lasell was employed as post 
rider on the old jiost road from Providence to New London, 
and ordered to set out from Providence for New London every 
Tuesday on tlie arrival of the post from Cambridge, and return 
at once ; he to receive one hundred and eighty-live pounds a 
year, lind his own horses and pay his own expenses ; and Mr. 
Benjamin ^lumford was employed as a i)ost rider from New- 
port to Cambridge ; that he set out from Newj)ort on Monday 
afternoon at tlu'ee o'clock to carry the Newport mail for the 
westward to Providence and proceed immediately to Cam- 
bridge with the mails for that post office, and set off from 
thence on Thursday in the afternoon for Providence, and there 
take the mail I'rom the westward and proceed immediately to 
Newport. 

At this session, considering that, notwithstanding the hum- 
ble petition of congress to the king, the ministry, "lost to 
every sentiment of justice, liberty and humanity, continue to 
send troops and ships-of-war to America which destroy tlie 
trade, plunder and burn the towns and murder the good X'eople 
of the colonies," it was voted that the colony "most ardently 
wish to see the former friendship, harmony and intercourse be- 
tween Britain and these colonies restored and a happy and last- 
ing connection established between both countries upon terms 
of just and equal liberty, and will concur with the other col- 
onies in all proper measures for obtaining these desirable bless- 
ings, and for self preservation." 

Among other measures to bring the war to a happy issue, 
the assembly considered that the equipping of an American 
Heet as soon as possible was desirable, and therefore "in- 
structed their delegates to use their wliole intluence at the 
ensuing congress for building at the continental expense a 
fleet of sufficient force for the protection of these colonies and 
for employing them in such manner and places as will most 
effectually annoy our enemies and contribute to the common 
defence of these colonies." This is justly held to be the first 
practical suggestion of a very obvious need of the colonies of a 
national navy. Eight field pieces were ordered to be in-epared 
at the iron works in the colony. A bounty of three shillings a 
pound was voted on every pound of saltpetre made in the col- 
ony b\ the 20th of August, 1776. Stringent orders were passed 



318 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

to enforce the taking of the paper money issued by the con- 
tinental congress. 

The entrance to Providence harbor was fortified between 
Field and Sassafras points, and a battery of six eighteen 
pounders erected at Fox point. On the 22d of August the 
British fleet was in motion and an attack on r'rovidence was 
expected, but tlie vessels came up no farther tlian Conanicut 
point. The batteries and redoubts were manned and the mil- 
itary in arms; when the ships witlidrew, after pillaging tlie island 
and tlie shores on the main near by of a quantity of live stock 
and the capture of a brig from the West Indies off Warwick 
neck. 

The vessels of the British fleet were constantly occupied in 
attempts to procui'e supjilies. Cut ofl' from the interior and 
holding in reality only the towns they occupied and the land 
on which they were encamped, their onlj' resource for live 
stock was the number of fertile islands along the coast. The 
Cork fleets, which brought their main supplies to New York, 
were not burthened with fresh meats. The Long Island supply 
was large, but precaiious. The islands in Narragansetl bay 
were a tempting field. The British navj' officers were not more 
scrupulous about foiaging for their sailors than they were in 
the press of the sailors themselves. There is an old phrase, 
"all's fish they get that cometli to net." The town author- 
ities of JNewport had made a sort of treaty with Captain Wal- 
lace of the " Rose," but this did not hinder the officers of many 
of the shii^s, which now began to swell the number of the fleet 
in the harbor, from stopping the market boats which plied 
their traffic between Newport and the neighboring shores. 
But this did not content them. 

On Monday, the 2d of October, a general movement of the 
ships, four more of which had lately come in, aroused suspi- 
cions that something unusual was intended. Fearing an at- 
tempt to carry off the stock from the southern part of the is- 
land called Brenton's neck, a number of the people of Newport 
went down in the evening and brought up about one thousand 
eheep and from forty to fifty head of horned cattle from sev- 
eral farms. There still lemained, however, a number of sheep 
and hogs on the farms of the Brentons, which it was su^Dposed 
had been collected by them for sale to the men-of-war, part of 
which the ships took away the next day. The counties being 



JirSTOUY OF NEVVPOKT COUNTY. 319 

informed of these matters, about three hundred minute men 
came into Newport from Providence, Tiverton and Little Comp- 
ton under the command of Esek Hopkins and William Rich- 
mond, who, after refreshing themselves in the town, marched 
to the neck and brought off all the stock that was left, some 
sixty-six head of cattle, under the tire of the guns of the ships. 
The officers were ordered to arrest one George Roome for aiding 
the enemy and anj' British officers or men they might find on 
shore and send tliem to Providence, to be dealt with according 
to their deserts. So runs the commission issued by Governor 
Cooke October 4th, which names William West as second in 
command to Hopkins. They seized eighty-four barrels of tiour 
from Roome's store on the point and carried it for safe storage 
to the brick market in spite of the opposition of a guard of 
marines. 

Ux)on this the men-of-war assumed such a threatening atti- 
tude that a great many of the inhabitants moved part or all of 
their effects out of the town and many of the families also left. 
"The carts, chaises, riding chairs and trucks were so numerous 
that the streets were almost blocked u[) with them. Thursday 
and Friday being rainy and muddy, the poor women and chil- 
dren were much exposed in looking out for some place of 
safety; the people continued moving out very fast all Saturday 
and yesterday with their effects." The ships also seized that 
week a number of vessels laden with wood from Long Island 
which went out, it was said, with Captain Wallace's permis- 
sion. It is not probable that they risked the loss of their ves- 
sels by neglecting this precaution. Governor Cooke and Sec- 
retary Ward at this time visited the camp at Cambridge to con- 
fer with the committee of congress on the army establishment. 

October 7th, Captain Wallace, with the " Rose," " Glasgow" 
and "Swan" and several transports, in all about fifteen sail, 
sailed up theliay from Newport and formed a line in the har- 
bor before the town of Bristol. A barge was sent on shore to 
demand the presence of four of the magistrates or principal 
men on board of the " Rose." The inhabitants declined this 
invitation, but engaged to confer peaceably with any person 
that might api)roach the shore, and asked delay until the next 
morning. An hour after the ships and tenders began a heavy 
cannonade on the town. The night was dark and rainy and the 
people were in terror and confusion. For an hour one hundred 



320 nrsTouY of newi'out county. 

and twenty cannon and cascades (fire gnns) were discharged 
npon the town, and a tender near the hrid.i^e kept up a constant 
lire on the people wlio went out. One of the inliabifnnis luiil- 
ing a man-of-war, was talcen on board and inquiied the reason 
of this attack. Captain Wallace deniiinded one hundred head 
of cattle, but engaged to stop tii'ing if forty sheep were deliv- 
ered, otherwise he wouhl lay the town in ashes. The committee 
of inspection, in view of the condition of the town, where sick- 
ness was raging, consented and the sheep were delivered, where- 
upon the ships withdrew, Wallace sending a barge to plunder 
the neighboring farms of some smaller supplies. Sundny aftei- 
noon the fleet left Bristol and lay between Poposquash and 
Hog island, upon which they cut the corn. On Monday, pnss- 
fng by Bristol Ferry on their return, a tender ran aground on 
the west muscle bed, and shots were exchanged between the 
ships and the minute men. On Wednesday the fleet returned 
to Newport. 

The assembly met at Providence on the 31st of October and 
ordered the raising of five hundred soldiers for the defense of 
the colony for one year. Esek Hopkins was appointed com- 
mander-in-chief of this regiment and of the regiments of militia 
in the county of Newport, with the rank and title of brigadier- 
general. Later it appears that William Richmond was made 
colonel of this organization, Gideon Hoxsie lieutenant-colonel, 
and Benjamin 'J'allman major. The troops in Jamestown were 
reinforced by men to be raised by John Northrnp. The estates 
of George Roome and the Brentons were left in charge of the 
men whom Geneial Hopkins liad assigned to this duty. A me- 
morial was presented from the town council of Newport setting 
forth their many distresses caused by their withholding from 
the ministerial fleet in the harbor their usual supjilies of beef, 
beer, etc., in conseqiience of which tlie ferry boats, market 
boats, fish boats and wood ves.sels with provisiouff and fuel were 
prevented coming to the town, the result of which was a stagna- 
tion of trade and a want of the common necessaries of life. 
Upon which the assembly authorized them to negotiate with 
Captain Wallace for shii)'s supplies under the regulation of 
the commander-in-chief upon the island, to whom authority 
was also given to remove the troops from place to place as he 
should think best for the relief of the town, always with an eye 
and just prefei'ence to thegeneral safety. Two hundred pounds 



V. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 321 

was voted to the relief of the poor of tlie town of Newport, to lie 
applied to those who were willing but not able to leave the 
town. William Vernon and John Read were added to tlie 
overseers to aid in this removal. 

An act was passed for the punishment of persons found guilty 
of holding traitorous correspondence with the ministry or their 
officers or agents, or of supplying the ministerial army or navy 
with munitions of war or army or navy stores, or of acting as* 
. pilots of any of their ships; the negotiation between the town 
council of Newport and Cajitain Wallace only excepted. 

The long-pending uncertainty with regard to Wanton, the 
governor elect of the colony, was brought to an end by a de- 
claration that the governor was "inimical to the rights and 
liberties of America, and thereby rendered totally unfit to sus- 
tain the said office," and a resolution declaring that he had 
justly forfeited the office of governor and that thereby the 
office had become vacant. While the governor was thus ousted, 
Darius Sessions, having in a memorial expressed his sorrow for 
his protest against raising the army of observation, craved 
forgiveness and declared his determination to unite with his 
countrymen in defending their rights, was bj' vote received 
with favor and friendship. But Mr. Sessions was no more 
honored as before with the high office he so long held. An ex- 
amination of one Cleveland for working on the king's woiks at; 
Boston, and of one Wightman charged with supplying the 
enemy, and of one Dennis of Prudence island for giving infor- 
mation by imprudence or otherwise, was a notice to the inhabi- 
tants that trifling was a crime in war time. A number of estates 
were sequestered by this assembly, among which were those of 
the late Governor Hutchinson of Massachusetts, and of Samuel 
Sewall, Gilbert Deblois, John and Jonathan Simpson, all of 
Boston, but having property in Rhode Island; and of Dr. 
Moffatt, Ralph Inman, George Roome and the Brentons, late 
residents of Newport. 

The assembly adjoui'ued on the 10th of November. The day 
before there was a skirmish in the bay between two privateer 
sloops from Providence, and a British schooner, three tenders 
and a l)onil) ketch that came out from New})ort to attack them, 
but were driven off. On the 2CtIi the " Swan," sloop-of-vvar. 
Captain Ascongh, which had been to the eastward, returned to 
Newport from Boston together with a large armed schooner, a 
21 



'622 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

small armed sloop and a large transport scow. Besides these 
vessels there were that day in the harbor the "Rose," "Glas- 
gow," a bomb brig of ten or twelve guns, an armed schooner 
and two armed sloops; making in all ten sail. On the anival 
of the vessels from Boston some of the officers came on shore 
at the Long Wharf and, bringing with them their instruments, 
took a survey of the harbor. 

Captain Wallace, unable to obtain supplies, now threatened 
the destruction of Newport, but offered to spare it if furnished, 
with provisions. His proposal was referred to General Hop- 
kins, who consented, under authority of the late act of the as- 
sembly, on condition that the supplies were to be of stated 
quantitie.s, and to be made by one person. To this Wallace 
assented, and agreed that his men shduld not land "unless the 
rebels enter." Hopkins, under the late recruiting act, had a 
large force gathered at Middletown. Charles Dudley, the 
British collector of customs for the port of Rhode Island, took 
refuge on the " Rose," sloop of war. 

Congress, which had already recommended privateering, 
now ai^pointed a marine committee, and resolved to fit out four 
vessels and to put them under the command of Esek Hopkins 
as commodore. The committee which governed during the re- 
cess of the assembly gave Hopkins permission to accept the 
command of the continental fleet, and sent the " Katy," with 
Captain Whipple and one hundred men, to Philadelphia for 
tluit service. Officers were assigned to the row galley " Wash- 
ington," and an artillery company attached to the new regi- 
ment. In December Congress appointed a committee of one 
from each colony (Hopkins from Rhode Island) to organize a 
navy. They confirmed him as commander and Abraham Whip- 
ple as captain of the frigate "Columbus." Congress had or- 
dered the " Katy" to cruise on the southern coast. 

On the morning of Sunday, the 10th of December, at about 
one o'clock the British bomb brig, a schooner and two or three 
armed sloops left Newport harbor and landed two hundred ma- 
rines, sailors and negroes at the ferry on the east side of Co- 
nanicut, whence they marched directly to the west ferry, where 
they burned all the houses near the ferry i^lace, and returning, 
fired the houses on the road, driving out the women and chil- 
dren, plundering them of furniture and even the clothes on 
their backs. Captain Wallace himself was in command. They 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 333 

gathered and drove off about lifty head of cattle and some sheep 
and liogs. They were safe back in Newport at noon. Wash- 
ington, in a letter to the president of congress on the 14th, 
written from Cambridge, speaks of " the barbarity of Captain 
Wallace on Conanicut Island." 

Barracks were bnilt for the American troops on Wonnme- 
tonomy (sometimes called Tonomy, and by corruption Tam- 
many) hill. The poor of Newport were, at the invitation of 
Providence, sent up to their charge. On the 19th of December 
all the minute men of the colony were ordered to the defense of 
the island of Rhode Island and formed into one regiment under 
Colonel William West and Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Lip- 
pitt. West succeeded Hopkins in command of the island. Intel- 
ligence coming in from Boston of the sailing of eigh t large and two 
small ships out of that harbor, on the 16th of December Gov- 
ernor Cooke wrote to Washington, then in camp at Cambridge, 
expressing the fears of the people of Rhode Island that these 
ships, which had sailed with some troops on board, were des- 
tined for Newport. Washington despatched General Charles 
Lee to point out to them such defense as he might think the 
place capable of. Washington wrote to the president of con- 
gress (25th December) : " I sincerely wisli he may be able to do it 
with effect, as that place in its present state is an asylum for 
such as are disaffected to American liberty." 

On the 20th of December General Lee set off for Newport, 
attended by a guard and a party of riflemen. Arrived at Prov- 
idence, he was made commander-in-chief of all the forces on 
the island. On Sunday, the 22d, he set out from Providence 
for Rhode Island. The Cadet company, with a party of rilie- 
men and the general's guard, went on the island the same day. 
On Monday a number of minute men and others, eight hundred 
armed men altogether, were collected on the island when the 
general, preceded by the cadets, his guard and his riHemen, 
entered the town of Newport. 

He called before liini a number of obno.xious citizens, to 
whom he tendered an oath of lidelity, which was taken b^' all 
of them except Colonel Joseph Wanton, Jr., and Messrs. Nich- 
olas Lechmere and Nicholas Beale, two of the officers of the 
king's customs, who, refusing it, were put under guard and 
sent prisoners to Providence, where they were confined with 
the tories captured by Hopkins and others. General Lee, after 



324 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

visiting the island and giving some general directions as to the 
fortifications, set out for Providence on Wednesday', where he 
arrived on Thnrsday, the 30th, and on Saturday returned to 
camp, from which he had been absent about ten days. At 
Providence the committee voted tliat "one of the best beds 
witii the furniture taken from Charles Dudley be presented to 
General Lee." 

Washington wrote to the president of congress on the 31st: 
"General Lee is just returned from his excursion to Rhode Ls- 
land. He has pointed out the best method the island would ad- 
mit of for its defence. He has endeavoured all in his power 
to make friends of those that were our enemies. You have en- 
closed a specimen of his abilities in that way for your perusal. 
I am of opinion that if the same plan was pursued th)'ongh 
every province, it would have a very good effect." 

The "specimen of his abilities" was the oath, which, in our 
day, would be styled "iron clad." It reads as follows : "I, 
John Bours, here, in the presence of Almighty God, as I hope 
for ease, honour and comfort in this world, and happiness in 
the world to come, most earnestly, devoutly and religiously 
swear neither directly nor indirectly to assist the wicked instru- 
ments of ministerial tyranny and villainy commonly called the 
King's troops and navy by furnishing them with provisions or 
refreshments of any kind unless authorized by the Continental 
Congress or the Legislature as at present established in this 
particular colony of Rhode Island. I do also swear by the same 
tremendous and Almighty God that I will neither direcstly nor 
indirectly convey any intelligence nor give anj' advice to the 
aforesaid enemies so described, and that I pledge myself if I 
should by any accident get the knowledge of such treason to 
inform immediately the Committee of Safety. And as it is 
justly allowed that when the sacred rights and liberties of a 
nation are invaded neutrality is not less base and criminal than 
open and avowed hostility, I do further swear and pledge my- 
self, as I hope for eternal salvation, that I will, whenever called 
upon by the voice of the Continental Congress or that of the 
legislature of this particular colony, under their authority take 
arms and subject myself to military discipline in defense of the 
common rights and liberties of America, so help me God. 

" John Bours. 

" Sworn at Newport, December 25, 1776." 



HISTOUY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 325 

General Lee himself wrote to his friend, llolxTl Morris, from 
camp on the 8d of January that he had just returned from his 
tour through Rhode Island, made at the request of the governor 
and committee "in order to direct them in putting that Prov- 
ince in a state of defense, as Newport swarms with Tories 
and suspected persons. I from my own autlioiity obliged three 
worthies to take a most solemn oath of allegiance to the Con- 
tinental Congress, as the measure was necessary for the common 
safety. I hope it will be approved of by our sovereign, for such 
now must the Congress be esteemed. The King's speech abso- 
lutely destroys all hope of reunion." 

A queer character was Lee, and there is a sulnlued touch of 
humor in Washington's words which reveals a side of his na- 
ture little known. Lee's conduct on this occasion was in har- 
mony with the sentiments he e.xpresses. He behaved with 
great moderation and regard for the pride of the town. Leav- 
ing his troops behind him, he rode into the city with the escort 
only of his own guard, thirty riflemen and the cadet company 
of Providence, and he received the town council with "great 
politeness" and aft'ability. 

That there were Tories elsewhere in Rhode Island than at 
Newport, or at least an impatience of authority, appears from 
the riotous proceedings at West Greenwich, on the main land> 
on the 23d of December, at the very time when Lee was march- 
ing through the island. The occasion was the attempt of the 
cohmel to draft the one quarter of the militia ordered by the 
recess committee of the assembly to the defense of the island. 
The colonel was insulted, the adjutant's sword broken, and the 
enlistment of the quota of the first company broken up. The 
attempt was renewed on the .26th, and again prevented by a 
second riot. 

While General Lee was at Newport, or immediately on his 
departure, the inhabitants of the town addressed a memorial to 
congress which, dated the 26th of December, was signed on 
their behalf I)y William Coddington, the town clerk. It repre- 
sented their exposure, from thf'ir local and defenseless situation, 
to insults and destruction from the ships of war then and for a 
long time stationed in their harbor ; the necessary removal of 
the caniu)n frcjm the fort by the assembly in their certain ina- 
bility to maintain the fort, the only place of defense against 
the attacks of the ships of war ; that the ships of war, availing 



326 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

of their impotency had, with unparallelled wantonness and 
ornelty, interrupted their ferry, provision and wood boats, 
scuttling and dismantling them, thus breaking up their local 
trade ; that they had seized their AVest India vessels in the 
harbor and sent them to Boston to supply the ministerial troops 
there ; that they had laid a plan to rob Rhode Island and all 
the other islands of their stock, and collected transports to 
carry it away ; that, exasperated in the failure of this plot, 
Captain Wallace, w^ith his fleet, had bombarded Bristol and ex- 
torted what he could from the inhabitants ; that he had can- 
nonaded the ferry at Jamestown, thus cutting off communica- 
tion between the town of Newport and the western part of the 
colony, whence they received the greater part of their supplies ; 
that expecting next to be bombarded themselves, they had sent 
proposals to Wallace engaging to supply his ships with fresh 
beef and beer if their boats were left unmolested, and on this 
occasion addressed a memorial to the committee of safety and 
sent a committee to the deputy governor of the colony, then at 
Cambridge, who took the advice of the committee of congress, 
and were by them counselled to make the truce with Wallace, 
which was done on the fourteenth day of November ; that on 
the ninth of December Wallace engaged to give fresh permits, 
yet nevertheless the next day devastated Jamestown ; that a 
few days after they received a message from Wallace " that if 
the town did not renew the Truce it would be attended with 
fatal consequences," and that on the fourteenth of December, 
Avith the knowledge of the deputy governor and the command- 
ing officer, the truce was renewed, but upon the committee in- 
forming the commanding officer of their proceedings, to their 
surprise they were told '• that he had positive orders from the 
committee of safety prohibiting all sui^plies to the ships of war 
in this harbour."' 

The memoiial goes on to say that in view of the prospect of a 
large town in flames and five thousand men, women and chil- 
dren forced out of their habitations into tlie open fields to per- 
ish, numbers of them through the inclemency of the season, a 
town meeting was immediately called and at a full assembly a 
numerous committee was appointed to wait on the governor, to 
request the committee of safety to reconsider their resolution. 
This was done, the committee consenting to a renewal of the 
truce until the second Monday in January, the next session of 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 327 

the general assembly. Tlie memorial then recites the request 
to Wasliing'ton to send a regiment with a general officer to the 
Island and details the interview of the town council with Gen- 
eral Lee. It appears that Lee informed them tliat he "intend- 
ed immediately to barricade the town," but on their I'epresen- 
tations that such action would probably bring on a bombard- 
ment to their great distress in the inclement season, he had laid 
aside this idea. In the course of the conversation General Lee 
had said, as the memorial states, that "-letters had gone for- 
xoartl to the Honorable the Continental Congress on the subject 
of supplying the ships of loar and that the town was 2)laced in 
an unfavorable light.'''' This conversation gave rise to the 
memorial. The memorial then states that in consequence of 
the truce the ships had lain in quiet in the haibor and thirty 
vessels had an opportunity to pass on the east and west side of 
the bay and to imjiort military stores and provisions of every 
kind for the use of the continental army in the colony, and this 
state of things it might fairly be inferred would continue; and 
a stoppage of it might cause destruction wherever the depth of 
water in the river and bay would admit the ships.. For all 
whicli reasons the inhabitants most earnestly request that they 
be still permitted to supply the ships at least for a season. 

This extremely interesting document contains two pieces of 
information of value to the historian. One is the number of in- 
habitants "y/7'e thousand'''' above mentioned. The second is 
quoted in full: "Newport, the capital of this colony, consists of 
eleven hundred wooden dioelling houses and upioard, exclusive 
of stores, ivareJiouses, etc., and is situated so near the shore that 
the ships of war may and often do approacli within pistol shot 
of some of those buildings, and if this indulgence had not been 
granted the ruin and destruction of this town must have en- 
sued, and many of its inhabitants peiislied with it, and a severe 
wound been given to the cause in which America is engaged; 
for your memorialists beg leave to state that the town of New- 
port itself Ytnys nearly one sixth part of the wliole taxes of the 
colony and will probably (if not destroyed) pay that propor- 
tion of the charges and expen.ses which have already arisen or 
that shall arise in the ju'esent contest with Great Britain and 
America." 

The prayer of the memorial was in fact a prayer for life. The 
poor people were not, however, deserted in their distress. The 



;328 HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

town council ]nibli9lied a notice on tlie 21st in the Newport 
"Mercury," that they bad the assurance that Providence 
county would receive and provide for four hundred of the poor 
who should remove into tliat county and tlie council offered to 
make provision for the removal. 

The situation of the inluibitants of Newport at the opening 
of the memorable year of 1776 was certainly precarious. The 
status quo on which daily life depended might at any moment 
be disturbed, and its continuance depended not on any act of 
the town but wholly on the determination of the American 
commanders or the caprice of the British naval officers. For 
the winter, however, they were reasonably secure. 

While the king's speech at tlie opening of parliament on tlie 
26th of October, which reached the colonies in the first days of 
the new year, left no doubtof his "rancor and resentment," to 
use Washington's words, against the colonies, the friends of con- 
ciliation, and there were many in the large ports which had 
close relations with Bristol, the most liberal of the English 
cities, who were in communication with their whig friends 
there, still had faith in an amicable settlement of the difficul- 
ties. Of such, among the merchants, the most powerful class 
ill the colonies, all of which were a trading people, were John 
Criiger in New York, and enough in Boston to found a small 
colony in Loudon on their expatriation later. Colonel Joseph 
Wanton was the best representative of this element in Newport. 
And there were quite as many, perhaps more, of this way of 
thinking among those of the professions: John Dickinson in 
Philadelphia, Doctor Cooper in New York, Thomas Gushing, 
Harrison Gray and many others of like reputation in Boston. 

But Washington, after the king's speech, had given up all 
liopes of a peaceful issue. The distinction the Americans liad 
endeavored to maintain between the acts of the ministry and 
the acts of the king under which .subtlety they had issued 
commissions in the king's name to tight the ministerial lleet 
and army, was now idle. To Governor Cooke, who had referred 
him on the tirst of January to General Lee for " the particu- 
lars of his expedition to Rhode Island," Washington wrote on 
the 6th concerning the truce with the fleet, in terms which did 
not command its discontinuance, bnt left no donbt as to liis opin- 
ion of its inexpediency. " When this treaty was first obtained 
perhaps it was right. There then might have been some hopes 



A 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. . 329 

of ;in lu'commodation taking place; but now, when every pros- 
pect seems to be cat off by his majesty's late speech, when the 
throne from which we had supplicated redress breathes forth 
vengeance and indignation and a firm determination to I'emain 
unalterable in its jjurposes and to prosecute the system and 
plan of ruin formed by the ministry against us, should not an 
end be put to it and every possible method be fallen upon to 
prevent their getting necessaries of any kind. We need not 
expect to conquer our enemies by good offices, and I know not 
what pernicious consequences may result from a prec-edent of 
this sort. Other jjlaces circumstanced as Newport is may fol- 
low the example and by that means their whole fleet and army 
will be furnislied with what it highly concerns us to keep from 
them. This, however, with all deference I leave to your con- 
sideration." 

The regard in which both parties held the truce and their 
obligations under it, was shown within twenty-four hours of the 
receipt of Washington's letter. On the 7th of January a mid- 
sliipman and two seamen were decoyed from their ship by a 
party of minute men from headquarters on the island. They 
had procured a negro man to hail one of the British tenders 
and draw the officer and sailors ashore at Brenton's point 
under pretense of men being in waiting to enter the king's 
service. The British rei)ly to this proceeding was summary. 
On Friday, the 12th, Captain Wallace, with his entire fleet of 
twelve vessels, sailed up the river from Newport harbor and at 
four o'clock in the afternoon landed two hundred and fifty men 
on Prudence island, where the Americans had from forty to 
fifty men under Captain Pearce. After exchanging fire Pearce 
retreated from the island. Some of his men were wounded and 
one taken prisoner by the enemy. At sunset the British 
burned seven houses on tlie island, on hearing which Deputy- 
Governor Cooke, General West, Colonel Richmond, Colonel 
Martin, Colonel Cook, Captain Allen and (^aptain Wells set 
out to send forces upon Prudence Island from Warren and 
Bristol. Fifty men were ordered by General West from War- 
ren with orders to join those gatheied at Warwick neck and 
proceed to the island. Governor Cook, with the genei'al, then 
went to Bristol and sent off Major Tallman with eighty men in 
whale boats who landed at dawn. Captain Barton had landed 



330 HISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

from headquarters, but. the men from Warwick could not join 
them for want of boats. 

At nine o'clocli the next morning the British landed two 
hundred and fifty men and attacked a guard of forty men 
stationed to observe their motions. Fifty of the Americans 
joining this body, a smart engagement ensued which lasted 
three hours. The British linally retreated, leaving two dead 
and one wounded. The night before they had taken off one 
hundred sheep but no cattle. Thi-ee of the Americans were 
slightly wounded. Sunday evening the British burned two 
more buildings on Prudence island and on Mondaj' cut a 
quantity of wood on Hope island, after which they returned 
to Newport. 

The assembly which convened at Providence on Monday, the 
8th of January, began its business by ordering an address to 
the continental congress, representing "the inability of the col- 
ony, from its situation, smallness and poverty, to defend 
itself," and j^raying for assistance. A committee was ap- 
pointed on the state of the colony — Deputy Governor Nicholas 
Cooke, Secretary William Ellery, Joseph Brown, Henry 
Marchant, Sylvester Child and Gideon Mumford — who were 
charged with the preparation of the address, and a considera- 
tion of the places in which the troops in the service of the col- 
ony had best be stationed. The address was sent by Governor 
Cooke to the Rhode Island delegates, Hopkins and Ward, en 
the 21st of January. 

It represented the services ol' the colony in the "late glori- 
ous war" against the French and its zealous part in resistance 
to the stamp duties in 1765, and the immediate share it had in 
the common defense by marching troops after the attacks at 
Lexington and Concord. It then gave a description of the 
physical situation of the colony, which is admirable in succinct- 
ness : " Unfortunately for the inhabitants this colony is scarcely 
anything but a line of sea coast. From Providence to Point 
Judith, and from thence to Pawcatuck river, is nearly eighty 
miles ; on the east side of the bay from Providence to Seacon- 
net point, and including the east side of Seaconnet, until it 
meets the Massachusetts line, is about fifty miles ; besides 
which are the navigable rivers of Pawcatuck and Warren. On 
the west side the colony doth not extend twenty miles, and on 
the east side not more than eight miles, from the sea coast 



IIISTOIiY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 331 

above described. In tlie colony are also included the following 
islands: Rhode Island, nbout sixteen miles in length ; Conani- 
cut, nine ; Block Island, nine ; Prudence, seven ; and the 
smaller islands. Patience, Hope, Gould Island and several 
others; all which are cultivated and fertile and contributed 
largely to the public expenses ; the greater part of the above 
mentioned shores are accessible to ships of war." 

The inhabitants, it said, derived their subsistence almost 
wholly from commerce. Ship building was a great branch of 
business. It gives as a reason for the great number of the 
king's ships stationed in the bay the convenient situation of 
the colony for receiving supplies for the continental army near 
Boston. The fleet stationed in the "bay for seven months 
past," is described as consisting of two ships of twenty guns, 
one of sixteen, a bomb-ketch and about eight tenders, whose 
depredations had put an end to commerce and I'ednced Newport 
to so deplorable a state that instead of contributing to the ex- 
penses of the war, the colony had been obliged to grant money 
out of the treasury for the support of the poor ; many of the 
wealthy inhabitants having left not only the town but the col- 
ony. The address then states the efforts already made and 
their utter inability to maintain the present force. Governor 
Cooke, in the letter to the delegates enclosing this interesting 
document, urged the importance of giving up "every idea of 
partial and colonial defence," saying that unless " the congress 
enter upon the defence of the colony it must be abandoned." 
The delegates were also requested to ascertain and inform the 
assembly as to letters written from the colony concerning the 
treaty with Wallace for the supply of the ships, in which if 
seems the patriotism of the people was questioned. They were 
also informed that the assembly had agreed to supply the 
king's ships. Governor Cooke sent a copy of this address to 
Washington, which he undertook himself to lay before con- 
gress. He was particular!}^ impressed by the request that a body 
of forces should be piocured on the continental establishment 
for the defense of the colony. He had satisfied himself of the 
truth of the representations of the address and the importance 
of Rhode Island in its extensive sea coast, and he particularly 
reoogniznd the " zeal and attachment " of its people. 

Congress referred the petition of Newport to the assembly, 
every delegate who spoke in the debate having expressed the 



332 IlISToliY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

opinion that the "ships should be supplied with necessaries 
for their support, "" care being taken that the enemy elsewhere 
should not thus obtain provisions. The assembly under tliis 
recommendation autliorized the town council of Newport to 
supplj^ Captain Wallace, so long- as he was peaceable and com- 
mitted no depredations on the island, with two thousand 
pounds of beef and with beer as usual, the delivery to be under 
the direction of the commanding officer of the forces and by 
the i^erson appointed by him, but that "no member of either 
House of the Assembly be appointed to deliver the same or to 
go oB board of either of the ships of war under said Wallace's 
command on any occasion whatever;" a precaution which 
shows how uncertain the state of public opinion was and how 
suddenly that of individuals veered at this period. Washing- 
ton's letter to the governor was laid before the assembly and 
liad so great weight with rhem that, as the governor wrote the 
general, "no supplies would have been permitted to the ships" 
but for the opinion of the members of the continental congress 
that tiiey should be continued. A discretionary power under 
order of secrecy was given to the committee on the close of 
the session to permit supplies in case of imminent danger of a 
cannonade or burning during the recess. 

The inhabitants of Newport were recommended to remove to 
some place of safety all their aged people, women, children and 
those unable to assist in tlie defense of the place, togetlier with 
their valuable effects, ami two hundred pounds were voted to 
move the poor who could not move themselves. I'he councils 
of tile towns were ordered to call a town meeting within three 
weeks from the rising of tlie assembly, at whicli they were to 
present a list of all the inhabitants able to bear arms who liad 
not supplied themselves, from inabilit}^ and to provide for the 
purchase of arms sufficient for such persons to be kept by the 
captains of the districts. One ai'tillery company of fourteen 
men was ordered for each of tlie towns, and that each town be 
supplied with two, three or four pound field pieces on carriages, 
except those already supplied, among which was Newport. 
They were to drill half a day every week to exercise the can- 
non. The committee of safety for each county was directed to 
see that the order for cannon was complied with. Colonel .John 
Cooke was appointed on the committee for Newport in addition 
to Metcalfe Bowler. 



HISTORT OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 333 

The regiment ordered at tlie last session was increased to 
seven hnndi-ed and iifty men exchisive of the artiilerj' company, 
and to consist of twelve companies. Officers were named for 
tile four new companies and the artillery company. A new 
regiment of twelve companies, seven hundred and fifty men, 
was raised. These two regiments were brigaded together and 
Christopher Olney appointed major- of brigade. Henry Bab- 
cock of Westerly, a gallant officer of the French war, who had 
served on Amherst's staff, was appointed colonel, Christoi)her 
Lippitt, lieutenant colonel, and Adam Comstock, major. Offi- 
cers were named for the row gallies, each of which was 
manned by fifty men; Benjamin Page to the command of the 
first of the gallies. 

The commander-in chief on the island was requested to put 
three hundred soldiers or minute men in Jamestown. A field 
piece was ordered to Warwick. Orders were issued for the pur- 
chase of all the shot and powder in the colony. An order was 
given for the importation of thirty thousand bushels of salt, of 
which seven thousand was for the county of J«Jewport; Metcalfe 
Bowler, George Irish and Thomas Corey were the committee on 
the purchases for Newport. A bounty was offered to encourage 
the manufacture of saltpetre and gun]iowder. The committee 
of safety were dii'ected to erect two barracks at headquarters on 
Rhode Island and one at Rowland's ferry. The stock, corn, 
provisions and hay on Prudence island were ordered to be re- 
moved with all possible despatch under direction of Colonel 
Lippitt and by his regiment, and one of the colony's companies 
on the island was ordered to Brisrf)l for the defense of that 
town. A company of fifty men and the Warwick artillery 
company were stationed at Warwick neck; minute men were 
attached to them. The neck was to be fortified by the troops 
who were to remain until the British fieet should go down the 
river. 

The commanding officer in Rhode Island was authorized to 
discharge Cajitain Earle's company of minute men within two 
days aftei' tlie rising of the assembly, and it is pleasing to 
notice that on petition of Benjamin Brenton and George Farrish 
and tlieir statement of good will to the colonies, they were re- 
lea.sed from confinement and the sequestered estate of Brenton 
was restored. Farrish had been arrested on suspicion of serving 
beer to the king's ships at Newport. 



334 HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTr. 

At the close of this month the colony was distressed by the 
tidings of the failure of Arnold's expedition against Quebec 
and the fall of Montgomery; New Years eve. Rhode Island 
was fully represented in this expedition. The first battalion 
of the men Arnold led out from Cambridge camp in September 
for the terrible march through the valleys of the Kennebec and 
Chandiere, was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher 
Greene of Rhode Island and three of his captains, Wai'd, Top- 
ham and Thayer, and presumably the men in their companies 
were from this colony. They were all made prisoners. John 
Topham was later colonel, and Thayer major, in Rhode Island 
regiments. Samuel Ward, Jr., tlie son of the old governor, 
now delegate to the continental congress, then not nineteen 
years of age, had just graduated from Providence College. 

In February the town council of Newjjort were authorized 
to continue the usual supply of two thousand weight of beef to 
Captain Wallace, under direction of the commanding otlicer. No 
member of either house of assembly was allowed to go on board 
the fleet, that privilege being confined to Messrs. Simon Pease, 
John Malbone and Greorge Sears, or he failing to serve, John 
Mawdsley, a committee named for the purpose. The British 
fleet continued their depredations. Wood was cut from Hope 
island. On the 4th they made a descent on Point Judith 
and, as it was charged, by connivance of some of the inhabi- 
tants there, carried off a number of cattle and sheep. On the 
fifteenth they paid another visit to Prudence island, but finding 
that all the stock and grain had been taken off by the Ameri- 
cans, contented themselves with the burning of a few more 
houses and a windmill. This month the British vessels began 
to capture American vessels on the high seas, and at this time 
also Commodore Esek Hopkins sailed from Delaware bay with 
the first squadron of the American navy of one hundred and 
two guns. His second in command was John Paul Jones. The 
flag ship the "Clifford" of twenty-four guns, the "Columbus" 
of twenty. Captain Abraham Whipple, the brig "Cabot" of 
fourteen. Captain John B. Hopkins, son of the commodore, 
and the sloop "Providence" of twelve were all fitted out in 
Rhode Island. 

Up to this time Governor Wanton, though he does not ap- 
pear to have attempted to exercise tlie authority of his office, 
had maintained his right under the charter and held that jire- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 335 

cious document, together with the chest and ('(donial recordsand 
jiapers deposited therein, in his safe keeping. Now, however, 
the assembly ordered the sheriff of the county of Newport to 
proceed to him and take po.ssession of the chest and its con- 
tents, tlie charter and all other things appertaining to the 
colony, and bring them to the committee appointed to receive 
them, as was usual in all changes in this high ollice. In case 
of any resistance Mr. Wanton was himself to be brought be- 
foi'e the assembly by the sheriff at East Greenwich, where it 
began its session the last Monday in February. 

Mr. Jabez Champlin was the sheriff' of the county. In his 
official report of this affair he said that he went to Wanton's 
house and "in his absence took and carried away out of the 
said house the charter, a large number of bundles of papers, 
seventeen dies for counterfeiting dollars and half Johannes, an 
instrument for edge milling, and other implements for counter- 
feiting," all of which were delivered to the committee of the 
assembly. "Complaint being lodged against Wanton, he was 
summoned before the assembly. He appeared and satisfied 
tliem as to his conduct, and there appearing no cause for de- 
taining him he was by resolution dismissed. Nevertheless, 
according to Arnold, he with many other persons was arrested 
by General West, whose headquarters were at Middletown, 
and detained by him for examination. The complaint against 
them was communication with the British lieet contrary to the 
act of assemblj'. 

The people of Newpoit, indignant at this invasion of their 
privileges, assembled in town meeting on the 23d of February 
and memorialized the assembly, praying it to forbid the en- 
trance of troops into the town and to leave the custody of the 
supplies to the British to the town council. West opposed 
this as a tory movement. The parties complained of, who had 
been sent up to Providence for safe keeping, were brought be- 
fore the assembly, examined and dismissed; the assembly at 
the same time passing a resolution declaring their belief that 
General ^Vest had acted as "an ofhcer having the love of his 
country at heart,'' and that they should ever approve of their 
militai'v commanders exerting themselves for the securing and 
bringing to trial all persons conducting in a susi^icious man- 
ner as aforesaid, at the same time carefully observing not to 
encroach upon, infringe or supersede the civil authority by 



336 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

exertion of the military. Greiieral West sent to this meeting 
the evidence of Joseph Allen, of Newport, respectin<2; Colonel 
Wanton, and on the dismissal of the prisoners whom he had 
arrested and their return to Rhode Island, he considered his 
inrttience as the commander impaired and sent in his resig- 
nation, which was accepted. 

Of Colonel Wanton it has been justly said that "during the 
occupation of Newport he led a quiet and unobtrusive life; 
and on their departure renuiined unmolested upon its re-occu- 
pation by the Americans. He was a man of amiable disposi- 
tion, elegant manners, handsome person and splendid appear- 
ance. He enjoyed the esteem of all who knew him." He tiled 
at Newport July 19tli, 1780, aged seventy -five, and was interred 
in the family vault in the Clifton burial place. 

In theletterin whicliGeneral West sent to the assembly Allen's 
testimony, he informed them of a dispure as to rank between 
Colonels Richmond and Babcock. Colonel Richmond claimed 
precedence because appointed to the first regiment; Colonel Bab- 
cock because of his commission from the colony in the old war. 
The general refused to interfere. Congress applying for specie 
for the Canadian campaign, a large committee was appointed 
by the assembly to collect gold and silver coin in Rhode Island. 
The leading citizens of Newport were on this committee. Not 
twelve hundred dollars could be found or collected in the 
colony. 

The continental fieet under Commodore Hopkins made a suc- 
cessful descent on New Providence, Nassau, which they found 
undefended. They cax^tured a large amount of military stores 
and more than one hundred cannon, and with the governor, 
lieutenant-governor and one of the council as prisoners, sailed 
for home. 

The records of the month of P^bruary contain one notice of 
more general interest to-day than when it was first inscribed. 
This is the petition of " Mrs. Elizabeth Stewart, wife of Gilbert 
Stewart, late of Newport, in the colony of Rhode Island, snuff 
maker, setting forth that her husband is possessed of a tract 
of land in the township of Newport in Nova Scotia under im- 
provement and upon which he hath some stock. That he, find- 
ing it impossible to maintain his family in the said town of 
Newport in this colony, did some time last summer remove to 
his said farm where he now is and purposes to remain. And 



IIISTOKY ()!•' NKWl'OllT COUNTY. 337 

that- exclusive of the impracticability of her supporting herself 
and family in this colony, which strongly impels her to follow 
her said husband, she is very desirous of joining him, which 
she is also bound in duty to do if possible." And therefore 
besought this assembly to permit the sloop " Nova Scotia," 
packet, David Ross master, to proceed to the said township of 
Newport in Nova Scotia with herself and family, she being 
willing to give rhe amplest security that nothing but the 
'Sveariug apparel and household furniture of tlie family and. 
the neces.sary provisions for the family shall be carried in the 
said sloop." The assembly granted the petition and the sloop 
was permitted to sail under the inspection of Messrs. John 
Collins and George Sears of Newport. 

In the early days of March news was received of the closing 
of the Amei'ican lines around Boston and of an intended as- 
sault in two divisions, one of which was to be led by Brigadier 
General Greene. On the 10th rumors came in of an evacua- 
tion of the town by the British. As there was no possibility 
of stopinng them if such was their determination, there was an 
intense anxiety to know what destination they would take. 
The British plan of operations had included the seizure of 
Quebec and New York as bases of operaticms, and the holding 
of the rivers St. Lawrence and Hudson, and of the intervening 
waters of Lakes Cliamplain and George, as avenues of stipply 
and separation of the eastern and nortliern from the middle 
and western provinces. 

The occux)ation of Boston was a political rather than military 
movement, and undertaken when the self-sufficient ministry of 
Lord North sup])osed that witli four regiments of British troops 
General Gage could not only reduce' Boston to subjection but 
march from one end of the continent to the other. The failure 
of Montgomery's expedition left them in secure possession of 
Quebec. The capture of New York was the second essential 
feature of this extensive movement. With the confirmation of 
the rumor of evacuation by the certain information that Gen- 
eral Howe was embarking his troops, came the news of the de- 
sign of the British government to send over a large number of 
commissioners to offer pardon to the colonies separately, a plan 
calculated to disturb the peace of tliose in which there was a 
division of feeling or opinion. 

Recognizing New York as the key of the continent for ag- 



1538 HISTORY OF NEWPOltT COUNTY. 

gressive war, Wasliiiifiton would Iiardly credit that Halifax 
was General Howe's destination, and determined at once to se- 
cure New York. On the 17th of March Washington wrote to 
Governor Cooke, informing him that the British troojjshad that 
morning evacuated Boston without destroying it and that he 
was in full possession ; that most probably the next attempt 
would be against New York or some southern colony ; and 
though he did not believe they had "any design again.st Rhode 
Island, that it will be advisable to keep a strict look out." He 
suggested the "calling in of the militia and to keep a strict 
look out." In a postscript written on the 19th he added: 
"The fleet is still in King or Nantasket roads." (This note, 
not in Spark's writings of Washington, appears on the Rhode 
Island records.] 

On the 18th of March the general assembly convened at East 
Greenwich and, the same day apparently, addressed a me- 
jnorial to Washington tlianking him for "his timely notice of 
the late movement of the ministerial troops," stated that the 
necessary orders had been issued to the militia, and requested 
3iim in case any part of the American forces were ordered to 
nny of the southern colonies that he would direct their march 
through the colony of Rhode Island by the sea shore, that 
they might be present in the case it were invaded, and also to 
station a considerable force there until the intentions of the 
•enemy were known. Henry Marchant, Williiim Ellery and 
Thomas Greene were appointed to wait on Washington with 
this memorial and urge with pressing instances the necessity of 
a permanent force. 

To provide for their own defense they ordered the raising in 
Newjiorc of a watch company of twenty-five men, and named 
Philip Moss captain, Augustus Newman lieutenant, and Jo- 
seph Crandal ensign ; all the troops quartered at Mr; George 
Irish's house and in all private houses to be at once removed, 
except those stationed at Dudley House and Straw Castle. 
A committee — Mr. John G. Wanton, William EUery and 
Christopher Lippitt — was appointed to estimate the damages 
done to the house of Mr. John Bannister in Newport, and 
settle the same. The purchase of two thousand stand of 
fire arms was ordered and the town councils directed to deter- 
mine what persons should have the use of said arms, and they 
were duly supplied: For Newport, Colonel Jabez Champlin ; 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 339 

PoitMraoutli, Metcalfe Bowler ; Middletowii, Mr. Nicholas Eas- 
ton ; Jamestown, Benjamin Underwood. An act was passed 
anthorizing armed vessels " to defend the sea coast of America" 
undei' the joint provisions of King Cliarles the Second's charter 
and the resolution of the continental congress, and a prize court 
was established to try and condemn all vessels infesting tiie 
coast. 

The Massachusetts government having given information that 
they were willing to join with Rhode Island in the fortification 
of Bristol ferry, the Hon. William Bradford and Simeon Potter 
were empowei'ed to confer on that subject, and also respecting 
fortifications at Howland's ferry. The committee on military 
defenses reported the assignment of troops. Aj^plication 
was made to the general arm}' headquarters at Cambridge for 
forty pieces of cannon, from nine to twenty-four j^ounders. Col- 
onel Henry Babcock was continued in his command as com- 
mander of the colony's brigade, with discreet instructions for 
his government while upon the island of Rhode Island, drawn 
up by a committee consisting of Jonathan Arnold, Joseph 
Anthony and Henry Ward. 

On the 27th of March Washington notihed Governor Cooke 
that the men-of-war and transj^orts sailed that afternoon from 
Nantasket harbor, and that he had in consequence ordered a 
brigade to march for New York, and that he would follow with 
the rest of the army the moment he had certain information of 
the fleet "being clear off the coast," leaving a small force to 
fortify Boston. On the 31st the governor advised Washington 
from Providence that an express had come in from Newport, 
that a ship-of-war had arrived in Newport harbor, and that 
twenty-seven ships were within Seconnet point, and that he 
had not more than seven or eight hundred men in the whole 
colony besides the militia, who were not more than half armed. 
On the 1st of April the governor sent word that this was a false 
alarm. The sheriff of Newport who sent up the express had 
been misinformed. A iriesseuger sent down had satisfied him- 
self that the people had been deceived by the foggy weather, 
and had descried no fleet. Mr. Cooke's son rode express to 
Washington with this contradiction of the report. 

Instantly on the receipt of the first despatch Washington 
hastened the march of Generals Greene and Sullivan to Provi- 
dence. They reached Providence on the 5th, and Washington, 



340 HISTORY OF NEAVPOUT COtTNTY. 

with General Gates, the adjutant-general of the army, and 
other general officers, arrived on the 6th of Aj^ril. General 
Spencer, with five regiments, the Connecticut brigade, arrived 
on the 7th, and after a grand entertainment given to the com- 
mander-in-chief at Providence in the evening, the troops hav- 
ing alreadj- marched, Washington followed them. He passed 
through Norwich and New London to hasten the embarkation 
of the troops who had so far marched, to New York, and there 
he left General Greene with the Rhode Island regiments of the 
continental line ready to embark. 

At New London he saw Commodore Hopkins, and applied to 
him for thirty of the heavy cannon he had captured and 
brought from New Providence (Nassau) and was promised what 
could be spared, as many were wanting for the defense of 
Providence river and New London harbor ; a curious instance 
of the manner in which even Wasliington was hampered at 
that period. Washington was in New Haven on the llth, and 
reached New York on the 14tli of April, where General Put- 
nam, who had preceded him, was in command. 

On his arrival in New York Washington wrote to Commodore 
Hopkins that he had just received information that the " Nau- 
tilus," sloop of war, had arrived at New York, " said to be senb 
express from thence for the 'Asia,' 'Phoenix,' and 'Savage,' 
and that they are intended for New London to block up your 
squadron." The "Phoenix." "Savage" and "Nautilus" 
sailed that morning. The "Asia" remained in the harbor. 
It may here be mentioned tliat Commodore Hopkins, on ap- 
proaching the New England coast from his cruise, captured, 
Thursday, the fourth of Ai^ril, the schooner "Hawke,'" of six 
guns, Captain Wallace, son of Commodoi'e Wallace ; on Friday 
the bomb brig "Bolton," of eight guns; on Saturday he en- 
gaged the frigate "Glasgow," of twenty-four guns, and her 
tender. The "Glasgow," after a three hours' action, by the 
seamanship of lier commander got off and reached Newport in 
safety. The tender was taken, and Commodore Hopkins, with 
his vessels and prizes, went into New London. It was here that 
Washington met him, and to him here Washington sent his 
warning message. 

On the arrival of the "Glasgow," the British squadron went 
out to look for Hopkins. A battery planted on Breiiton's 
point by Colonel Richmond ran the "Glasgow" up tlie bay. 



o 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 341 

and forced her the next day to put to sea. On the morning of 
the 11th the brig "Cabot," of the continental fleet, brought 
down ten heavj^ pieces of cannon from the fort at Providence 
harbor for the defense of Newport. 

In tile afternoon of the eleventli part of tlie Georgia fleet on 
its way to Halifax put in to Newport and came to anchor be- 
tween Rose island and the Dumplings; the "Scarborough," 
of twenty guns, having on board Governor Wright of Georgia 
and the refugees, apart of the fleet of eleven vessels which left 
Savannah on the yoth of March, the " Scymitar," a transport of 
eigliteen guns with troops, and two American vessels which 
they had taken ou the Georgia coast. The same night Commo- 
dore Grimes, who was then at Newport, attacked them with the 
Rhode Island gallies "Washington" and "Spitfire," each 
with an eighteen pounder in the bow, aided by a battery of two 
eighteen pounders planted by Col. Babcock at the north point. 
They were forced to slip their cables and make the shelter of Co- 
nanicut island, from which they were driven b,y a new battery 
and driven to sea, taking and returning the fire from a battery 
on Castle hill as she went out. In this action Dauiel Jackson 
Tillinghast, of Newport, was wounded on one of the gallies. 
The anchors and cables were taken up by the Americans. The 
prizes were the American vessels captured on the Georgia coast 
by the " Scarborough." Seventeen English were made pris- 
oners. 

The bay for the first time in many mouths was clear of 
British men of-war. The cannon taken by Hopkins ^t Nassau 
were distributed by order of congress. Tiiirteen were mounted 
on a new fort built at the point in Newjjort. Old Fort George 
was remodelled and a work constructed at Brenton's point. 
These made a reasonable defense for the harbor of Newport. 

On the 12th of April Hancock, the president of congress, 
officially informed the Rhode Island assembly of the act of 
parliament authorizing the .seizure of American vessels on the 
high seas, and of their resolution in retaliation, and enclosed 
bonds, cotnmissionsand instructions for the use of the assembly 
in "letters of marque and reprisal." 

Colonel Knox (to whoin was assigned the command of the 
regiment of continental artillery in December, 1775) passed 
through Newport on his way from Cambridge camp to New 
York, and at the urgent request of Govei'nor Cooke, took a 



342 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

view of the town and gave directions for the requisite fortifica- 
tion of the place, which he was (as Cooke wrote to Washington 
on the25th of April) clearly of opinion might be secured. The 
day of Cooke's letter a battery to command the north entrance 
to the harbor was about completed, and the next the fortifica- 
tions on Port island were to begin. The completion of the works 
would, the governor believed, put an end to toryism in the 
colony. He entreated ^Yashington to send him a competent 
engineer if only for a few days. 

Toward the close of April Commodore Hopkins, with the aid 
of two hundred men whom Washington detailed to him from 
the army, brought his vessels from New London to Rhode Island. 
He landed one hundred men sick, nearly all with the small pox, 
at Providence. Tliis terrible scourge, which decimated the 
American army in Canada, raged over the continent and added 
another to the terrible trials of the entire population, patriots 
and loyalists alike. Captain Whipple of the "Columbus," 
blamed for allowing the escape of the " Glasgow," demanded a 
court martial, by which he was acquitted. Captain Hazard of 
the "Providence" was censured for disobedience of ordei's. 
Later Hopkins was severely censured by congress for his return 
from New Providence instead of cruising along the soutliern 
coast as he was oi'dered. 

The last colonial assembly of Rhode Island met at Providence 
on the first Wednesday, the first day of May. After the re- 
election of Governor Cooke and the confirmation of the election 
of William Bradford (elected in November when, on the 
dej^osition of Wanton, Cooke was chosen governor) the as- 
sembly made some re-arrangement of the military. The regi- 
ment of the county of Newport was divided into two regiments: 
the first to contain all the companies of militia in the towns of 
Newport, Portsmouth, New Shoreham, Jamestown and Mid- 
dletown; the second, those of Tiverton and Little Compton. 
The companies of Providence were lilvewise divided and they, 
as well as those of Little Compton, by geographical lines by 
streets. The commanding officer of the colony's brigade was 
ordered to build a fort at Beaver Tail upon Conanicut to con- 
tain six or eight heavy cannon. Under the direction of Esek 
Hopkins, commander-in-chief of the continental navv, officers 
were chosen for the colony's brigade: major general of the 
militia, Joshua Babcock; for the county of Newport, First reg- 



HISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 34L; 

iment, Colonel George Irish, Lieutenant Colonel George Sears, 
Major J. V. Almy; Second regiment: Colonel John Cooke, 
Lieutenant Colonel David Hilyard, Major Pardon Gray. The 
captains of the trained bands or militia are named for the sev- 
eral towns but those for the town of Newjjort do not appear on 
the record, though Portsmouth and Middletown do. The com- 
mittee of safety for the county of Newport were Metcalfe Bow- 
ler and Colonel John Cooke. 

Stephen Hopkins was again elected first delegate to the conti- 
nental congress. The commanding officer on the island was or- 
dered to remove the troops from the ferry house on the point 
belonging to Mr. Benjamin EUery, that the ferry might be kept 
open. The watchers ordered along the coast in January were sus- 
pended during the absence of the fleet. Watchers were to be 
continued only at Point Judith, Seconnet point, at Westerly, 
Charlestown, at the south ferry in South Kingstown and at; 
North Kingstown. 

These preliminaries disposed of, the assembly proceeded to 
one of the most solemn and important acts in the history of the 
colony, and considering its geographical and physical condi- 
tion, one of the bravest in the history of the country. On the 
4tli of May it repealed the act of allegiance to Great Britain, 
virtually declared its independence, because the king, " forget- 
ting his dignity, regardless of the compact entered into by his 
illustrious ancestors and till of late fully recognized by him; 
and entirely departing from the duties and character of a good 
king instead of protecting, is endeavoring to destroy the good 
people of this colony and of all the United Colonies by sending 
fleets and armies to America to confiscate our property and 
spread fire, sword and desolation throughout our country in 
order to compel us to submit to the most debasing and detesta- 
ble tj'ranny, etc., be it therefore enacted that an act for secur- 
ing allegiance is repealed, and that thereafter in all commis- 
sions, civil and military, in lieu of the king's name the words, 
the Governor and Company of the English Colony of Rhode 
Island and Providence Plantations be substituted, other- 
wise their tenor to be the san;e." The courts of law were no 
longer to be entitled or considered the king's courts, and no in- 
strument, public or private, was thereafter in the date thereof, 
to mention the year of the king's reign. Tiie si.\ deputies for 
Newport in this assembly were: John Wanton, Samuel Fo'\> lei-. 



34;-± HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

George Sears, Gideon Wanton, Tlionias Freebodj' and Colonel 
Joseph Belcher. 

These instructions were at once issued in the new stjie to their 
delegates in congress. They were soon gratified to hear from 
their first delegate, Hopkins, at Philadelphia, that congress 
would soon throw ofi all connection in name as in substance 
with Great Britain and that on the warm recommendation of Gen- 
eral Washington, congress had X'assed a resolution for taking 
into continental pay the two Rhode Island batallions. The 
commanding officer in each company of the Rhode Island bri- 
gade was ordered to prevent damage 1)}^ travelling over ploughed 
lands and also to clear all the best houses in Newport of the 
troops and station them in convenient empty houses, and to 
pursue the same course at Jamestown. 

The act to encourage jirivateering by "letters of marque" 
was enlarged. A gunner was ordered for Fort Liberty (old Fort 
George), upon Goat island. The maximum price of Bohea tea 
was fixed at three-fourths of a dollar the pound, all persons 
charging more to be considered as "enemies to the American 
cause and treated accordingly," congress desiring to e.xclude 
all tea except that taken in prizes. The inhabitants on Block 
island were exhorted to remove. A bounty of three shillings 
a bushel was voted on salt manufactured in the colony. En- 
gagement was entered into with Massachusetts Bay to assist in 
their defense if invaded. Cannon were purchased and twelve 
eighteen pounders mounted on carriages sent to Newjiort. To 
prevent supplies to the enemy, fishermen at Block island were 
restricted to the Newport market, and any inhabitant of the 
island found in anj" other part of the island saving Newport to 
be confined to jail. 

This assembly was also called upon to elect a second delegate 
to congress, in the place of Governor Samuel Ward, who died 
at his post in Philadelphia, on the 27th of March, of the small 
pox, in the fifty-first year of his age, in the very prime of his 
usefulness. He is justly entitled to be held in grateful memory 
as one of the founders of the American Union. No one of this 
time did more i^erfect service than he ; uniting vigor with pru- 
dence, ardor with conduct, the highest statesmanship with un- 
swerving patriotism. The student of American history who 
turns the pages which recite the services of the illustrious dele- 
gates to the famous continental congress of 1774, and that more 



IIISTOlty OF NKWPOHT COUNTY. 345 

illustrious, because constituent, congress of 1775-G, cannot but 
regret that death deprived Samuel Ward of that which he 
would have, living, lield to be the sum of honor, the inscription 
of his name as a delegate from Rhode Island to the declaration 
of indexiendence of the United Colonies. His love for his 
country cannot be better expressed than in his own words, 
written to his brother, in 1775: "No man living perhaps is 
more fond of his children tlian I am, and T am not so old as to 
be tired of life ; and yet as far as lean now judge the tenderest 
considerations and the most important private concerns are very 
niinufe objects. Heaven save my countr}^ I was going to say, 
is my first, my last, and almost my only prayer." 

The assembly, " in testimony of the respect due to his mem- 
ory, and in grateful i-emembrance of his public services, re- 
solved to pay his funeral expenses, and the delegates for the 
colony were instructed to erect a decent tombstone or monu- 
ment of marble, with such ins.cription as they shall think suit- 
able over the place where his body hath been deposited, at the 
expense of (he colony." Samuel Ward was of an old New- 
port family. Thomas Ward, the first of the name in that 
town, came to it from (Tlocester, England, married and died in 
Newport in 1698. The most ancient residence of the family 
was on the south side of Market square, about half way between 
the main street and the market house. 

William Ellery, of Newport, was appointed to succeed 
him for one year, and to him fell the honor of signa- 
ture to the immortal scroll, the charter of liberty. The 
same day that he was elected the assembly also named 
the officers of the Second regiment in the colony's 
brigade : Colonel, Christopher l>ippitt ; Lieutenant-colonel, 
Adam Comstock ; Major, Christopher Olney ; Brigade- major, 
William Barton ; and it is noticeal)le that at the close of these 
proceedings, for the first time on the records, the formal prayer, 
" God save the King" is omitted. Where it was of custom in- 
scribed there is a blank. There was no sovereign authority as 
yet for whom the invocations could be made. 

The assembly on the Kith of June, the second Monday, re- 
sumed its sessions in Newport, the town being free from the 
enemy. It proceeded to the confiscation of the entire estate 
of George Roome for the use of the colony. It must have 
been considerable, the records mentioning a tan 3'ard in New- 



346 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

X)ort with vats, leather and stock of hides and a lot of land with 
two dwellings on the sonth side of the Parade. In view of the 
" dreadful ravages made by the small-pox in the army before 
Quebec, which was a principal cause of raising the blockade 
of that city, and the danger of that dreadful distemper render- 
ing the city incajiable of defense," the assembly passed an act 
permitting inoculation and establishing a hospital under sani- 
tary rules and isolated by lieavy penalties. There was protest 
made by quite a number of leading men against this act for 
three reasons: because the consent of the people had not been 
asked, because it had not been permitted for any length of 
time and was now discontinued in the other New England 
colonies, and thirdly because no provision was made for the 
poor, the most numerous part of the community. Notwith- 
standing this the assembly were so satisfied of the importance 
of the measure as a protection, especially to the army, that 
they desired their delegates to move in congress that all com- 
mon soldiers and seamen thereafter enlisting be permitted to 
be inoculated at the expense of the united colonies in hospitals 
to be provided under projjer i-estrictive rules. 

A census of the inhal)itants was ordered and a committee 
appointed for each town. For Newport, George Sears, Wil- 
liam Coddington and Gideon Wanton. The assembly addressed 
a memorial to the continental congress justifying themselves 
in a refusal to re-deliver to Commodore Hopkins the twenty 
pieces of cannon, the loan of which had enabled them to put 
Newjjort in such a state of defense that it was now "capable 
of bei-ng defended against all frigates in the British navy." 
The order for the removal of the cannon they supposed to have 
been given under the idea that they were just landed, whereas 
by great exertion they were already mounted and in position. 
Moreover they said that on receiving the twenty-six cannon from 
the commodore they had consented that the owners of Furnace 
Hope, with whom they had contracted for sixtj^ pieces, should 
first supply the continental ships. And as thirty-six heavy 
cannon had b^en landed for the defense of New London, which 
could be defended with one-quarter of the number of pieces 
needed for Newport bay, town and harbor, they suggest that 
if the twenty pieces must be removed they be taken fi'om that 
port. A third of the inhabitants they say were already re- 
moved from Newport and if a majority of the remainder had 



HISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 847 

been induced to temporize and " even to assume an appeaiance 
rather unfriendly to the united colonies," it was to be attrib- 
uted to their peculiar situation and not to the want of spirit or 
love of their country. They hoped, now that they were fortified, 
Newport would " at all times afford a .safe asylum to the conti- 
nental shii)s and to privateers and their prizes as well as to 
other vessels " in spite of all the British fleet. "Take them 
(the cannon) from us and we cannot answer for the event. The 
town of Newport and the island of Rhode Island are lost. * * 
It will be impossible for the inhabitants to defend themselves; 
they will not even attempt it. * * Leave us the cannon we 
can save Newport, which hath been induced in consequence of 
their arrival to take such steps as must bring upon them the 
British arms and who will be most cruelly treated in being de- 
prived of them." 

The thanks of the assembly were voted to Washington for 
his friendly offices in behalf of the colony. Offices were estab- 
lished at Newport and Providence for entering and clearing 
vessels and an act passed regulating trade, two intendants of 
trade to be annually appointed by the assembly, one for each 
jiort. The colony salt was distributed among the towns, New- 
port receiving two hundred bushels. A test oath was adopted, 
to be administered to all suspected males above sixteen. Sundrj- 
principal inhal)itants of Newport town were ordered to be re- 
moved to Glocester, there to have the limits of the town on 
parole of honor. Two hundred spears were ordered for tlie 
Newport batteries. Officers were appointed to command the 
trained bands or companies of militia of the town of Newport, 
viz.: First company: captain, William Tripp; lieutenant, 
Caleb Carr, Jr.; ensign, Jonathan Simmons ; Second company : 
captain, Henry Wiles; lieutenant, Robert Dunbar; ensign, 
William Pendleton ; Third company : captain. Wing Spooner ; 
lieutenant, Stukely Wyatt ; ensign, Lee Langley ; Fourth com- 
pany : captain, William Downing ; lieutenant, John Nichols ; 
ensign, Benjamin Hamniett. 

On the 20th of June Lord Howe, " one of the King's Commis- 
sioners for rt^storing peace to the Colonies," addressed a letter 
from on board the man-of-war "Eagle," off the coast of the 
province of the Massachusetts Bay, to the "Honorable Gover- 
nor Wanton, &c., &c., Rhode Island, or other Magistrate of the 
Colony," with a copj^ of Ills declaration that day issued. He 



348 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

notified liis first object to be an early meetino; with General 
Howe, who was joined with him in the commission, and re- 
quested a promulgation of his proclamation or declaration. 
There was no attempt to conceal this discreet document, wliich 
offered " free and general pardons to all those who, in the tumult 
and disorder of the times, may have deviated from their just 
allegiance, and promise of due consideration to the meritorious 
services of all persons who shall aid in restoring the public 
tranquility." But the door of conciliation was already and 
forever closed ; Rhode Island was an independent colony. The 
records of the proceedings of this assembly close with the 
prayer, "God save the United Colonies." The entire subor- 
dination of Rhode Island to the common interest, and the under- 
standing of the leaders of opinion were clearly shown in the 
request of the governor to Wasliington to name such general 
officers as he thought best to command the colony brigade on 
the continental establishment. 

The assembly, which seems to have felt full confidence in tlie 
ability of Newjwrt to make successful defense of town and 
harbor, adjourned till August. In fact, on the sailing of tlie 
ministerial fieet for Halifax, hopes of a quiet summer were gen- 
eial. It was not supposed that the commissioners, who were 
expected with offers of conciliation, would be accompanied by 
menace of war. 

These and many other like delusions as to the spirit which 
possessed the king and the great body of the parliament, were 
dispelled by the news of the arrival at Sandy Hook, on Sun- 
day, the 30th of June, of the British fleet from Ealifax, counted 
at one hundred and thirteen sail. The remainder arrived on 
the 2d of July, when the bay of New York swarmed with one 
hundred and thirty men-of-war, ti-ansports and tenders. They 
brought an army of ten thousand men, who were landed on 
Staten Island. This information of itself was enough to de- 
mand deliberative action, but liirther I'eason came a few days 
later, on the aiiival of the news of the declaration of independ- 
ence. It reached New York on the afternoon of the 9th, and 
Newport probably on the 112th. 

Newport, on the 11th, was the scene of a decisive action on 
the part of the officers of the colony brigade stationed on the 
island, to determine the position of some of the inhabitants of the 
town thought to "be inimical to their country." They lodged 



iriSTOIjy OF NEWPOIiT COUNTY. 349 

a complaint against about twenty persons with Judge Metcalfe 
Bowler, one of the committee of safety of Newport county, re- 
questing him, as a member of the general assembly, to tender to 
these suspected persons the Test act passed at the June session. 
This they refused all but one, and were summoned to give their 
reasons the next day, which they did to the judge. Col. Chris- 
topher Lippitt then summoned about sixty more, but only two 
would subscribe, many no doubt induced by their friends the 
day before. As this action on the part of the military was 
based on no particular act but only general accusation, and, as 
w'as admitted, for "information only," the colonel could do 
no more than disarm the suspected. This state of affairs Col- 
onel Lippitt, on the 13th, communicated to the governor and 
urged their ren)oval. 

The general assembly met in special session at Newport on 
Thursday the 18th of July and " taking into the most serious 
consideration" the resolution of congress declaring independ- 
ence, appi-oved the same and engaged their support to the 
general congress. The act of approval was published the next 
day at noon by the secretary, in the presence of both houses of 
the assembly. It was ordered that thirteen cannon be dis- 
charged from Fort Lil)erty (Goat island) upon reading the said 
proclamation, and that the brigade be drawn up on the parade 
in thirteen divisions, and immediately upon the discharge of 
the cannon make a discharge of musketry, each division tiring- 
one volley in succession. The day set for this proclamation 
was Friday the 19th but according to the newspapeis (and 
Arnold concurs), the declaration was celebrated at Newport 
on the •' twentieth before a great concourse of people assembled 
in and about the State House. It was read by Major John 
Handy fi-om the Balcony in front of the State House." 

The style and title of the government was altered to "The 
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." The col- 
ony's new gallies, the " Washington" and " Spitfire," were or- 
dered to New York and their captains directed to take the 
orders of General W^ashington. The}- did good service during 
that eventful summer. The committee appointed to determine 
where cannon should be placed reported an assignment of can- 
non. There were one hundred and thirtj'-nine in the state, of 
"which fifty-five were in Newport: five tweuty-four-pounders, 
fourteen eighteen-pounders, twelve twelve-pounders, one nine- 



350 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

pounder, nine six-pounders, ten four-pouuders and four three- 
pounders. The*continentaI paper money was declared a legal 
tender, and an act passed to prevent its depreciation and that 
of all other current paper money of the stales. An act was 
passed to punish persons who acknowledge the king of Great 
Britain to be their sovereign and a line imposed of one hun- 
dred pounds. Another was passed requiring a test oath as a 
condition precedent to voting at any town meeting. 

Eleven of the leading citizens of Newport who had refused 
to subscribe the required test, were ordered to be removed by 
the sheriff at their own exi)ense, each to a different town in the 
colony; Governor Wanton to Jamestown, with the liberty of 
that town under the inspection of that commanding officer, with 
privilege under ijermission to visit under guard his farm on 
Prudence island and that only. Three of these persons de- 
clined to pay the expense of removal and were lodged in the 
Providence jail. One was fortunate enough to escape on a ves- 
sel to the West Indies. The remainder went quietly to their 
destinations. 

Not forgetting their old-time courtesy, Henry Ward, the 
secretary, and Colonel Jonathan Arnold were directed to jire- 
pare an answer to the e.\[)ress from Lord Howe. This, signed 
by the governor, was a respectful acknowledgment and informa- 
tion to his Lordship, without comment, that copies of his letter 
and declaration would be transmitted to the " Most Honoura- 
ble the General Congress of the United States of America, to 
whom every application respecting the disputes between the 
said states and Great Britain ought to be addressed and must 
be referred.^' The records of the proceedings of this assembly 
close with the prayer " God save the United States." 

At the August session William Richmond was appointed 
colonel of the state brigade, and Christopher Lippitt recom- 
mended to congress for colonel of the Second regiment. Solomon 
Southwick was named intendant of trade under the recent act 
for the district of Newport. Dr. William Hunter, one of the 
eleven sent out of town at the last session, was authorized to re- 
turn from Smithfield to Newport and reside there during the 
pending illness of one of iiis children, but to return as soon as 
the situation of his family permitted. And here it may be prop- 
erly said that the student of this period makes a distinction be- 
tween those persons who, born in the old country, whether with 



inSTORY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 3f)l 

relatives and connections there or without, iield their loyalty to 
the Ivinji; and preserved a strict neutrality in tlte contest, and 
those who were active enemies to the counlry which had har- 
bored them. 

The struggle now was for the possession of New York. In 
July Lord Admiral Howe joined his brother, the general, with 
the fleet and army from England, and on the 12th of August a 
Heet of sixty more vessels, having on board nine thousand Hes- 
sian mercenaries, brought up the British force on Staten Island 
iind in New York harbor to twenty-two thousand men and 
twenty-five shijjs-of-war. On the 22d Howe began landing his 
Jroops on Long Island, and on the night of the 29th Washing- 
ton, unable to hold his position against the superior force, with- 
drew his army to New York. 

The Rhode Island assembly met on the 2d of September 
i\nd, receiving a request from General Washington, through 
Oovernor Trumbull of Connecticut, that a body of men should 
be thrown upon tlie east end of Long Island for the protection 
of the inhabitants and stock, ordered over the whole brigade of 
state troops, two regiments with a detachment of artillery and 
two gallies, nnder the command and direction of Colonel Lip- 
pitt. But on hearing of the evacuation of Long Island the 
movement was stopped. Great apprehensions were now felt 
for the safety of Newjiort, and the assembly sent a committee, 
■consisting of Joshua Babcock, John Collins and Joseph Stan- 
ton, Jr., to confer witli General Washington. All the cannon 
At Newport not mounted were ordered to the main for defense; 
the troops on Conanicut, and the cannon there, were bronght 
-over to Newport. There was correspondence between Rhode 
Island and Connecticut as to the feasibilitj^ of a joint movement 
to Long Island to bring off the stock with the aid of the con- 
tinental whale boats collected in Boston harbor. Trumbull had 
this expedition greatly at heart. 

On the 3d of September congress wrote a pressing letter, asli- 
ing that aid be sent to New York. One of the continental bat- 
talions marched on the 14th, and Colonel Richmond had the 
-other in readiness to proceed the moment the Massaclmsetts 
regiment of militia arrived to take their place. Orders were 
issued to raise seven hundred men to replace Colonel Rich- 
mond's battalion. Washington was gratified by the readiness 
of the assembly to meet his wishes. The Rhode Island com- 



352 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTS'. 

mittee, wliioh visifed him in cani}) and was witness of the re- 
treat from the city of New York to the Heights of Harlem and 
the cheering fight of the 16th of September in which the Rhode 
Island regiments were engaged, had expressed their fear that 
Newport and Rhode Island mnst he evacuated; but Washing- 
ton was not of that opinion — not at least under any imaginary 
necessity. 

The headquarters of llie state forces was at Newport, and two 
regiments were constantly stationed on the island. But they 
were poorly supplied. Some of those ordered to Long Island 
were " bare of clothes, having neither shoes nor stockings to 
wear," and there was natural!}' "much grumbling."' Congress 
now, however, undertook to fit them properly with blankets 
and clothing for winter service. In the first days of October 
Rhode Island had two battalions in continental pay, troops 
originally raised by the state: Colonel Varnum's, Colonel 
Hitchcock's and Colonel Lippitt's with Washington, and Colo- 
nel Richmond's, who was under orders for New London. In 
November, the time of enlistment of Colonel Richmond's reg- 
iment expiring, and the commissions of the field officers also, 
the organization was disbanded. A new regiment was ordered, 
and officers were appointed: Colonel, John Sayles, Jr. ; lieu- 
tenant colonel, Benjamin Talman; major, Thomas Potter, Jr. 
The surgeon, Stephen Wigneron, was a distinguished practi- 
tioner, of a Newport Huguenot family. 



CHAPTER VII. 



NEWPORT IN THE REVOLUTION [Concluded). 



By John Austin Stevens. 



Britisli Occupation of Newport, 1777-9.— The Siege of Newport, 1778.— Tlie Fleets 
off Rhode Island. — The Battle of Rhode Island. — Evacuation by tlie British. — 
Tlie French in Rhode Island, 1780-81.— The Naval Engagement.— The March 
of the French. 



THE military occupation of Boston was dictated by politi- 
cal, not by strategic considerations. The earliest English 
port in the northern colonies, it was necessary to maintain it if 
possible, and moreover, as the place where the first overt resist- 
ance to the measures of the government was made, it was politic 
that it should receive the first j)unishment. That it was un- 
tenable was soon practically demonstrated, and its evacuation 
was a militaiy advantage to the British. 

New York, at the month of the great dividing rivei-, was the 
natural key to the northern section of the inhabited country, 
and Newport the natural key to tlie New England portion of 
that section. New York and Newport, witli their great harbors, 
in either of which vast fleets could find safe anciiorage and easy 
defense, and Long Island sound, with its sheltered coirimunica- 
tion between the ports, offered a base for military operations 
unequalled in its advantages for an offensive naval power. The 
English commanders quickly recognized this, and immediately 
after the reduction of New York turned their attention to 
Newport. The fall of Fort \Vashington, on the 16tli of No- 
vember, 177G, securing the British position and leaving a large 
force disposable for offensive operations, the establishment of a 
post at Newport was resolved upon as a basis for the operations 
which Lord Howe contemplated against Boston in the spring 
campaign. 

On the 14th General Charles Lee, from the camp at Noith 
Castle, Westchester county, wliere he was in command, Wash- 
SB 



354 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

ington being with the main body of the army in the Jersies, 
informed Governor Cooke of Rhode Island that a considerable 
force was "being embarked or abont to embark on Staten 
Island," and that though South Carolina was given out as the 
place of their destination, it was "not impossible or improbable 
that they may have some designs against Rhode Ishind eitlier 
on a pillaging scheme or perhaps with a view of establishing 
winter quarters for a part of tlie troops, as they find them- 
selves straightened at New York." This letter Governor Cooke 
enclosed to Governor Trumbull of Connecticut on the 18th, with 
a request for assistance. 

The general assembly met at East Greenwich on the 21st 
(November), and among their various orders for the government 
of the military, directed tliat in order to keep open the passage 
at Bristol and Howland ferries two strong fortifications be 
erected at each and sufficient cannon taken off from Rhode 
Island to arm the batteries. It was dii'ected that one eighteen 
pounder and two twelve pounders be left in the fort at Bren- 
ton's point; that one twenty-four pounder, two eighteen pound- 
ers and two twelve pounders be left in Port Liberty; and that 
one twenty-four pounder, two eigliteen jjounders and two 
twelve pounders be left on the North Battery; that all the 
cannon mounted on field carriages be also left on Rhode Island; 
and that all the rest of the cannon be removed to the main land; 
namely three of the heaviest cannon to Bristol ferry and three 
to Rowland's ferry. The remainder were ordered to the battery 
on Fox j)oint, near Providence; a committee was appointed to 
disti'ibute the shot and cartridges. 

The British preparations completed, the expedition was made 
up at the watering place off Staten Island, where the heavy 
/-■ ships lay, and on the 25th and 2Gth of November, sixty-five 

hundred troops, British and Hessian in about equal proportions, 
wei'e embarked on sixty transports, mostly East India Com- 
pany's ships. The command of the expedition. Lord Howe 
assigned to Sir Henry Clinton. Admiral Sir Peter Parker was 
in command of the fleet. On the 27th the expedition left New 
York, and sailed down the sound in three divisions, each es- 
corted by three men-of-war, one in advance and one on either 
flank. Commodore Hotham covered the rear. Sir Peter Par- 
ker, with seven men-of-war and four frigates, took the outside 
passage, and appeared off Block Island on the 2d of December. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 355 

Turnino- westward be sailed up the sound to meet the incoming 
vessels. 

Alarmed by the movement of the ships, Governor Cooke, on 
the 3d, sent a despatch to Governor Artemas Ward, of Massa- 
chusetts, asking immediate help, and was at once answered that 
marching orders had been given to the militia of three counties. 
The committee of safety, consisting of the governor, three of 
his council, and eleven members of the assembly, which had 
full power in the recess of the assembly, on the 4th advised 
Commodore Hopkins, who c(jmmanded the continental fleet, 
to get all the vessels vvhich belonged to it out of the harbors of 
the state to sea as quickly as possible with safety; but he re- 
plied that it was impossible, as he could not enlist sufficient 
men. An embargo was laid on all the privateers and merchant- 
men in port to help the manning of the navy. On the 5th or- 
ders were issued to draft another regiment, of which Joseph 
Stanton was appointed colonel. A regiment of Providence 
county militia volunteered for service on the island pending the 
drafts, and was placed under command of Col. Chad Brown. 
General West was made brigadier of the troops on the island. 
The women and children were advised to move with their fur- 
niture from Newport and the other towns on the bay to the 
interior for safety. The prisoners of war were sent on board 
of Commodore Hopkins' vessels, or into the country, for safe 
keeping. The stock on Rhode Island and Conanicut was 
driven off. 

Colonel Waterman's regiment was ordered to Warwick neck, 
Colonel Aborn to Pawtuxet, and Colonel Noyes' to Tower hill. 

These arrangements were hardly completed when, on the 7th, 
the British fleet entered the bay, sailed up the West or Narra- 
gansett passage, and rounding the north end of Conanicut 
island, anchored off Stoddard's shore in Middletown. In their 
passage through the sound they had made several feints of 
landing. As they passed through the waters of Narragansett 
they saw red flags waving from every fort and battery. Resist- 
ance at Newport, however, was impossible, the total force on 
the island not exceeding seven hundred men. 

On the morning of the 8th the troops were disembarked from 
the transports which lay at anchor in Weaver's bay, at the 
southern end of Prudence island. One regiment landed at Long 
Wharf; the main body at Greensdale in Middletown (the resi- 



356 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

dence of the family of General Greene). The British regiments 
•were the Twenty-second (Colonel Caniphell), tlie Forfy-chird 
(ColonelMarsh),t.he Fifty-fourth (Colonel Bruce), the Sixtj^-third 
(Colonel Sell), all infantry, and Colonel Funis' regiment of 
artillery. The Hessians were the Brigade of Huyne, the Guards 
and a part of Losberg's regiment. The brigade of Huyne seems 
to have been composed of the regiment of Banau, the Anspach- 
Bayreiith legiment, and the Guards of Landgraf (Prince) 
Charles Ditfurth. After landing, the light infanty and grena- 
diers went up the island to Bristol ferry at nearly its northern 
end, and bivouacked in (he open air until tiieir tents and bag- 
gage were unladen. 

The American forces had already retreated, and carrying with 
them thirty guns left the island and withdrawn to Bristol and 
Providence an hour before the disembarkation. According to 
the account sent by Governer Cooke to Washington, at ten 
o'clock on the night of the 8th, the fleet consisted of seventy- 
eight ships of war and transports. The British, on landing, 
marched in three divisions, one toward Newport, the second 
toward Howland's ferry, the third to Bristol ferr}^ where 
they arrived in time "to fire upon the boats that brought over 
our last men, but without doing much damage." The governor 
says that the retreating troops had to leave behind " about fif- 
teen or twenty heavy cannon." 

The main body bivouacked about the country or in the farm 
houses, which they pillaged, but with little more result than the 
capture of a few head of cattle. The next morning, 9th Decem- 
ber, Clinton marched on Newport, which he entered without 
resistance. He was accompanied by Earl Percy and Major- 
General Prescott, and by Prince Charles Ditfurth, with the 
Hessian Guards and a company of light horse. The Hessians 
who went in with Clinton were quartered on the town. On the 
13th the force was distributed in permanent cantonments, and 
the next day were joined by the Ditfurth regiment. TheNew- 
l)ort garrison then consisted of one battalion of light infantry, 
one grenadier battalion, four British regiments, a detachment 
of English artillery, a company of light dragoons, the Seven- 
teenth regiment, and the Hessian regiments. General Richard 
Prescott was put in command of tlie post, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Cami^bell was the next in rank within the town, and General 
Smith commanded the troops outside. Two yager or light 



IIISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 357 

infantry companies were made up from tlie Hessian regiments. 

Mr. Rosengarten, in his monograph on " Tlie German Soldiers 
in Newport," made up in the main from Max Von Ellving's 
"Account of the German soldiers in tlie war of the Revolution," 
thus describes the appearance of the town at the time of the 
occupation : "Newport town contained eleven hundred houses, 
mostly small wooden ones; the large and iuvndsonie residences 
of the well to do were built so as to show on the street front 
great iron gates, but in the rear there were large gardens sur- 
rounded by stables, houses for the negroes, etc. Witliin there 
were the handsomest carpets, hangings and furniture. The 
rich people had a great love of pleasure and luxury. The sol- 
diers quietly set to work to make themselves comfortable, in 
spite of the unfriendly welcome from the 'Patriots,' to whose 
numbers most of the people belonged. The officers were quar- 
tered in the houses of the few royalists who remained, the sol- 
diers in those of a large number that had tied. The empty ap- 
pearance of the streets as the troops marched in was due to the 
great numbers of the inhabitants who had left. The greatest 
need was firewood. Detachments were sent in all directions to 
gather it, and in one instance as far as Staten Island. The offi- 
cers who went there reported that most of the people there, too, 
had tied from fear of the Hessians; it was indeed currently be- 
lieved that even the little cliildren would fall victims to the 
barbarity of these foreign troops. Tlie people generally were 
very ignorant, credulous and timid; no assurance that no harm 
should come to them could persuade them that they were safe. 
The colored people were much less anxious about their fate, 
and a few Indians were met, mostly day laborers employed in 
the fisheries." 

The general assembly of Rhode Island met at Providence on 
the lOtii, and in view of the invasion ordered the raising of two 
regiments of infantry, seven hundred and lifty men each, to be 
brigaded under the command of a general, and a regiment of 
artillery of three hundred men, "for the defense of the United 
States in general and of this State in particular." James 
Mitchell Varnum was appointed brigadier general and Monsieur 
Franf;ois Lellorquois de Malmedy, chief engineer and director 
of the works of defense, wiiii tlie rank of brigadier general. 
The colonels of infantry were John Cooke and Joseph Stanton, 
Jr.; the colonel of artillery, Robert Elliot. Joseph Nightin- 



358 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

gale was appointed major general of the militia in the place of 
Joshua Babcock, who was appointed one of the council of war. 
Jonathan Clarke was assigned as "linguist" to M. de Malmedy, 
with the rank of major. 

M. de Malmedy was a French gentleman' who, in September, 
1776, had been "appointed in the continental service." Gen- 
eral Charles Lee wrote from Chatham, New York, to Washing- 
ton, on the 8th of December, that on hearing that the British 
troops had embarked and directed their course to the eastern prov- 
inces, sailing one half through the sound and the other turning 
the southwestern end of Long Island and steering eastward, he 
had " detached Colonel Varnum and Monsieur Malmedie to take 
the direction of the Rhode Island troops who are without even 
the figure of a general." Malmedy reached Providence on the 
6th, and at the request of Governor Cooke "viewed the lines of 
circumvallation which were opened on the right bank of the 
[Providence] river." He thought them too far out, and changed 
them, bringing the posts in. In his letter reporting the condi- 
tion of affairs he said that he had then been given the rank of 
colonel, and entreated Lee to have him commissioned by con- 
gress before the 1st of January, that he might rank others. 

On the 25th Malmedy wrote that he had examined the ground 
about Warwick neck, which the committee of safety proposed 
to defend, but found it untenable in case of a descent, and 
urged the evacuation of the post already begun. He was sur- 
prised at the inactivity of the British and the lethargy of the 
people of Providence. Malmedy was modest as to his own abil- 
ities. He busied himself diligently finishing the open lines, be- 
cause "there was only one man here who knows that kind of 
work;" but, he wrote, he was himself "no engineer by profes- 
sion," and was anxious for a different line of service, thougli 
glad to do what he could in any line of duty. Heavy snow was 
falling on the 20th and there was no travelling. In this letter 
of the 25th he announced the arrival of Major General Lincoln, 
who had been appointed to the chief command. There were 
rumors of an intention of the British to march on Boston by way 
of Providence. On the 23d of December the agreeable news 
came in of the arrival of "an immense prize ship" at New 
Bedford, and General Varnum went down at once to save it from 
the hands of Clinton. 

A convention of the New England states met in Providence 



IIISTOKY OF NKWPOKT COUNTT. 359 

on the 25th, when it was advised to concentrate the several 
quotas to the number of six tliousand men in the stale of 
Rhode Island, which was called npon to supply eighteen hun- 
dred. A thousand continentals were to be added. 

The records of the assembly for the 23d report the request 
of one James Joseph Halleen, a French gentleman, who had 
purchased a schooner in Rhode Island, to be permitted to go 
out in the vessel with a French crew only and a cargo of 
hoops, shingles and "shaken casks," to the French West In- 
dia islands. Permission was granted. This assembly also de- 
termined against the issue of any more paper money, and 
adopted resolutions for borrowing at five per cent, and for taxa- 
tion. Regulations were made " to prevent monopolies and op- 
pression by excessive and unreasonable prices for many of the 
necessaries and conveniences of life, and for preventing en- 
grossers and for the better supply of the troops in the armj^" 
A committee reported the act which regulated the pirices of 
labor, goods, wares, merchandize, &c.: labor not to exceed 
three shillings and four pence a day, wheat seven and six pence 
per bushel, pork four i^ence per pound, grass fed beef three 
pence, salt ten shillings per bushel. West India rum seven shil- 
lings and eight pence by the gallon. New England rum thi'ee 
shillings and ten pence, sugar eight pence per pound, cheese 
six pence, potatoes one shilling and four pence per bushel, 
coffee one shilling and four pence the pound. These were all 
retail prices. At the same session two fire ships were ordered 
to be prepared and put under command of Captain Silas Tal- 
bot, and the row galley at Providence to proceed to Pawtuxet 
to receive the orders of Commodore Esek Hopkins. 

The last Wednesday of the month of January was recom- 
mended to be observed as a fast day by the general convention 
and an act requesting observance was ajiproved by the assem- 
bly which adjourned on the 2d of January, 1777. On the 10th 
the British frigate "Cerberus,'' which lay at Fogland ferry, on 
the East or Seconnet i)assage, was driven from her moorings by 
the troops of Little Compton with two pieces of artillery and 
lost in killed and wounded several of her crew. On the 12th 
General Arnold, .sent by Washington to assist in the defense, 
arrived at Providence and with him came the inspiring news 
of the landing of Lafayette to olfer his sword to the new nation. 
On the 14th the English, in revenge for the attack on the 



360 in.sToitY OF NEWPuiir county. 

'• Cerberus," sent a party to Prudence island wliich burned 
the few buildings spared in the raid of the preceding winter. 

The day before, Sir Henry Clinton sailed for England on (he 
"Asia," "saluted on going aboard by a discharge of cannon," 
the couimand devolving upon I he Honorable Hugh Earl Percy. 
Clinton left to Percy six Hessian and four British regiments in 
the country, and two British regiments and Losberg's Hessian 
regiment in the town. The notice of his departure appeared in 
the first number of the Newport Gazette published by John Howe 
" at the Printing House in Thames street near the Parade." This 
number, issued Thursday, January 16th, 1777, contains Lord 
Howe's prochiraation from New York of November 30th, 1776, 
granting pardons to all who "shall promise to remain in a 
l)eaceable obedience to His Majesty," and also the address to 
Sir Henry Clinton by the loyalists of Newport, described by 
W\Q Gazette ^■s> ''^ iowv hundi'ed and fortj'-four of pi'incipal in- 
habitants of the town." The address expressed the " truly 
grateful sense of iiis majesty's paternal affection and tender- 
ness for his unhappily deluded American subjects exhibited in 
the i^roclamationof November last," with which the subscril)er3 
were penetrated, deplored " the baleful infiuence of factious 
and designing men through his majestj''s American colonies," 
congratulated Sir Henry upon his arrival among them, thanked 
him for his many instances of humanity and benignity dis- 
playedsiacehisarrivuland solicited his intiuence witli the king's 
commissioners. The subscribers sum up their dutiful address 
with the statement of their conviction "that, to be a subject of 
the British empire with all its consequences, is to be the fi'eest 
member of any civil society in tlie l^nown world." Anotiiei' 
address seems to have h&^\\ addressed to Lord Howe and tiie 
commissioners on tlie l"3(h of Januar3^ 1777, and signed by the 
inhabitants of Newport — Joseph Wanton, ,^y., John Maudsley, 
Ste^ihen Ayianlt, Augustus Johnston, .James Keith, Walter 
Chaloner, William Wanton and Francis Malbons. Prom this 
Gazette it appears that the English fleet had brought in 
quite a number of [)rizes. Seven vessels are named, some with 
valuable cargoes. On the 13th of January the inhabitants of 
Jamestown addressed Earl Percy in terms similar to those of 
the loyal addressers of Newport. 

On the 22d an American galley under cover of a lire upon 
the British force at Dutch Island ferry, landed four hundred 



HISTORY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 361 

men but were driven back to their bouts by Huyne's brigade and 
the fire of two Englisli six-poiinders and two Tlessian three- 
poiinders witli some loss. In tlie last week of January tlie 
"Merlin" sloop of war convoyed in two transports with Hes- 
sian troops on board, and the " Cerberus " went out again from 
Newport for the Seconnet passage. On the 28th of January the 
row galleys made a demonstration upon the "Sphynx" off 
Warwick point but did not attack. 

On the 5tli of February the marine committee sent orders to 
Commodore Hopkins to despalch four vessels under Captain 
John Paul Jones, of the "Alfred," on an expedition, but it 
was found impossible to man or get them to sea. On the 14tli 
the sloop "Providence" went down to capture a Britsh 
schooner of eight guns which had grounded between Pru- 
denceand Patience islands, but the crew set her on fire and blew 
her up. On the 21st the row gallej^ " Spitfire," rigged as a 
schooner, covering a party landed to bring off hay from Rhode 
Island, exchanged fire for several hours with a battery on 
shore. 

While the enterprise of the patriots kept the armj^ of occu- 
jjation constantly on the alert, the officers amused themselves 
with organizing subscription balls. Captain d'Avant and Cap- 
tain Mahlsburg, the latter one of the most distinguished of the 
Hessian officers, were "Masters of the ceiemonies." The balls 
were given on Monday evenings. The regulations as to the 
comings and goings of the inhabitants were strict. None were 
allowed to leave the island for the main without permission, 
and no inhabitant was peimitted to admit any person into his 
house without reporting him toPrescoIt, the commandant, "on 
pain of military execution." Percy had his own views on the 
subject of the small-pox, and on the 13th of February ordered 
that no person within the island " presume to inoculate for the 
small pox." At tijis time the colony authorities were legalizing 
this sanitary precaution. 

On the loth of February the Ncicporl Gazttle reported the 
arrival of a " brig with upwards of thirty masters of sliips who 
have been taken at different times by American pirates. These 
freebooters are fitted out by men who have made their for- 
tunes from the credit of British merchants and who have 
chosen this method most gratefully to repay them." Tliere 
was an exchange of [jrisoners at this time going on between 



362 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Earl Percy and Governor Cooke, under the general cartel and 
by Washington's recommendation. 

On the 1st of March the assembly met at Providence, ordered 
the declaration of independence of the United States of America 
of the 4th of July, 177G, to be ''entered on the public i-ecords" 
of the State. This was done on the request of congress of the 
18th January, 1777. The Oneida Indians sent a de])vitation to 
this assembly to pledge their neutrality if not active aid, and 
one of the chiefs received the present of a gun. This and other 
presents to the amount of about seventy-eight j^ounds were 
paid for by the state. The Quakers or '• persons of tender con- 
sciences were relieved from their fines." At the same session 
also Major-General Spencer was " strongly recommended (if in 
any way consistent with prudence)" to make an attack on the 
enemy at Rhode Island; the assembly considering it a great 
disgrace to New England in general and Rhode Island in par- 
ticular that no attempt had as yet been made. Rewards 
were promised by the assembly for the capture of British 
officers, ranging from one thousand dollars for a British or 
foreign general officer to twenty dollars for each private soldier 
brought oif within fifteen days. Regulations were prescribed 
for the formation of companies of volunteers who were to choose 
their own officers; the governor was requested to summon the 
militia, and a rendezvous was fixed for Wednesday the 12th of 
March at Providence, East Greenwich and Bristol; those of 
Newport county to meet at Howland's ferry. The selectmen of 
the neighboring Massachusetts and New Hampshire towns were 
asked to send in volunteers. The plan, however, fell through. 

On the 15th of March another attack was made by the Amer- 
icans with a fire ship and two galleys on an English man-of- 
war, which, according to the German account, ended in the loss 
of one of the galleys, burned to save it from the Hessians, and 
the escape of the other, witli the force of the burning vessel. 

At the adjourned session on the 24th of March General Var- 
Tium,having been appointed by congress brigadier-general in the 
continental army, and General Washington having directed two 
generals of the continental army to take command of the troops 
on Rhode Island, Generals Varnum, West and Malmedy, ap- 
pointed by the assembly, were dismissed from service with 
thanks, and the latter voted a gratuity of fifty pounds for his 
"abilities, activity and zeal." 



IIISTOKY OI<' NF.WPOItT COUNTY. 363 

At this session the assembly, considering fliat the freemen of 
the towns of Newport, Portsmouth, Middletown and James- 
town were deprived of meeting at their usual places for the 
choice of representatives in general assembly, authorized per- 
sons known to be freemen in either of those towns to the num- 
ber of seven to meet for such choice on the third Wednesday 
in April ; those of Newport in Providence at the state house ; 
those of Portsmouth and Middletown in Tiverton ; those of 
Jamestown in North Kingstown. 

On the 2d of April the row galley "Washington" blew up 
near Bristol and eight men perished. On the 5th of April Lord 
Percy left his command and returned to England. The Hessian 
accounts describe him as " very popular with both troops and 
people, a good soldier, a kindly man, full of tenderness for the 
sick and suffering, the poor and needy." He was succeeded in 
his command of the post by General Prescott. 

On the 17th of April the assembly ordered the raising of live 
hundred effective men to fill up the continental battalions. The 
men were to be raised by draft; the towns of Newport, Ports- 
moutli, New Shoreham and Middletown being excepted. Large 
bounties were offered without inuch success, and.the draftcreated 
such di.safl'ection in Exeter that General Spencer was recom- 
mended by the assembly to march troops into the town to cor- 
rect the unruly and protect the quiet citizens. Washington 
was urging Governor (Jooke to press the enlistment, and ordered 
him to forward every man who had recovered from the small 
pox at once, and those who had not as soon as they were re- 
covered (of course inoculation is here meant). 

Washington was of opinion that the number of troops on 
Rhode Island was greatly exaggerated if, as he was informed, 
they only consisted of six Hessian and two British regiments. 
"The Hessian regiments when they came out complete (he 
writes) did not exceed six hundred men each, and the Britisii 
two hundred and fifty each." With the casualties they should 
not exceed " three thousand ; a number too small to make any 
attempt upon the main." He adds that he was "convinced that 
they intoruT to leave Rhode Island, where they have wintered 
comfortably and kei)t up a considerable diversion, and join 
their main body " in the Jersies. 

To congress he wrote on the lOtli of April that "an attack on 
the King's troops at Rhode Island was certainly a desirable 



364 HISTORY OF NEWPOUT COUNTY. 

event could it have been conducted with success, or npon equal 
terms. It being an object of great moment and involving in its 
issue many important consequences, I am led to believe the 
practicability of it has had much consideration, and the meas- 
ure was found to be unadvisable under the circumstances of the 
troops collected for the purpose. If the enemy have not evac- 
uated the Island I suppose the matter will be further weighed." 
This letter was in answer to the resolutions adopted by congress 
on the 16th of April recommending the general assembly of 
Rhode Island to collect their whole force, and with the militia 
of Massachusetts bay and Connecticut "attack and destroy 
the enemy on Rhode Island." The resolutions further directed 
Washington to appoint the general officers, and he and the 
three states concerned were notified by express. Washington's 
judgment as to the Britisli imibility to make any further ad- 
vance on the main was soon justified. 

After Percy's departure there was so mucli movement in 
Newport that offensive operations were expected, but this idea 
was abandoned when it was learned that the Hessian Guards 
had been returned to New York. The garrison, however, was 
not further diminished. At the May meeting of the general 
assembly Cnptaiu John Hopkins or any officer of the ship 
" Warren" was empowered to impress men for a contemplated 
cruise, "being seamen — transient foreign persons and not inhab- 
itants of tliis or any of the United States and not enlisted in the 
service of this state on the continent." The same authority was 
given to Captain Abraham Whipple of the ship "Providence," 
the number of men being limited to si.x'ty. 

At the assembl}^ meeting in June the new galley " Wash- 
ington," having been repaired and rigged as a schooner, was 
assigned to the command of Josei)h (Charles) Alauran, an 
Italian from Villafranca, wlio had lumimanded a privateer be- 
fore Sir Peter Parker blockaded the harbor. The " Washing- 
ton" carried fen four pounders, fourteen swivel guns and 
eighty men. It does not appear, however, tliat any of tliese 
enterjjrising officers were able to run the blockade tlirough the 
long passages, well guarded by batteries and hostile ships of all 
kinds. 

A journal kept by one Fleet Green, wlio lived in Newport 
during the occupation, gives many details of the daily life from 
June, 1777, to October, 1779. In June the Hessians were in- 



niSTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 3G5 

suiting and the streets were dangerous after dark. The fisher- 
men were obliged to haul up their boats. On the 31st of June 
he recoi'ds that a flag sailed " for Providence with one hundred 
and thirty women and children belonging to the town; their 
trunks were all searched and some things taken from them, 
such as tea, pins, linen and men's clothes by the Provost 
Marshal and Hessian Town Sergeant." 

In July occurred the capture of General Prescott by Colonel 
William Barton of the Rhode Island militia, who was then 
stationed at Tiverton. An account of this daring exploit is 
given in the history of the town of Portsmouth in this work. 

The Bi'itish post being thus deprived of its commander, 
General Sir Richard Pigot was ordei'ed from New York to take 
his place. He arrived on Monday, the 21st of July, on the 
"Swan" sloop of war, and landed at noon upon the Long 
Wharf, where he was received by the principal officers of the 
army and navy. A detachment of Hessian troops, accompanied 
by a band of music, escorted his excellency to the house pre- 
])ared for his reception. On the 20th the town school house 
was taken for the use of the bake houses. 

On the 28th Governor Cooke wrote a letter to General Pigot 
complaining that the mutual courtesy established at the re- 
quest of Earl Percy, of allowing ladies to pass from the main 
to the island and the island to the main had been stopped. 
The governor reminded the general that " women and children 
are not the proper objects of war," and added " that the com- 
manding officer upon Rhode Island appeared to him to have de- 
parted from the common dictates of humanity." Geneial Pigot 
answered on theBOtli, e.xpressing his regret that tiieap[)licatiou 
had been neglected, and while, as in duty bound, he defended 
his predecessor against the charge of inhumanity, he informed 
the governor tiiat lie had ordered a flag to be ready to carry as 
many of the women and children as chose to go. From this 
it is reasonable to infer that the date in Green's journal has 
been misprinted. Such a complaint could hardly have been 
made at the close of July if a flag had gone out in June. Pres- 
cott was taken in July. 

In August the assembly, to encourage such brilliant actions 
as the capture of Prescott, although the time fixed in its offers 
of reward had expired, voted the sum of eleven hundred and 
twenty dollars for the officers and men concerned in that expo- 



366 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTT. 

dition. This assembly repealed the monopoly act on the ad.- 
vice of the New England convention, but ordered that the con- 
tinental soldiers in camp from the state be supplied at the 
prices fixed thereby. 

The convention which met at Springfield in July had resolved 
that an army of four thousand men should be maintained by 
the New England states for the defense of Rhode Island. Con- 
gress approved tliis action. There were occasional affairs of 
slight importance in themselves, but sufficient to keep both 
sides wide awake. On the 2d of August Colonel Elliott, by his 
artillery fire, drove the " Renown," a fifty gun ship, from her 
moorings off Dutch island, and in the night a raid was made 
on the island, when some stock was captured, and the same 
party, crossing to Conanicut, brought oft" two prisoners. On 
the 5th the militia in Narragansett drove off with some loss a 
foraging party of two hundred British soldiers; and the same 
day Captain Dyer, with sixty men, Cro.ssed from Tiverton to the 
island, attacked a party of twenty who had fired on some fish- 
ing boats, and compelled them to beat a reti'eat to the cover of 
their works. 

Arnold informs us that "the battle of Bennington checked 
the contemplated advance of Biirgoyne into New England, 
where he proposed a junction at Springfield with Pigot's forces 
from Rhode Island." Baum's march into Vermont with his 
Hessians was absurd enough, but there does not appear to be 
any evidence that Pigot had any thought that he could break 
through the cordon l)y which he was held with any such force 
as he had under his command, though no doubt his Hessians 
would have been glad enough to try the venture to meet their 
countrymen. The defeat of Baum on the 16th of August set 
all such mad schemes at rest if ever there were such entertained. 

On the 2d of September a new privateer of twenty guns, from 
Providence, attempting to run tlie blockade, was chased ashore 
by the British vessels and burned. Surprise parties were the 
order of the day. Colonel Cornell landed on Prudence island, 
at night, lay in cover, and the next moining carried oft" an 
officer and fifteen men who had lamled from a frigate for fresh 
water. The same night an officer and two men were taken from 
Rhode Island by a party from Seconnet. 

The assembly met at South Kingstown on the 22d of Septem- 
ber. On the petition of Samuel Carr, Benjamin Underwood 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 367 

and Christopher Ellery, Esqs., who represented for themselves 
and many of the hite inhabitants of Newport and the other 
towns of the county, that tliey had been driven from their island 
homes to the mainland, had performed all their duties in de- 
fending the shores, as well as supplied their quotas to the fif- 
teen months' men and continental battalions, but that their 
oharges were so great that they were unable to pay the taxes 
now levied, the assembly exempted them from all rating except 
for their stock. 

The news of Gates' victory at Stillwater stimulated the 
t?astern states to an attempt to recover the island. Massachu- 
setts resolved to send three thousand men in addition to the 
two regiments she already had in Rhode Island, and in addi- 
tion some artillery. The Rhode Island assembly on the 22d 
ordered that one-half of the militia alarm, independent and 
artillery companies be drafted from the militia within the state 
on the 27th day of September, and rendezvous at the order of 
Major General Spencer on the 1st of October; the militia thus 
drafted to be formed into one brigade of six regiments, Ezekiel 
Cornell to be brigadier. It was left to the option of General 
Spencer to form two brigades, however, and appoint a second 
brigadier general. A bounty of forty shillings was voted for 
a month's service. Connecticut promised fifteen hundred men 
to further the plan. 

The British force on tlie island was estimated by General 
Spencer to be nearly four thousand men, four Hessian and 
three British regiments; two of each on Windmill hill, a corps 
of grenadiers and light infantry at Fogland ferry, one regiment 
on Butt's hill and two near Newport. On the 2d of October 
General Pigot ordered all the furniture and wearing apparel in 
Newport to be siezed, and on the 17th, word coming in of the 
threatening movements of the Americans on the mainland to 
the eastward, all the irihabitants were ordered to the forts to 
work the next day. There was cause for alarm. On the 16th 
nine thousand troops were gathered, and a large number of 
boats was in readiness at Tiverton under charge of Major 
Nathan Munro; but on the night fixed for rhe attack the prep- 
arations were not complete. A heavy storm set in and delayed 
the movement, and when it was at last made the wind was con- 
trary and some of the boats were fired upon. The attack was 
postponed and the objective point changed to a landing place 



368 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

above Pogland ferry. Again the weatlier was against them. 
The troops became uneas}^ and nnnibers marclied off. 

On tlie night of the 26th of October, finally assigned, hardly 
five tiionsand men remained. A council of officers was held, 
and it was resolved to abandon tlie expedition. And iiere again 
was justified the complaint often m;i(le l)y Washington of the 
litter unreliability of militia for offensive movements. Admir- 
able often in defense, always in the finisli of a successful bat- 
tle, they were not to be depended upon for a concerted action, 
which demanded coolness and i)itiei)idity combined. Tliei'e 
was a genei'al disgust at tlie failure, and Spencer was blamed 
for incapacity. But the discouragement which would have en- 
sued was greatly modified in the general delight at the sur- 
render of Burgoyne and his army at Saratoga on the 17th of 
October, which readied them in the midst of tiieir disappoint 
ment. 

Tlie Assembly met at Piovidence the day after the failure at 
Fogland ferry and ajtpoiiited a committee to meet witli any 
committees tliat Massachusetts and Connecticut sliould raise, 
to inquire into the grounds of tlie miscarriage. At the same 
meeting a council of war was again appointed to act in the re- 
cess, and the remaining half of the militia called out at tlie last 
session was ordered to be drafted into two divisions on the 6th 
day of November, and to march at the order of General Spen- 
cer or his successor in command on the 6th day of December, 
for thirty day's service. 

The committee appointed to inquire into the late failure, 
after considering a statement made by General Cornell, decided 
on the request of General Spencer to refer the matter to a joint 
committee from the New England states interested. A court 
of inquiry was held in pursuance of this resolve, at Providence, 
and a report was made exonerating General Spencer and ascrib- 
ing the miscarriage to the failure on the part of Palmer's bri- 
gade to have the boats in readiness the first night set for the 
attack and to the bad weather afterward. An inquiry insti- 
tuted by congress later resulted in a similar verdict. Spencer, 
however, resigned his command on the 21st of December. 

On the 5th of November the British ship " Syren," of twenty- 
eight guns, was stranded at Point Judith and captured by the 
artillery men of the battery at that station. Her crew, one 
hundred and sixtv-six officers and men, were carried prisoners 



HIBTOUy OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 369 

to Providence. Arrangements Tor winter quarters were now 
made by General Pigot. The Presbyterian meeting houses 
were stripped of their pews and turned into barracks, and the 
keys of the Baptist meeting liouses were taken by tlie barrack 
master for the same purpose. At some time during tlie alarm 
caused by the American movement from Tiverton two regiments 
of loyalist Americans were raised on the island. On the 17th 
of November these organizations were disbanded, the colonels 
and officers dismissed, the non-commissioned officers and men 
turned into the British regiments, and on the evening of this 
day the lines that separated the town of Newport from the 
coitntry were manned with guards for the first time and the 
gate locked; forty men stationed at each redoubt and two sen- 
tries on each Hank. On the 1st of December the Landgraf 
regiment and a company of Hessian chasseurs were brought 
into the town and quartered. 

Among the resolutions adopted by the continental congress 
was one ajapointing Thursday the 18th day of November for a 
general thanksgiving for the signal blessings and victories of 
the year. The general assembly which met at Providence on 
the 1st of December ordered the issue of a proclamation by 
the governor confirming the same and directing that "all 
servile labor and recreation be forbidden on that day." 

Meeting again on Fridaj', December 19th, the day after this 
solemn act, they appointed a committtee to draft a bill in con- 
formity with the recommendati(ni of congress for the confisca- 
tion and sale of the estates real and personal of the tories of the 
state. This was a terrible blow to many rich merchants and 
large landholders in Newport who had adhered to the crown. 
The signature of the loyal addresses supplied suSicient proof 
for forfeiture. The gentlemen charged with this delicate 
business were Henry AVard, Henry Marchant, Rouse T. Helme 
and William Clianning, Esquires. Ward was deputy for New- 
port in the general assembly and .secretary of that body; 
Marchant delegate to the continental congress; Helme deputy 
for South Kingstown and clerk to the council of war; Chan- 
ning attorney-general to the state. The articles of confedera 
tion proposed for the United States and the general ta.\ re- 
commended l)y congress to be assessed on all inhabitants of 
the United States in 1778 was refen'ed to the next session. 

Before this assembly met Rhode Island had fresh cause for 

24 



370 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

alai'in. The extent of llie barracks fitted up at Newjjort, the 
taking of the meeting liouses and the building of chimneys in 
them left no doubt that large reinforcements were expected. 
On the 14th of December Governor Cooke had represented 
these fears strongly to the council of the state of Massachu- 
setts and was at once answered that great encoui-agemenls had 
been extended to the regiments of Colonels Robinson and 
Keyes to extend their terms of service till January, 177'.). 

On the 5th of December the British man of- war " Raisonable" 
arrived off the mouth of Newport harbor with twenty-six trans- 
ports under convoy from the Delaware. General Burgoyne, in 
accordance with the terms of convention or surrender at Sara- 
toga, had marched his army to Boston where he expected to 
embark them for England. On the 'ioth of November he 
wrote to Washington from Cambridge, near Boston, expressing 
his doubts as to whether the transports destined to carry the 
troops would be able to make the port of Boston at that ad- 
vanced season of the year, and asking consent from liim, or 
from congress through him, to march the troops to Providence 
or pass them bj^ small craft to Newport or some i)ort on the 
sound when the transports should arrive at the i)oint desig- 
nated; asking at the same time permission to go at once to 
Newport with his suite, there to take passage on a separate 
frigate. On the arrival of the transports, eight of them having 
come into port. General Pigot sent an open letter to General 
Burgoyne under cover to General Spencer, the American com- 
mander of Rhode Island, notifying him that the vessels were at 
hand and recommending him to a^iply to the council at Provi- 
dence for permission to obtain supplies of slieej), fowls and other 
live stock from the Seconnet or Narragansett shore, as the island 
did not abound in live stock. 

This letter was sent to Governor Cooke,wlio, on the 7th, noti- 
fied the council of Massachusetts that by the convention it was 
evidently the intention of General Gates that " Mr. Burgoyne's 
troops should not intermix with the other British troops serv- 
ing in Ameiica, as the port of Boston was assigned for their 
embarkation;" that it was the intention of the Rhode Island 
government to fulfill that convention, and that " they could 
not prevail with themselves to admit Mr. Burgoyne's late army 
within the state in order to proceed to Newport." The Massa- 
chusetts council wholly agreed with this view, and answered 



HISTORY OF NKWI'OKT COUNTY. 371 

tlie governor that tlie matter laid wholly with eongress. But 
the Rhode Island assembly had not been discourteous in their 
relations with the British officers, and gave permission to 
General Pigot (Dec. 1st, '77) to send wine, sugar and tea by a 
cartel vessel to Mr. Ward for transmission to Burgoyne at 
Boston. Congress had its reasons for declining to permit the 
departure of Burgoyne' s troops. 

Although this correspondence explained in part the presence 
of the large squadron from the Delaware, the assembly was 
alarmed at the powei'ful armament and their exposure to 
"still more hostile attacks," and ordered, on the 19th of Dec- 
ember, the raising of two battalions, each of six hundred men, 
and a regiment of artillery of three hundred men, for the " de- 
fense of the United States in general and of Rhode Island ia 
particular;" the three formations to be brigaded together. 
Ezekiel Cornell was appointed brigadier-general; Robert Elliott, 
colonel of artillery; Archibald Crary and William Barton (the 
hero of Prescott's cai:)ture), colonels of infantry; and the council 
of war was given power to call out such part of the militia, 
independent and alarm companies as would supply the delin- 
quencies in the quotas of the Massachusetts Bay, the New 
Hampshire and Connecticut contingents in case of emergency. 

In January, 1778, General Pigot issued an order dividing the 
town of Newport into five districts, and appointing a " nightly 
watch." The tories on the island who, since the confiscation 
act, had no longer any reason for hesitancy, were now organized 
into a corps known as the Newport Loyal Association. It con- 
sisted certainly of two, possibly of three companies. The 
officers were appointed by General Pigot. As the appointments 
of January 1st, 1778, included the name of one captain, Joseph 
Durfee vice Simon Pease, deceased, it is probable that this was 
a revival or continuation of the regiment disbanded in Novem- 
ber. 

In the American camp the process of organization was making 
headway. The recruiting was slow, but tlie commands were 
made more homogeneous. On the recommendation of General 
Varnum the Rhode Island battalions in camp at Valley Forge 
were united by Washington and the officers of one, Colonel 
Greene, Lieutenant Colonel Olney and Major Ward, were sent 
home to enlist a negro battalion for the continentnl service. 
The assembly which met in February at East Greenwich re- 



372 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

sponded to this suggestion. The preamble to their resolution, 
which authorized the enlistment of "every able bodied negro, 
mulatto or Indian man slave in the state into either of the 
two battalions," bases it on high grounds: " Whereas history 
affords us frequent precedents of the wisest, the freest and 
bravest nations having liberated their slaves and enlisted them 
as soldiers to fight in defense of their country." A further 
resolution allowed them the usual bounty; a third, absolute 
fret?dom on passing muster before the enlisting officer; a fourth, 
an engagement to maintain thein in case of sicl\:ness; a fifth 
gave a compensation to their masters at a rate not higher than 
one hundred and twenty pounds foi' the most valuable. Si.\ of 
the upper house dissented from this vote for various economic 
reasons, but the resolution was sustained and Colonel Christo- 
pher Greene was em^iowered to draw one hundred pounds for 
bounties to slaves enlisting before him. 

This assembly also instructed their delegates in the continen- 
tal congress, Stephen Hopkins. William EUery and Henry 
Marchant, respecting the proposed articles of confederation and 
perpetual union, and suggested some alterations, the chief of 
which was the first formalizing of a claim or demand which, 
persisted in uncompromisingly, survived the war and kept 
back Rhode Island from the union comj^leted in 1788. This 
was the claim that the lands and revenues of the crown 
were forfeited to the United Colonies as a whole and not to the 
states within whose limits such lands lay; that the forfeiture 
(mght therefore to be vested in all the United States, and the 
lands be disposed of and appropriated by congress for the ben- 
efit of tlie whole confederacy. It was not meant by this, they 
represented, "that congress should claim jurisdiction of the for- 
feited lands; but that the same shall remain to the state in 
which it lies." This claim, it will be observed, did not alone re- 
gard the great unoccupied territory which the great states 
claimed to be theirs under charter to the Pacific ocean, but also 
the quit-claim crown rents within the established jurisdictions. 
Yet the assembly instructed their delegates to accede to the 
articles of confederation notwithstanding this claim, which tliey 
were, liowever, directed to enter upon the records of congress 
before signing the articles and to give notice that " the State 
intends to renew the motion for them." 

The destitution of the patriot refugees from Newport was so 



HISTORY OK NEW POUT COUNTY. 373 

great in this month of Jauuai}-, more than two liuiidied and 
fifty persons being then in Providence witiioiit. means of liveli- 
hood, that an appeal was made throiighont the states in their 
behalf and, as with Boston at the time of the F'ort Bill, abund- 
antly responded to. On the 13th of Jannary congress urged 
the New England states to keep up the force in Rhode Island 
agreed upon by them, and the asseml)ly in consequence ap- 
pointed Solomon Southwick, deputy commissary general of 
issues within the state. The great scaicity of wood, even at 
this time, in Rhode Island constantly appears. Even the troops 
about South and North Kingstown found it so difficult to ob- 
tainasupply that the quartermaster general was given authoiity 
to enter on the wood lands and cut what; they needed. 

In February another gallant action relieved the monotony of 
the tedious winter. Captain John Rathbone, with the United 
States sloop "Providence," of twelve guns, landed a party of 
thirty men at New Providence, the most important of the Ba- 
hama islands, under Lieutenant John Trevitt, of Newport, with 
fifteen of whom he scaled the walls and captured the fort at 
night. The remainder of the party landed on an island oppo- 
site the town of Nassau, which they held for three days, made 
prizes of six vessels in the harbor, drove off a British war 
vessel which attempted to enter, and after spiking the 
guns of the batteries brought off the military stores without 
the loss of a man. On the 16th of February the frigate " War- 
ren," Captain John B. Hopkins, taking advantage of a snow 
storm, ran the blockade of the British squadron, giving and 
taking fire as she passed, and got safely out to sea. The frig- 
ate "Columbus" made a similar attempt on the 27th of March, 
but was unable to get through and, driven on shore at Point 
Judith, was burned by the British the next day. On March 
14tli Green notes that "the Hessian troops appear in their 
uniforms for the lii'st time," and not to be behind them in ele- 
gance, the Assembly ordered the purchase of silk for two stand- 
ards for the new regiments. On the liith of April General Bur- 
goyne, by leave of congress, came down from Boston and 
sailed from Newport for England on parole. The convention 
troops surrendered by him at Saratoga, and since quartered at 
Cambridge, were marched into Vermont. 

On the 17th General Sullivan, appointed by Washington to 
succeed General Spencer, whose resignation had been accepted 



o 



374 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

bj'^ congress on the 13th of January but who was still in command, 
arrived at Providence and was placed in command of Rhode 
Island by the council of war. The treaty of Paris, secured by 
the instrumentality of Lafayette and signed on the 6th of Feb- 
ruary, reached Boston on the 19th of April and Providence on 
the 2lst, when salutes were fired from the battery at Fox point 
and from the frigate " Providence," and repeated at sunset with 
military honors. The 22d was a day of fast by appointment of 
congress, but became a day of thanksgiving throughout the 
land as far as the news had reached. On the 2.5th General Pigot 
enclosed to General Sullivan copies of the bills of conciliation 
adopted by parliament under the alarm caused by the French- 
American alliance." They were burned by the public hangman 
on the demand of the people. On the night of the SOtli Cap- 
tain Abraham Whipple took out the frigate "Providence," in 
the dark and a heavy storm, and van the blockade of the Brit- 
ish squadron, firing his broadsides as he passed and sinking 
one of the tenders. He carried despatches to France and re- 
turned safely to Boston. 

At the May election Governor Cooke retired and was suc- 
ceeded by William Greene, son of the late Governor Greene, 
who held the important post throughout the war and for some 
years after its close. Rhode Island was certainly happy in her 
chief magistrates in this troublous period of iier history. 

On the night of Sunday, the 2.'5th of May, General Pigot sent 
a fleet of small vessels up the bay from the Newport anchorage 
to break up the preparations which were making for a descent 
on the island. Six hundred men were embarked under com- 
mand of Lieutenant Colonel Campbell, and landed at day- 
break between the towns of Bristol and Warren. They marched 
at once through Warren to Kickemut river, where they burned a 
number of flat bottomed boats and a galley, which were being 
repaired. On their return through Warren they entered the 
houses, plundered the inmates of clothing, bedding and furni- 
ture, and then set fire to the meeting house, parsonage and 
other houses and destroyed a magazine of milifai'y store.s. 
They also set fire to a new privateer sloop in the harbor, which 
was not, however, seriously injured. They then retreated by 
the road through Bristol, where they pillaged and burned in 
the same fashion all that their haste admitted, not excepting 
the Episcopal church in the center of the town which, with 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 875 

eighteen others of the most elegant dwelling houses, were 
burned to ashes. In some of the houses they tore the women's 
aprons and handkerchiefs from their persons, their buckles 
from their shoes, their rings from their fingers. 

Word of this raid reaching Providence in the morning, vol- 
unteers marched at once toward Bristol. Colonel Barton went 
forward under orders from General Sullivan to rally the people 
and delay the retreat of the party till the troops could reach 
them. With twenty men he pursued them and fell on their 
rear near Bristol ferry. Badly wounded, he was compelled to 
leave the fight. The enemy's boats arrived in time for the 
party to get off before Sullivan's arrival, but Barton's attack 
saved the carrying away of the live stock, which were already 
collected on the shore. A number of inhabitants were carried 
awa}"- prisoners. A captain and nine men were also taken on 
Popasquash neck, and a galley with some of the crew cut out 
from Taunton river. Fleet Green's journal records that the 
next day, May 26th, "wearing apparel of all sorts, necklaces, 
rings and paper money, taken as plunder in a i-ecenl raid at 
Bristol and Warren, were offered for sale by the soldiers at 
Newport." That night, he says, there was an alarm of fire in 
Newport, and the inhabitants who went to the assistance of the 
owners were "greatly abused, knocked down and beat." 

The state was in a miserable condition of defense at this time. 
Sullivan wrote that he had not five hundred men under his 
command, and that there were less than two hundred from the 
other New England states. A special meeting of the assembly 
was held on the 2Sth of May, and orders given for the raising 
of eight hundred and thirty-nine effective men by all the towns, 
except Newport and the other island towns, to fill up the bat- 
talions of infantry and the artillery regiments before the lUth 
of June; and the conduct of the governor, wlio had already 
summoned into actual duty one-sixth of all the militia com- 
panies, was approved. Little Compton and Barrington were ex- 
empted from the militia call, but one-half of their force of this 
nature was continued in .service. General Sullivan was fur- 
ther empowered to call out the entire force of the state in his 
discretion. 

On Sunday morning, the 3ist of May, the British made a 
dash at Fall river. One hundred and fifty men, under INfajor 
Ayres, were landed at daybreak at the mouth of the river and 



376 HISTORY OF newpokt county. 

burned a mill and house on the shore, bnt were prevented fiom 
going inland, where they proposed to bui'n Freetown and the 
mills, by Colonel Durfee, who, with twenty-tive men covered 
the bridge from behind a wall until the militia came up. Two 
British vessels, a galley and sloop, covering the retreat, were 
driven on the Rhode Island shore and abandoned. The boats 
and vessels were warmly received as they passed down the river 
by a hot fire from the fort on Bristol neck. 

Generals Sullivan and Pigot had a sharp correspondence 
concerning the prisoners taken at Bristol. Pigot declined to 
release them escept on the usual terms of exchange. On the 
first of July the Landgrave regiment was marched to Ports- 
mouth and encarajied at Windmill hill, relieving the Bunau 
regiment, who were marched into town and encamped on the 
fields west of the town near the mills. The Huyne regiment 
was camped on the east side of the road leading into the neck, 
and threw up works for a batteiy of two guns fronting the road. 
General Pigot, in July, iel)uilt the forts on Brenton's jioint 
and Goat island, and also on Rose isjand and Conanicut. The 
king's stores were removed from the wharves to the rope walk 
at the back of the town. These operations were caused by the 
news of the arrival of a French squadron off New York. 

On the morning of the 29th of July the signal from the wai'e- 
house reported "a Fleet in Sight," and at a little after one in 
the afternoon it was known to be the French squadi-on of 
d'Estaing. At five o'clock the Newport Associatf)rs, the loyal 
townspeople, were in arms on the parade. The town crier 
summoned all the inhabitants to join them. The British frigates 
hauled in under the North battery. The tioops on Conanicut 
were ferried over, leaving only a few in a battery on Watch 
hill. The French fleet lay at anchor off the reef. July 81st 
Fleet Green records: "Early this morning the fleet weighed 
and took to sea, which revived the spirits of the people. The 
town still remains in confusion." Some evolution must have 
been made by the French, of which there is no mention in the 
general histories. That no British vessels got out is certain. 

On the 2d of August all the live stock which had been driven 
in from Portsmouth and Middletown, and all carriages, carts, 
wheelbarrows, shovels, pickaxes, axes and saws were this day 
and the next taken from the inhabitants. Trees were cut down 
and thrown across the road to delay the march of the enemy. 



HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 377 

Six ships were sunk from the north end of Goat island to the 
town to obstruct the entrance to the harbor on that side. Three 
others were held ready to sink at the south entrance. The gar- 
rison, Green writes, was "said to consist of seventy-two hun- 
dred soldiers and fifteen hundred sailors." On the 5tli of 
August four transports were sunk in the morning on the west 
side of Goat island, and on the appearance of the French fleet 
four frigates were blown up near Coddington point and two 
transports burned. On the 6th the army overrun the island, 
cutting down orcliardsand tearing down houses, while the work 
of sinking vessels went on iu the harbor. On Saturday, the 
8th of August, the houses on the heights of Middletown were 
set on tire by the general's orders, and the inhabitants were 
plundered by the soldiers and sailors in the streets. The houses 
at Easton's beach were burned the night befoi-e all this destruc- 
tion and pillage, and before the Frencli had attempted to force 
the passage. 

B^leet Green thus describes the movement: ^'■Saturday, 
August 8, 1778. Two o'clock this morning the fleet appears 
under sail. Three o'clock they stood in for the harbor. Half 
past three the battery on Brenton's Point begins to Are. The 
ships return the Are and pass the battery under a heavy can- 
nonading. Four o'clock all three of the batteries continue the 
firing. The headmost ship is up with the North battery. The 
harbour is one continual blaze ; the shots fly very thick over 
the town. August 8. At ten this morning a fleet appears in 
sight, standing from the eastward, with the wind S. W., to the 
great joy of the army and the Tories, e-xcess of joy and grief seen 
in the faces of different parties. A number of people flock on 
the heights on the Neck to welcome Lord Howe and his fleet to 
their deliverance. August 10. The French fleet passed the 
forts under heavy fire for over an hour, standing out to sea in 
pursuit of the English fleet." 

Tjik Siege oe Newport, 1778. — On the 8d of May General 
Sullivan sent to congress a return of tlie troops at his post. 
Unfortunately Amory, in his monograph on the siege of New- 
port, while he quotes the letter in full, does not give the 
return. Sullivan, howevei', informs congress that three regi- 
ments were to leave hint that day and his force would consist 
only of the residue mentioned in the return; " not a nmn from 
Connecticut and but part of two companies from Massachusetts 



378 IIISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTT. 

Bay; some few have airived fioni New Hampshire and about 
half their quota are on the march." With this small force he 
had " to guard a shore upwards of sixty miles in extent from 
Point Judith on the west, and from Prudence to Seconnet 
Point on the east," against an enem\^ who could bring all their 
strength to a point and act against any i)oint they chose. He 
asked the assignment to him of the two state galleys to guard 
the entrance to the rivers of Taunton andWarren and that Gen- 
eral Stark be ordered to him, as he should need two brigadiers. 
On the 26th he wrote that he had not five hundred men at his 
command and that there were less than two hundred men 
from the other New England states. On the 19th of June, at 
the instance of Sullivan and Governor Greene, congress directed 
Washington to send home the Rhode Island troops if prac- 
ticable and the Navy board to provide three galleys for the 
defense of Providence, Warren and Taunton rivers. 

French assistance followed quickly the recognition of Amer- 
ican independence and the treaty of alliance. Marie Antoi- 
nette, the queen, herself persuaded the king, Louis XVI, to or- 
der a nrfval expedition to the American coast. The squadron, 
consisting of twelve ships of the line, four frigates and four 
thousand troops of the line, was placed under the command of 
the Count d'Estaing, an ambitious and promising officer. He 
hoisted his flag on the "Languedoc" and was accompanied by 
Gerard de Rayneval, a diplomatic agent with power to concert 
a scheme of offensive war, and by Silas Deane, one of the com- 
missioners of the United States to the court of France. 

The fleet left Toulon the 13th of April, 1778, and passed the 
Straits of Gibraltar on the night of the 17th to ISth of May. On 
the 20tli the captains of the vessels opened their sealed instruc- 
tions and learned their destination. Hostilities were to be opened 
at forty leagues distance to the westwaid of Cape St. Vincent. It 
was hoped that the great secrecy with which the expedition had 
been organized would result in the surprise and defeat of Lord 
Howe's squadron which held the mouth of the Delaware to 
cover Sir Henry Clinton's position at Philadelphia. But the 
French fleet was badly composed for concerted action, the 
vessels being of unequal speed, and land was not seen until 
July. On the 8th of this month, eighty-seven days after their 
departure fi'om Toulon, and forty-nine from their opening of 



IIISIORY OK NEWPOUT COUNTY. 379 

orders (when two days out from Gibraltar), the French fleet 
anchored off the mouth of the Delaware. 

Clinton, under orders from England, had evacuated Phila- 
deli)hia on the 22d of June, and both army and Heet were safe 
in the harbor of New York. Pilots were sent on board the 
French vessels by order of congress, and d'Estaing set sail and 
dropped anchor off Shrewsbury. The American pilots were un- 
willing to venture with the larger vessels which drew from 
twenty-three to twenty-live feet of water across the New York 
bar, and in spite of a very large offer of money by d'Estaing 
absolutely declined the undertaking. The alternative offen- 
sive operation was an attempt to capture the British garrison 
on Rhode Island. A j^lan was concerted between Washington 
and d'Estaing, and Sullivan was notified to be prepared. He 
was directed to form the American troops into two divisions, to 
the command of which Generals Greene and Lafayette were 
assigned. 

On the 22d of July the French fleet raised anchor and set 
sail to the southward, but soon changed their course. The 
plan agreed upon was that General Sullivan should* l^nd on 
the north of Rhode Island under cover of the guns of the 
French fleet, while d'Estaing sliould also force the passage of 
the main channel and take the fortifications of the town of 
Newport in reverse. On the 29th of July the French fleet ar- 
rived oft' Brenton's ledge, three miles below Newport, and 
dropped anchor at the mouth of the great middle channel. 
The twelve sloops of the line were the "Languedoc," " Mar- 
seillais," "Provence," "Tonnant," " Sagittaire," "Gnerriere," 
"Fantasque," "Cesar," " Protecteur," " Vaillant," " Zele," 
"Hector;" the four frigates, the "Chimere," " L'Engageante," 
"Aimable," " Alcmene ;" and with these latter a corvette 
the " Stanlej\" The next day General Sullivan, who had 
already exchanged lettei's with the French admiral, went on 
board the "Languedoc," and a plan of operation was agreed 
upon. The "Fantasque" and "Sagittaire" were ordered to 
watch the Narragansett or western passage while the frigates 
"Aimable," "Alcmene" and the corvette "Stanley" should 
anchor in the eastern passage where the water was too siiallow 
for the heavier ships. The retreat of the English vessels ly- 
ing in the bay was tlius cut off. 

The frigates, pushing up the eastern or Seconnet passage, 



380 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

anchored in front of the battery at Pogland ferry, but before 
fire opened from the guns, the British man-of-war, the "King- 
fisher," of sixteen guns, and two galleys were set on fire by 
their crews ; their shotted guns went off in all directions, and 
their magazines exploded to the confusion and consternation of 
friend and foe. A company of Ditfurth's Hessian regiment at 
Black point were witnesses of this strange scene. 

At daylight on the 5th of August the "Sagittaire" and 
" Fantasque " sailed up the western passage, doubled the 
point off Conanicut island and dropped anchor in the middle 
channel. Four British frigates, the "Lark," "Orpheus," and 
"Juno," thirty-two guns, the "Cerberus," twenty-eight, and 
the corvette "Falcon," sixteen, were run ashore on Rhode Is- 
land and burned on their approach near Tammany Hill. The 
two Hessian regiments, Bayreuth and Prince of Wales, had al- 
ready been br'mght over from Conanicut where they were 
camped. Besides the men-of-war, other vessels were destroyed 
to keep them out of the hands of the French. The German ac- 
counts say eight were sunk and thirteen burned. Commander 
Suffren abstained from firing upon the boats which landed their 
crews. Tlie "Protecteur" and the "Provence" then took the 
positions of the "Sagittaire" and "Fantasque" at the mouth 
of the Narragansett passage. 

On the 8th of August, General Sullivan announcing himself as 
ready to cross from the mainland to Rhode Island, Count d' 
Estaing forced the middle i)assage witii eiglit ships under a 
heavyfire from the British batteries. The English then destroyed 
their two remaining ships, the " Grand Duke," a transport of 
forty guns, burned, and the frigate "Flora," thirty-two, sunk. 
Altogether the English lost two hundred and twelve guns. A 
heavy fog settled on the island that afternoon; wlien it cleared 
the next morning the P''rencli were comfortablysheltered between 
Gould island and Conanicut, and d'Estaing began landing the 
troops intended for co-operation with the Americans on Conan- 
icut island with material of war; f(;r jjreliminary drill and or- 
ganization. Pigot, the English commander, had witlidrawn 
his troops from Fogland ferry, Windmill and Quaker hills, and 
posted them on Bannister's hill and across the island and under 
the shelter of Tonomy hill. That afternoon a British fieet, 
thirty strong, was descried in the offing. The wind fell and 
they did not attempt to enter the harbor. In the night 



IIISTOKY OF NEWPOUT COUNTY. 381 

d'Estaing re embarked his troops and material, and the next 
morning, the lOth, the French lleet cnt their cables and stood 
out for sea ; raked for an hour by the British batteries at Fort 
George, Goat island and Brenton's point at easy range. 

IMeanwhile Sullivan was in motion. He had been joined by 
Major-General Greene from the army, on the 31st of July, and 
shortly after by Brigadier General Glover, who volunteered for 
the expedition, and on the 2d of August by the Marquis de La- 
fayette. On ihe 3d two continental brigades, Varnuni's and Glov- 
er's, and two companies of artillery, from tlie army at White 
Plains, Jiriived. On the the 7th, volunteers flockingintocainp, and 
the Massachusetts contingent coming in also, General Sullivan 
proceeded to the American camp at Tiverton and took command. 
On the Stli tliecannonade announced that d'Estaing had forced 
the passage. On the 9th, while the French troops were landing 
at Conanicut, Sullivan, with about ten thousand troops, began 
to cross from Tiverton to the north end of Rhode Island by 
Fogland ferry, the British fort at Butt's hill being evacuated, 
and Lafayette was despatched to inform d'Estaing of the move- 
ment. He arrived as the disembarkation was still going on, 
when a frigate from below signalled the arrival of the British 
fleet. 

Sullivan, while waiting events, took possession of the de- 
serted forts at the north end of the island. On the 11th 
a detachment of liglit troops, with supports, under ('olonel 
Livingston, was jiushed to within a mile and a half of the 
enemy, who had thrown up a new line of earthworks. On the 
11th orders were given for a general advance ; the right under 
General Greene, the left under General Lafayette, the second 
line of Massachusetts militia under Major-General John Han- 
cock, and Ihe reserve under Colonel West. On the night of 
the 12th a terrible storm arose which lasted for two days and 
caused anxiety as to the safety of the Frencli fleet, of which 
nothing as yet had been heard. It is remembered in Rhode 
Island as the "great French storm." On that night the ele- 
ments played their parts in the war. 

On the morning of the inth the English pickets could easily 
descry the American camj) stretching its front for nearly Ave 
miles across Honeyman hill and Peckham liiil. The British 
lines extended from Tonomy hill to Easton's point, near the 
beach. The distance between the armies was about two miles. 



382 HISTOItY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

The American detachment which held Honeyman's hill to the 
right of the British was within half a mile of their front works 
on Bliss's hill, which it commands. 

On the 17th the Americans opened fire, and Pigot threw up 
a second line of defense and sliortened his front. The Ameri- 
can artillery was better served than the British, and shot and 
shell dropped thick and fast among the British tents and in 
their overcrowded line. Pigot withdrew his men into the de- 
fenses behind Tonomy hill on his left, but on the 2()th they 
were driven from this shelter by two new batteries planted by 
the Ainericans. Slowly forced from position to position the 
English kept eager watch seaward from Brenton's neck for some 
sign of the fleets. On the evening of the 2()th the French 
squadron appeared again off Point Judith, though in a shat- 
tered state. The British were in despair, the Americans in 
glee ; neither with reason. The movement of the Heets now 
demands attention. 

Tjik Fleets off Rhode Island, AuGUsr, 178S.— Large bod- 
ies move slowly, and it must not be forgotten, also, that the 
Frenchmen were in strange waters and in the first flush of an 
alliance with a race whom they had looked upon for centuries 
as their hereditary foes. They had certainly done good woi'k 
between the 29th of July, when they appeared in the Newport 
offing, and the 9th of August, when, every vestige of the na- 
val force of the British in the harbor destroyed, they were land- 
ing their men for further service, to be interrupted by the news 
that the enemy were at hand. Lord Admiral Howe had not 
wasted his time and he was certainly favored bj^ fortune. In 
the July days that followed the .departure of d'Estaing's fleet 
from Shrewsbury harbor four Britisli men of-war reached New 
York from different quarters. Thus reinforced, Howe was again 
able to put to sea, and on the 6th of August sailed from Sandy 
Hook with thirteen ships — one of seventy-four, seven of sixty- 
four, five of hfty guns, seven frigates and a number of trans- 
ports, with troops, arms and provisions. 

But he was hardly prepared for the sudden swoop which 
d'Estaing made upon him the morning after his arrival. He 
hastily signalled such of his vessels as were at anchor, and 
crowding sail, stood out to sea. lie no doubt relied upon the 
unequal sailing qualities of the enemy and upon the superior 
speed and rapidity of maiiujuver of his own vessels. The 



IlISTOllV OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 383 

Frencli could not luix-e lum to action. The next day the wind 
blew to a gale, which not only separated tlie Frenchmen but 
so badly damaged the "Languedoc," d'Estaing's tiagshij), that 
on the morning of the 13th lie found lier bowsprit broken, 
her I'igging down and the helm of lier iiidder gone. At sun- 
set she was attacked by the "Preston," one of the enemy's ves- 
sels, and badly raked from the rear. She defended herself 
with her stern batteries till night brought relief. In the morn- 
ing all the vessels except the "Cesar" rallied to the admiral's 
flag, the squadron was anf^hored and the damages repaired. 
The "Marseillais," also attacked, lost her mizzen mast and 
bowsi)rit. 

The "Tonnant," attacked by the "Renown," had driven her 
off, but was herself dismasted. After the storm of the 11th 
the "Vaillant" took the bomb ketch "Thunder." On the 
15th the "Hector" defeated the "Senegal." The "Cesar" 
engaged the " Iris" of sixty-four guns, but she was rescued by 
two of her British companions. In the action the French ship 
lost seventy killed and one liundred wounded, her captain los- 
ing his arm. 

On tl;e 17th sail was again hoisted, and on the 20th the fleet 
came to anchor off Rhode Island. Here d'Estaing was informed 
by Lafayette of a new peril. On learning of the sailing from 
Toulon of d'Estaing's squadron, tlie British admiralty ordered 
Admiral Byron to tlie Amei'ican coast to reinforce Admiral 
Howe. Byron left Plymouth on the 12th of June with thirteen 
vessels. Heavy weatiier disi)ei'sed the squadron. The admiral 
put into Halifax, others made their waj'^ to New York. The 
British were now in superior, force in American wateis, while 
two of the best of the Frencli vessels were badly cripiiled. At 
a council of war called by d'Estaing on board the "Langue- 
doc'" on hearing this news, it was unanimously agreed that 
there should not be an hour's delay in making the port of 
Boston, where damages could be securely repaired. Lafayette 
was present at the council and, it is said, urged the French ad- 
miral to land his troops at Conaniciit, but he declined to sep- 
arate his expeditionary force in this manner. The next day, 
the 21st, the entire Frencli fleet set sail for Boston, the admiral 
taking his sliip through a channel l)etween Nantucket and the 
banks. The squadron reached Boston on the 28th, whilst Lord 



384 HISTORY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Howe, after pursuing d'Estaing for a time, returned to New 
York. 

General Sullivan, informed of this sudden change of plans, 
was greatly aggrieved, and at his instance the American officers 
di'ew up a protest which Lafaj'ette declined to sign. This 
paper was dispatched on the 22d by a fast vessel with orders 
to overtake the admiral, who had already sailed. In fac^t the 
last of the French vessels had weighed anchor and was out of 
sight before the close of the day. Sullivan added to the im- 
prudence of the protest by a general order expressing the 
hope "that America with her own arms could achieve the suc- 
cess which her allies declined to help in obtaining," but on the 
representations of Lafayette and de Fleury that such com- 
ments would give offense to France, the general modified his 
expressions by a geneial order on the 24th in which our obliga- 
tions to our ally were acknowledged. But the consequences of 
his ill-advised censure were not thus easily averted, and it may 
here be added that the strong feeling aroused against the 
French culminated in a riot in Boston, in which two of the 
officers of the fleet, Messieurs de Saint Sauveur and Pleville de 
Pelej^ were dangerously wounded, the former mortally. 

Left to his own resources. General Sullivan asked the opinion 
of his officers in writing as to the future course of operations. 
Greene advised pressing the siege and attempting a surprise by 
boats from Sachuest beach upon the cliffs. Three New Hamp- 
shire officers, sent out as scouts to look into the feasibility of 
the i>lan, were captured, and it appears from the Hessian ac- 
counts, gave the enemj^ an exaggerated idea of the American 
forces. In truth, however, Sullivan's forces were already re- 
duced and somewhat demoralized. The thousands of volun- 
teers who had flocked to the camp, as was the habit through- 
out the war on the eve of a great action, as at Boston, at Sara- 
toga, and later at Yorktown, had already disappeared and left 
the brunt of the war to the regular continental troops. Pro- 
visions were scarce, bread at Providence hardly to be had at 
all, and corn selling at eight dollars the bushel. Three thou- 
sand men left within twenty-four hours and others were fol- 
lowing. What with the withdrawal of the volunteers and de- 
sertions of the militia, Sullivan's army was reduced on the 27th 
of August to fifty-four hundred men. The enemy's works were 
too strong to be stornu^d with this force, and at a council of 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 385 

war held the next day it was resolved to fall back on the hills at 
the north of the island, Butts, Turkey, Anthony's and Quaker's, 
which had been carefulh' fortified early in the movement by 
de Gouvion, a capable French engineer, with the aid of Crane 
and Gridley of the American artillery. Here it was determined 
to hold the army. 

Battlk of Rhode Island. — Lafayette was sent to Boston to 
urge d'Estaing to hurry down the French troops to the north 
end of the island. The army began to withdraw on the night 
of tlie2Sthat ten o'clock and by two o'clock in the morning 
the main body was in position at Butt's hill, the right wing on 
the west road, the left on the east road, both with their flanks 
covered. Colonel Henrj^ B. Livingston, with the ligiit corps, 
held the east road. Colonels Laurens, Fleury and Major Talbot 
ohe west road, each stationed three miles in advance of the camp. 
Colonel Wade supported them with the picquet of the army. 

At daylight the ne.xt morning the British discovered that the 
American front was withdrawn and a rumor prevailed that they 
were leaving the island. Pigot dispatched Prescott and Brown 
to occupy the abandoned works. Smith wirli two regiments, 
the Forty-second and Forty-third, and flank companies of the 
Twenty-second and Fifty-fourth, was sent up the east road. 
Losberg, with the Hessian Anspach chasseurs and Huyne's Ger- 
man regiment, moved up the west road. At seven o'clock the 
converging roads brought them upon the American advance and 
skirmishing began. The first hot action it is said was at Wind- 
mill hill which Amory considers to mean Slate hill; this was on 
the west road. Smith, with the king's troops, struck Livingston 
at Windmill hill on the east road. Livingston fell back fight- 
ing to Quaker hill, closely followed by Smith who, at its base, 
found himself confronted by two regiments. Colonels Wiggles- 
worth and Sprout of Glover's brigade, and one. Colonel William 
Livingston from Varnum's brigade. Smith attacked twice and 
was twice repulsed; after which the Americans fell back under 
orders on the main body. Smith, again pushing on, came 
upon Glover's command and under range of his guns, where- 
ui)on he in turn fell back and went into position behind the 
lines on Quaker and Turkey hills, both of which wer>- 
strongly protected by bastions. Losberg moved up the west 
road. Contemporary accounts say that tliey attacked "on the 
road" but were beaten off with great loss by the light corps 

25 



386 HISTORT OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

under Major Talbot and Laurens, who no doubt fell back after 
the skirmish on the main body. 

Com|)aring the various reports of the day's lighting it would 
seem that Colonel Campbell, with his Twenty-second flank 
companies, moved up tlie east road and at the cross load con- 
necting the east and west roads near the Gibbs place, about 
live and a half miles from Newporl, divided his men. The party 
which turned into the cross road fell into an ambush. Captain 
Wade had here concealed his picket guard whicli, rising sud- 
denly up behind the stone fence of the field, poured two volleys 
into the forces of the surjjrised men at close quarters, destroy- 
ing one-fourth of the entire force. They were quickly sup- 
ported by the Hessians who were moving on the west load, and 
Wade also withdrew his picket to the main body, which was 
now drawn up in three lines; the first in front of the works on 
Butt's hill, the second in its rear and the reserve near a creek 
about half a mile to the rear of the first line. 

The distance between Butt's hill and Quaker hill is about a 
mile, the ground between wooded and marshy. Smith's line 
covered Quaker hill, the Hessian line covered Anthony's hill. 
The skirmishing had been rapid. At nine o'clock a cannonade 
began wJiich was interrupted by the arrival of two British ships 
of war and some light craft which began a fire on the American 
right and supported an attempt to turn the fiank and storm 
a redoubt in advance of that wing which General Greene com- 
manded. Twice the English and Hessian columns swept down 
the slope of Anthony's hill, wliich is merely a continuation of 
Quaker hill, and were repulsed with heavy loss by Varnum's, 
Glover's, Cornell's and Greene's brigades, which also suffered 
severely. A third assault was nearly successful, when Sullivan 
put in two batallions of continentals who quickly restored the 
day. On this occasion the newly raised black regiment, led by 
Colonel Greene, behaved with great courage, repulsing three 
separate charges of the Hessians with great slaughter. The 
ships of war were driven off by the American batteries. 

At four o'clock, when Colonel Trumbull took in a brigade of 
Massachusetts militia to meet an expected attack on the right, 
the enemy had disappeared. The action was over. Repulsed 
from all their assaults, the British and Hessians were driven 
back to their fortified lines, losing one of their batteries on the 
I'etreat. The American loss was two hundred and eleven, that 



HISTORY OF NEWPOirr COUNTY. 387 

of the British one thousand and twenty-three, including i)iis- 
oners. The Biitisli had a force superior in numbers and tlior- 
oughly trained, while not more than iifteen hundii'd of the 
Americans had ever been under fire. 

The "battle of Rhode Island " maybe fairly held, as it is 
said Lafayette styled it, " the best fought action of the war." 
There seems to have been no error either in tiie plan or execu- 
tion of the masterl}' movement of retreat ; and the secure re- 
sult was the holding of the strongest position on the island, 
ecjually available for a renewal of attack or to cover a safe 
withdrawal to the main land. 

The 30th of August, Sunday, both armies spent the early 
part of the day in burying the dead and caring for the wounded. 
Colonel Campbell, of the Twenty-second, came out for leave to 
look for the body of his nephew, who fell at his side. At 
noon despatches were received from Washington that Lord 
Howe was on his way with five thousand troops from New 
York for the relief of the Newport post. A council of officers 
was held, and it was resolved to evacuate the island. Under a 
feint of pitching tents and fortifying the camp and a heavy 
cannonade, the stoi'es, munitions and heavy baggage were 
moved. At nightfall the tents were stirick and the troops were 
crossed over the ferry to Tiverton, the Providence regiment 
acting as rowers. 

At eleven o'clock Lafayette came in from Boston. lie had 
ridden seventy miles in seven hours on Friday to Boston, and 
now returned sixty miles in six and a half. He brought with 
him the promise of d'Estaing to march his men immediately 
overland from Boston to join in an attack on the island. La- 
fayette now aided in superintending the transports, and under 
his personal supervision the pickets and last covering parties 
were brought over without the loss of the smallest article of 
baggage. Sullivan's barge was the last to leave the island. 
Four of his life guards were wounded by the enemy, who ap- 
peared on the hills as they were crossing. The next morning 
tlie British fleet, with Sir Henry Clinton's forces on board, was 
seen off Newport from Tiverton heights. 

The army of Sullivan was now reduced to twelve hundred con- 
tinentals and two thousand state troops with some militia whose 
time was about expiring, while the British force, with the re- 
enforcements brought by Clinton, reached eleven thousand men. 



388 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Congress voted thanks to Sullivan and his army for their signal 
service, and Washington issvied a general order in commenda- 
tion. Congi'ess, moreover, passed a resolution showing "its 
apYjreciation of the zeal and attachment the Count d'Estaing 
had shown to the cause of the United States on several occa- 
sions and especially in the noble and generous offer to mai'ch 
from Boston at the head of his troops to co-operate in the re- 
duction of Rhode Island." D'Estaing was of too noble a spirit 
to bear any malice and in the course of the next year sliowed 
his zeal and liis mettle, but gained little fame as a naval com- 
mander. 

The condition of the inhabitants of Newport during this pe- 
riod of hostilities was not to be envied. The French shot Hying 
over the wooden town was alarming but the sufferings war 
brings in its train were not confined to terror. " Sixteen 
buildings," says Mrs. Almy in her journal, "were destroyed 
to clear the field of action," while the blazing ve.ssels and 
burning buildings thi'eatened the whole closeh^ built wooden 
town with total ruin. On the retreat of the Americans Ports- 
mouth and Middletown were plundered. By the report of an- 
other journal, that of Fleet Green, "some families were desti- 
tute of a bed to lie on." 

After Sullivan's retreat the island was held with rigorous 
military care, the great extent of water line subjecting the out- 
lying jiosts to constant danger of snrjirise. On the 17th of 
September Admiral Byron, who had been sent out in June by 
the British admiralty to reenforce Lord Howe, came into New- 
port harbor with two ships of the line and on the 2oth Howe 
followed in his flagship the " Eagle," and turning over the com- 
mand of the American station to Byron, sailed for England. 
On the 28th he was followed by General Pigot whom General 
Prescott succeeded. On the 12th of October four hundred men 
arrived for the Anspach Bayreuth regiment and one hundred 
light cavalry nnder Major Von Dieskau. They had been twenty- 
six weeks at sea and were in poor condition. The entire regi- 
ment was brought into the town and half went into winter 
quarters in the abandoned buildings, the assignment between 
camp and houseing being settled by lot, and in November the 
Landgrave and Ditf urtli regiments were also marched in to the 
southern part of the town. Huyne's and Bunau's regiments 
were marched from the camp at the lines to barracks at Wind- 



HISTORY OF NEWrOUT COUNTY. 389 

mill and Quaker hills; lluyiie's on the east road. Biinau's on 
the west, and detachments of men sent Ironi each to guard 
Howland's ferry. 

In October the town was startled by a daring exploit — the 
cutting out on the night of the 25th, from' the east passage, of 
the " Pigot " galley, a vessel of two hundred tons, strongly 
armed and manned, by Major Talbot in a little sloop with two 
three pounders. The "Pigot" was carried into Stonington, 
and later served as guard ship in Providence river. In Novem- 
ber Admiral Byron, who had left port in September, came into 
the harbor with twelve ships of the line. He had been cruising 
for the French fleet off Boston, but without success. Byron's 
ships lay for a month to refit and then went to the West Indies. 
In December the town was visited by a storm of intense sever- 
ity — a heavy fall of snow, and cold so intense that manj' of the 
Hessians perished, frozen to death. More tlian fifty people are 
said to have lost tlieii- lives on this fearful night, chiefly sol- 
diers. Tills was long known as the Hessian storm. Fuel was 
everywhere scarcce. A few days later a brig bound to New 
York was taken by Lieutenant Chapin with si.\ men and a 
whale boat. The troops and the inhabitants had to depend now 
wholly upon the army supplies, as they were prevented from 
any communication with the mainland. Many of the towns- 
people were obliged to remove. After Januarj', 1779, rations 
were cut down to one-half bread and one-half rice. The bread 
was oatmeal and rice mixed. Fuel now became so scarce that 
turf was burned, the old houses destroyed, and the wharves 
stripped of their timbers. A week or two later the meat ra- 
tions were cut down one half, and salt or dried fish took its 
place. 

At last the famine was relieved by the arrival, on the ■ioth of 
January, of seven British ships with supplies obtained from a 
great fleet with provisions from Ireland to New York. A raid 
was made by the loyalists on the mainland and tliree hundred 
head of cattle were brought in. But this was dangerous busi- 
ness, no quarter being given those taken on such forays. In 
May provisions grew scai'ce again, and there was a great deal 
of scurvy among the troops. Fifteen sail came in with wood 
from Long Island, and fish fell so low in price that men could 
hardly be persuaded to go out. 

In the arrangement for the summer two of the German regi- 



390 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

ments remained in the town and the others were posted on 
Tonomy liill and at Tnrkey hill. In Jnne two of the Hessian 
regiments were sent to join Tryon's force in its operations along 
the sound. On the 21st of June Major Arnbach, of the Land- 
grave regiment, was buried with the honors of war. Quiet was 
only disturbed during the summer by the forays of the tories 
and the sharp reprisals of the patriots. In July a murderous 
raid was made on the house of Major Taggart at Little Comp- 
ton, but under the sj^stem of whale boats organized by General 
Gates, who at this time commanded the "Providence," ven- 
geance was quick and sure. In August Talbot took the tory 
privateer "King George," belonging to Newport, which he 
boarded without losing a man, and in the course of a month 
four other valuable prizes. 

In October the repulse of the Americans and French at 
Savannah, when Pulaski fell and d'Estaing was wounded, in- 
duced Sir Henry Clinton to attempt the subjection of the South- 
ern colonies. To effect this he needed to concentrate his forces. 
On the 11th of October the town was thrown into consternation 
by the arrival of the order to get ready for the evacuation of 
the island. The next day fifty-two transi)orts arrived to take 
off the garrison, seven thousand men with the military stores. 
The refugees were also permitted to embark ^md the merchants 
hastened to move their stores. Forty-six of the royalists, says 
Arnold, with their families, and a large number of slaves whom 
the occupation had liberated, embarked at the wharves. The 
vessels were hauled out to Brenton's point and moved as fast 
as loaded. The barracks at the point and the lighthouse at 
Beaver Tail were burned. The north battery was razed but the 
Goat Island fort spared. 

On the 25th the inhabitants were warned to keep within 
doors on pain of death while the embarkation of the troops was 
being made. All day long the troops wei'e marcliing to Bren- 
ton's point, whence they were taken by boats to the ships. 
"Newport," says an eye witness, "looked as if everybod}' was 
dead, for doors and windows were shut, not a soul was to be 
seen, and this was done to guard against desertion." Strange 
to say, this seems to have been the motive of Prescott's order, 
which was especially that no woman should be allowed to be 
seen at the windows or on the street. At ten o'clock at night 
the fleet, one hundred and ten .sail, convoyed by three men-of- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 391 

war, sailed out of the harbor. On the 31st they arrived in New 
York. Governor Greene had issued a proclamation on the 16th 
forbidding any person landing on Rhode Island orConanicut to 
molest the inhabitants after the withdrawal of the enemy. 

It is not probable that the English garrison or the Hessian 
contingent were especially rough to the townspeople during 
this occupation. Indeed, in some things tliose that remained 
fared better tlian those that went away. Tliough at times 
pinched for food and fuel, they were generally well and reason- 
ably supplied from the British stores. The property owners 
suffered most. All the empty private houses were used as bar- 
racks, and the troops were quartered upon the inmates of those 
which were inhabited, with little regard for their own accom- 
modation and comfort. The artillery officers carried off all the 
bells from the houses of worship except Trinity. The meeting 
houses except Trinity and the Sabbatarian were turned into rid- 
ing schools. The Redwood was thrown open to all. The state 
house was used as a hospital. The forage yard was on the 
Quaker field; the wood yard on the north side of Church street. 
General Prescott had his headquarters in the Bannister house, 
and it is said that his spacious sidewalk in front, from Mill 
street to Prospect Hill street, was made out of stepstones taken 
from i>rivate houses, and the whole of the south flight of steps 
from the state house. The general aspect was of decay and 
dilapidation. 

The interior of the island presented an apjiearance not less 
melancholy. The groves of forest trees and many of the or- 
chards even had been cut down for fuel and military purposes, 
the farms were broken up, the gardens destroyed and the fertile 
meadows torn up. And as with the liomes so with the avoca- 
tions of the people. More than half the population had left 
the island, the wharves were deserted, commerce and trade 
abandoned. Tiie Jewish merchants were gone. 

Among theacts of vandalism committed l)y tlie retiring troops 
was tlie taking off of the records of the town from its settlement; 
a favorite habit of British conimauders. Tiie vessel which 
carried them was sunk at Hurlgate. Three years later the frag- 
ments were fished up and returned to the town and copies made 
of what remained legible. 

On the 26th of October, the morning after the departure of 
the British, General Stark crossed from Tiverton with the troops 



392 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

quartered there, and marched into Newport; Colonel Barton 
being sent on in advance with orders to ]3reventany boat landing- 
without a special permit. The losses sustained bj^ the town during 
the occupation were estimated at over one hundred and twenty- 
four thousand pounds by a committee of the legislature in 1782, 
and more than five hundred houses vs^ere destroyed; but this was 
trifling compared with the interruption of commerce, which, 
notwithstanding her magnificent harbor, never returned to her 
wharves and merchants. No sooner were the Americans in 
possession of the city than they took measures to raise the 
sunken British menof-war and to take possession of the estates 
of the tories. 

The winter of 1779 80 set in with intense severity. The bay 
was frozen over for six weeks, and ice formed into the ocean as 
far as the eye could reach. Wood sold for twenty dollars a 
cord ; corn at four silver dollars a bushel ; potatoes at two. All 
the trooj)S who could be spared were sent home, and the New- 
port garrison, at first five hundred strong, was reduced to one 
hundred and eighty men. In February, 1780, the Newport 
'■'Mercury,'" which had been for three years removed to Re- 
hoboth, was revived at its birthplace by Henry Barber. In 
May the spirits of the depressed inhabitants were revived by 
the news that a French fleet would soon arrive with a contingent 
force. 

The French in Rhode Island, 1780-1.— Lafayette, disap- 
pointed in the result of the e.xpedition under d'Estaing and still 
hopeful of the active co-operation of a land force of the French 
army in the next campaign, after the failure at Rhode Island, 
ai)plied to congress for an indefinite leave of absence from the 
army, in which he was a full major-general. This he received 
on the 20tli of October, 1778, and on the 11th of January, 1779, 
sailed from Boston for France in the frigate " Alliance," which 
the king had placed at his disposal. During the year he confined 
himself to earnest efforts for assistance from the French govern- 
ment in money and material of war. It had been understood 
before he left America that he should not apply to the ministry 
for assistance in troops, and this coincided with his own judg- 
ment, but as the year wore on he changed his mind on this 
point, and, assuming the responsibility early in 1780, made an 
application of this nature, and in a letter of the 20th of Febru- 
ary, submitted a plan of operations for an expeditionary 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 393 

corps of thirty-six liundred men to be under his personal com- 
mand. He had already received from tlie king the appoint- 
ment to a regiment of di-agoons. 

Later, on mature consideration, he decided to resume his 
command in the American army and, charged with private 
dispatches to congress, he sailed from Rochefort on the 6th of 
March on the frigate "Iiermione,"and reached Boston on tlie27th 
of April. Thence he went to Washington's headquarters at Mor- 
ristown, which he reached on the 10th of May. The news he 
bi'ought was of the intention of the French ministry to send 
over a fleet and of the present oiganization of an expeditionary 
corps. Notwithstanding the secrecy attempted on all sides, 
the British government was aware in March of the equipment 
of the squadron at Brest for America, but uncertain of its des- 
tination. On the 17th of May Rivington's Royal Gazette, pub- 
lished in New York, gave a detailed account of the composition 
of the French force. 

It was arranged with Lafayette in his interview with tlie 
French minister at Paris that officers should be posted at Cape 
Henry and on the coast of Rliode Island to watch the arrival 
of the fleet and convey to the admiral of the French squadron 
and the general commanding the troops all necessary informa- 
tion as to the position of the enemy and the wishes of General 
Wasliington. These dispatches were prepared in duplicate by 
Lafayette on the 19th of May, 1780. Tlie originals were handed 
to M.de Galvan with instructions to proceed to the mouth of the 
Chesa])eake where the fleet was expected first to appear, and 
copies wei'e sent by trusty messengers to Point Judith and 
Seconnet. It being later learned that the fleet would "in the 
first instance touch at Rhode Island for the purpose of landing 
tiieir sick and supernumerarj' stores and to meet the intelli- 
gence necessary to direct their operations," General Heath 
was ordered to Providence to present himself to the French 
commanders on their arrival. Heath, who was at the time at 
his home in Roxbury on a leave of absence, went at once to 
Providence. Congress liastened to fill up the army and Mon- 
sieur de Corny, a lieutenant-colonel of cavalry in the United 
States army, who had received at Versailles the appointment 
of commissary general of the French forces, visited Rhode 
Island, escorted by a troop of horse, to arrange for hospitals. 

The French squadron on the niglit of the 2Uth of May lifted an- 



394 IIISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

chor and set sail fro m the roadstead of Brest. The fleet consisted 
of seven ships of the line, thi'ee frigates, a corvette orflute fitted 
as a hospital ship, and a cutter; in all twelve ships carrying six 
hundred and eighteen guns. The transports, thirty-two in 
number, carried the expeditionary corps of five thousand men. 
The fleet was commanded by Monsieur de Ternay, chef d'esca- 
dre, the troops by Count de Rochambeau. The fleet was de- 
tained some days in the Bay of Biscay by contrary winds, but 
gained an offing from the continent without meeting a hostile 
cruiser, although it was known that Admiral Graves was fltting 
out at Portsmouth to intercept and force them to action. 

On the 2()th of June the French fleet fell in with Ave British 
vessels to the soutliward of the Bermudas,a part of the squadron 
of Commodore Coi-nvvallis, returning to the Antilles. Line of 
battle was formed by the French, but Cornwallis changed his 
course and bore away. The squadron held a similar course 
during the day but at night the English commodore turned to 
the southward and de Ternay held on to the American coast. 

On the 4th of July, toward nightfall, he made the mouth of 
the Chesapeake, where his frigates signaled ten or twelve sail at 
anchor in the bay. Fearing that these vessels might be part of 
the squadron of Arbuthnot, who was on the American station, 
or of Graves who was expected, de Ternay changed his course 
several times during the night and the next day steered straight 
for Rhode Island. They came upon the coast in a dense fog. 
At four o'clock on the afternoon of the 9th of July, land was 
descried from the masts of the " Conqiioraut." It proved to be 
Martha's Vinej^ard. The crews, who had suffered greatly from 
the warm weather and confinement, were in great glee. On the 
morning of the 10th anchor was again weighed; at noon pilots 
came on board from the island. The fleet again anchored at 
ten o'clock. On the morning of the 11th sail was made but the 
weather being still foggy and a danger signal being hoisted by 
one of the convoj^ the fleet again came to anchor. At eight 
o'clock the fog lifted and the shore line opened into view; 
Point Judith, a league distant, bej'ond the Newport point, and 
most welcome, the French flag on each of the points of the 
land. This was the signal agreed upon by Lafayette that Rhode 
Island was safe in American hands and the French would be 
well received. 

General de Rochambeau and his staff went at once on board 



IIIsroUY OF NKWI'OKT COUNTY. 395 

tliH frigate "nermione" and sailed for Newport, wliere lie 
landed at noon. De Ternay had cause for congratulation. 

Admiral Graves left Portsmouth in pursuit of the French 
early in May with seven vessels. Meeting in the chanuel the 
same westerly ga^e which detained de Ternay in the gulf, he 
was forced to put back to Plymouth, where he was held by con- 
trary winds fifteen days. Purting to sea again he crowded sail 
and on the 13th of July, only forty-eight hours after the arri- 
val of de Ternay at Rhode Island, reached New York where he 
found Arbuthnot with four ships. A few days later the French 
would have found their course to Rhode Island blocked by 
eleven men-of-war without the impediment of a helpless fleet of 
transports. 

The French squadron which now anchored in the Newport 
harbor, consisted of the "Due de Bourgogne," eighty guns, the 
"Neptune" and "Conquerant" of seventy-four; the " Prov- 
ence," " Eveille," "Jason" and "Ardent," of sixty-four; three 
frigates, the " Surveillante," "Amazone" and "Gentille," of 
thirty guns. Besides, there was the corvette "Fantasque" 
which had made the expedition with d'Estaing and was now 
fitted as a hosjiital ship and carried the heavy artillery and the 
cutter "La Gruepe." As soon as the ships were anchored the 
troops of Rochambeau were landed. One third of them, sick, 
were removed to the interior. The fortifications were placed in 
charge of the Fi-ench who proceeded at once to remodel and put 
them in a posture of defense. 

The troops disembarked, five thousand and eighty-eight men, 
consisting of the regiments of Bourbonnais, Soissonnais, Sain- 
tonge. Royal deux Ponts, an Alsatian corps and six hundred 
men of Lauzun's Legion, three hundred of whom were intend- 
ed to be mounted for a troop of horse. All the officers of these 
corps belonged to the best of the old French nobility and 
many of them had served with distinction in the wars of 
the continent. The Count de Rochambeau, a gentleman of an 
old Vendome family, was a veteran of nearly forty years ser- 
vice, who liad" spent his life in en nips and had won liigli merit in 
the campaign of the low countries for the prudent qualities 
which became a- commander, while equally remarked for his 
bravery and tenacity. Just such cjualities were needed for the 
delicate position of controlling a hot headed band of young of- 
ficers in a country jealous of its customs and among a popula- 



396 HISTORY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 

tioii proud in indivicliial freedom. Among his aids were the 
Count de Fersen, a young Swedish gentleman high in favor with 
the French court and esteemed one of tlie handsomest and most 
elegant of this age of courtesy, Chevalier Charles de Lameth 
and the Counts de Damas and de Dumas. The household of 
Rochambeau was fully mounted in French state and his major- 
domo, in liis solemn dignity and magnificent array, was a per- 
petual wonder to the plain provincials. 

The other high general officers were the Baron de Viomenil, 
the Chevalier de Chastellux, a distinguished member of the 
French Academy, and the Clievalier de Viomenil, who disputed 
the i)alm of manly beauty with the fair Swede. As aids to the 
Baron de Viomenil, the Chevalier d'Olonne, a scion of an old 
historic famil}^ and the Marquis de Vanban ; and serving in the 
.same capacity as tlie Chevalier de Chastellux, Monsieur de Mon- 
tesquieu. On the general staff, among those whose later lives 
were eventful in history, were tlie Clievaliers Alexandre de La- 
meth and de Berthier. The Regiment Bourbonuais was coiu- 
nianded by the Marquis de Laval Montmorency, as colonel, and 
the Vicomte de Rochambeau, son of the general commanding, 
as colonel-en- second; the Soissonnais by the Count de Saint- 
Maime, a most sensible and practical officer, with the Vicomte 
de Noailles, brother-in-law of Lafayette, who married his sister; 
the Royal Deux-Ponls by the Marquis des deux Pouts, Count 
de Forbach, as colonel, and his brother, Ct)untdes Deux-Ponts, 
as second officer (they belonged to the family of the Counts 
Palatine); the Saintonge by the Con)te de Custine, with the 
Comte de Charlns, son of Maiochal de Castries, the minister 
of war, as second. The Legion was the proprietary regiment 
of the Duke de Lauzun, of the famous family of Biron, which 
had given several marshals to Finance. As an auxiliary to tlie 
Legion, attached to it but under independent command, was 
the Regiment Dillon, with Count Arthur de Dillon colonel, and 
Barthelemy Dillon lieutenant colonel. The Dillons were of a 
high born Irisli family who, following the fortunes of James 
the Second, crossed with him into France where their ancestor 
entered the military service in which his sons succeeded him. 

The park of artillery was large and there was an abundance 
of munitions of war for all arms. M. de Menonville commanded 
the artillery, a corps of five hundred thoroughly trained men, 
and de Bei'thier was at the head of the topographical engineers. 



HISTORY OF NEWPOUT COUNTY. 397 

A more perfectly appointed corps, in the quality of its officers, 
in I he composition nnd discipline of its men, and in its general 
equipment, could not have been devised; and it would be diffi- 
cult to find record of any similar army which, in a foreign land 
of different customs and religion, so won the attachment of the 
population on whom it was quartered. 

On the appearance of the fleet in the offing General Heatli was 
at once notified. The next morning a despatch was sent to 
Washington, who was then in the Jersies, and Heatli came 
down the bay. The day being (^alm, the packet did not reach 
the wharf till midnight. Rochambeau was that night on shore. 
In the morning General Heath waited upon him, and after 
breakfast visited the Admiral de Ternay on board his flag ship, 
the "Due de Boui-gogne." At ten o'clock the admiral saluted 
the town with thirteen guns, which were returned with a like 
number. On the evening of the 12th the town was illuminated 
and thirteen giand rockets were fired from the parade ground 
in front of the state house. A contemporary letter says of this 
occasion that '• the brilliant appearance of the numerous gen- 
tlemen, officers of the fleet and army of our illustrious ally, 
' who were on shore, with that of the ladies and gentlemen of 
the town, and the joy which every friend to libertj'- expressed 
on the happy occasion, afforded a pleasing i:)rospect of the 
future felicity and grandeur of this country in alliance with the 
most polite, powerful and generous nation in the world." 

The equipment, uniform and accoutrements of the French 
were worthy of the most martial race of Europe. The infantry 
wore long waistcoats and coats of white cloth ; the uniform of 
the officers differed from that of the men in the color of the 
cloth. The regiments were distinguished by the colors of the 
trimming. Thus part of the Bourbonnais wore crimson lappels 
with pink collars and white buttons, the Fores, which had been 
consolidated with it, but kept their own distinctive uniform, 
crimson lappels with green collar and white buttons ; the Sois- 
sonnais red lappels, sky blue collars and yellow buttons ; Sain- 
tonge sky blue collars and yellow buttons ; Royal Deux Pouts 
blue uniform and collars and lemon color for the lappels. The 
buttons were marked with the numbers of the regiment. The 
non-commissioned officers and soldiers wore a panache of white 
plumes ; the grenadiers red plumes ; the chasseurs white and 
green. The artilltu'y wore iron gray coats with lappels of red 



398 IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

velvet. The perfection of arms of precision had not in the last 
century destroyed the picturesqueness of armies. War was still 
a glorious pageant. 

For several days there was an e.xchange of entertainments 
by the commanders. Meanwhile the French army was 
busy. The troops on their disembarkation were encamped 
across the island to the northward and covering the town, their 
left resting on the sea, their right on the sliips at anchor, which 
lay under protection of the batteries which de Rochambeau 
erected in the commanding positions, flanked^with earthworks. 
These were manned with great and small artillery, brass cannon 
of from four to forty-eight pounds calibre, beautiful pieces of 
ordnance garlanded, and bearing babtismal names, which were 
the delight of the American artillerists and the wonder of all 
who saw them. 

In twelvedays thej^ort was in a state of reasonable defense, a'nd 
it was well that there was no delay. Before the works were quite 
finished the arrival of Admiral Graves at Sandy Hook on the 13th 
was known. On the 2bst the united squadrons of Graves and 
Arbuthnot api)eared off the harbor. Eleven vessels, one of 
ninety, six of seventy-four ; a total weight of metal of seven 
hundred and seventy-six guns, a force in number equal, and in 
armament fully a quarter superior to the French. And the 
next day the squadron was increased to nineteen vessels, of 
which eiglit or nine were line of battle ships. The French held 
their station, stretching from Rose island to Goat island har- 
bors. The English squadron hung cruising on the coast, afraid 
to run the tire of the French, and awaiting the arrival of the 
land force which Clinton was preparing at New York. 

While awaiting the signal for active service, the French offi- 
cers were rapidly winning the affection of the Americans. Their 
courtly polish was in striking contrast with the overbearing ai'- 
rogance which was the rule of British officers, and the coarse 
brutality of the Hessians, with all of which Newport was fa- 
miliar. " The French officers of every rank," says a letter of 
that period, "have rendered themselves agreeable by that po- 
liteness which characterizes the French nation"; and adds, "the 
officers and soldiers wear cockades of three colors, emblematic 
of a triple alliance between France, Spain and America." This 
seems to have been the first useof a tricolor. It was Lafayette, 
it will be remembered who, in 1784, adding the king's color to 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 399 

tlie colors of Paris, made the tri-color I he national banner of 
France, and predicted that it would make the tour of the 
world. 

Newport was by no means an nna ttractive residence at this 
time, as the memoirs and letlers of I lie French ofticeis abund- 
antly show. Tradini^- with all parts of the world wiiicli the 
British navigation laws left open to its commerce, and to some 
in secret disregard of their restrictions, and the natural port of 
refuge and supjily on the New England coast, it had become, 
before the middle of the last century, quite a cosmopolitan 
town. Their British trade was with Bristol, the most liberal of 
English cities, the Jews had brought in something of Spanish 
and Portugese splendor, the Huguenots had leavened the mass 
with the amenity of their race, and the Newporters themselves, 
by their many voyages, had acquired something of that knowl- 
edge of the world, the absence of which is termed provincial. 
In no town in America could more intelligence, relinement and 
elegance be found than here. Spanish, the medium of commer- 
cial correspondence during tlie entire century, was understood, 
and French also in the upper class of society, being then held 
indispensable to a polite education. 

The French visitors were reminded of their Normandy coast 
by the irregularity of the country and the quality of its fruits, 
the fame of which was European. They were surprised by the 
wide stone fences and the long line of the villages miles in ex- 
tent, with scattered houses. Count de Bourg, an aid of Rocham- 
beau, a careful observer, writes that "Rhode Island must be- 
fore the war have been one of the most agreeable spots in the 
world, as in spite of the disasters it has been subjected to, its 
houses destroyed and all its woods cue down, it is still a most 
charming residence." Tlie land seemed to him very much 
cut up. Before the French revolution there was but little 
subdivision of the French soil and the difference attracted his 
notice. The policy of the English settlers was from the begin- 
ning a limitation of land to individuals. The original distribu- 
tion in the Plymouth colony was "an acre to each in propriety 
besides their homesteads or garden plots." This kept them 
together for defense. Later, in 1G27, "every one in each 
family was allotted twenty acres to be laid out five acres in 
breadth by the water side and four acres in length," a mean 
being kept in distribution; and in Jlhode Island, though the 



400 HISTOItY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

soil was bought by a few proprietors, tliere was never an at- 
tempt to hold large tracts, but on the contrary to promote 
settlement by sale or hire on moderate terms. 

Newport the French officers described as the "only town on 
the island, with but two principal streets but still a pretty town. 
Three-fourths of the houses are scattered at a distance and are 
in then-.selves small farms." In the construction of the houses the 
French found little to admire, the summit of arcliitecure beiiig 
a building of brick, but thej' were delighted with the interior 
comfort. There is still in existence, in the possession of Mr. 
Henry T. Drowne of Rhode Island the etat or chart of tlu^ 
quartermaster-general of the French army with a complete list 
of the houses occupied by tiie Frencli during the winter of 
17^0-1. The Count de Rochambeau was quartered in the 
Vernon house, the residence of \yilliam Vernon in New Lane, 
which still stands, a charming specimen of colonial architec- 
ture, on the corner of Mar}' and Clarke streets; the Baron de 
Viomenil, his marechal de camp, at the house of Joseph Wan- 
ton in Thames street; Desandrouins, colonel of engineers, at that 
ol Colonel John Malbone in the same street; the Count de 
Fersen with Mr. Robert Stevens in New Lane; de Choisy, briga- 
dier, with Jacob Rodriguez Riviera in Water street; the 
Chevalier de Lameth and the Count de Dumas together at 
Joseph Anthony's in Spring street; the brothers de deux Fonts 
at George Scott's and Nathaniel Mumford's in Broad street; 
theVicomte de Noailles with Thomas Robinson in Water 
street; the Chevalier deChastillux with Captain Maudsley in 
Spring street, and the gay Lauzun at the house of Deborah, 
the widow of Dr. William Hunter, who lived with her young 
daughters on the corner of Thames and Mary streets in a house 
still standing, though higher by a story, well known to the 
last and present generations as the pharmacy of the Taylors, 
father and son. The high officers of the fleet had also their 
residences assigned on shore: Admiral de Ternay at the 
(Colonel) Wanton house at the Point, convenient to the ship- 
ping, with a boat house and wharf at the foot of the garden; 
to-day the most interesting of all the buildings remaining from 
the last century, and the Chevalier des Touches at William 
Redmond's in the same street. The provost marshal ojiened 
his office at the town prison and the paymaster at the counting 
house and elegant dwelling of the Jewish merchants Seixas and 



HISTOKY OF NEWPOItT COUNTY. 401 

Levy in Ruppert street, which still preserves some remains of 
its once rich and elaborate interior decoration. 

Here in the attractive climate Rochambean anxiously awaited 
the coming of the force left behind for want of tiansportation, 
amounting to twenty-six hundred and forty-five men. Wash- 
ington was eager for an immediate movement on New York, 
and Lafayette came on to Newport on the 21st of July to sub- 
mit the plan, but Rochambeau hesitated. He was expecting 
daily the second detachment and the admiral also the arrival 
of live vessels promised by de Guichen from the West India 
station. To Lafayette's urgent expostulation the self contained 
veteran rejilied that he had an experience of command of forty 
years and that of fifteen thousand men who had been killed 
or wounded under his orders he could not reproach himself 
with the loss of a single person killed on his account. De Ter- 
nay i)ositive]y refused to sail for Sandy Hook; considering the 
draught of water on the bar insufficient for the safe passage of 
his heavy ships. 

On the 25th and 26th of July news came of a projected attack 
on Rhode Island by Clinton with ten thousand men. All was 
bustle and activity. General Heath ordered Colonel Greene 
with his regiment of continentals to take post at Bristol Ferry 
and on Butts hill to command the northern approaches. 
Rhode Island and Massachusetts were called on for militia 
men, the first for fifteen hundred the second eight hundred men. 
The Rhode Island regiments were those of Colonels Tyler and 
Perry. Signals were put out as far as Watch hill. The bat- 
teries were strengthened, a new one erected on Rose island and 
redoubts thrown up on Coasters island and all the posts con- 
nected with the French encampment by avenues across the 
fields carefully marked out. "Never," says Heath, "did the 
militia discover more ardor in pressing to the field or more 
regularity when there." Washington threatened Kingsbridge 
from the Hudson Highlands. Clinton embarked six thousand 
men at Throg's neck in transports, then changing his mind 
crossed the sound to Huntington bay and disembarked at 
Whitestone on the 31st of July. The attack on Newport was 
definitelj' abandoned. 

In August the general assembly met at Newport, and on the 
21st addressed de Rochambeau and de Ternay. The reply of 
Rochambeau was a model of wisdom. He authoritatively set 
26 



402 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

at rest the suspicions aroused by the tory press that tlie French 
would attempt to maintain an independent command, and ex- 
pressly subordinated himself to the wishes of Wasliington. 

Clinton remaining quiet in New York, anddeGuichen making 
his appearance on the southern coast, Rochambeau at Washing- 
ton's invitation, visited him and held a conference at Hartford 
on the 20th of September. Rochambeau took with him his 
aids, the Counts de Fersen, de Dnmas and de Damas. The 
French general and his young staff were delighted with their 
journey and theii' interview with the "hero of liberty." At 
the end of September Admiral Rodney arrived off Newport. 
The fortilications had been greatly strengthened, new works 
thrown up at Brenton's point and on Conanicut and Rose 
islands and armed with thirty-six and twenty-four pounders, 
the fire of which, crossing with that of the French ships, se- 
cured the main passages. Rodney reconnoitered the position, 
and abandoning rhe idea of attack, returned to New York. In 
November he sailed for the Antilles, leaving Admiral Arbuth- 
not with twelve vessels to watch the French fleet. 
^ There had been some entertainment for the Frenchmen dur- 
ing the " summer season." On the 2d of August nineteen In- 
dian warriors of the Iroquois paid them a visit with an inter- 
j)reter. They were Oneidas, Tuscoraras and some Cagnawagas, 
from Sault St. Louis, near Montreal. The deputation had been 
arranged by General Schuyler, the great "White Sachem" of 
the iMohawks, to detach the Iroquois from the English. They 
liad maintained friendly relations with the French during the 
colonial wars. The Canada Indians heard mass on their ar- 
rival. Rochambeau entertained them at dinner with ceremoni- 
ous courtesy. Blanchard, the French commissary general, de- 
scribing the strange scene, says "they behaved themselves well 
and ate cleanly enough." After dinner they gave an exhibi- 
tion of their war dances. Heath gave them also what he de- 
scribes as a "sumptuous treat." On the 24th of Angnst they 
were invited to witness a grand review of the French army, 
preceded by alternate discharges from the batteries in and 
around the town and a feu de jo'ie from the troops. The 
sj)lendid appearance of the French army made a happy im- 
pression on all the spectators, including the savages. 

On Friday, the 25th, the birthday of his most Christian Majesty, 
Louis XVI., was celebrated with great X'onii). The ships were 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 403 

decked with the coloi's of the dilFereiit maritiiue iiutions and 
fired a salute, and the transports were also decorated. Never 
before had the birtliday of a Catholic king or a French mon- 
arch been celebrated in a town of Protestant Englishmen. 
Verily, the world was moving. And not only in Newpm't, but 
in every city not held by the English enemy, the white flag of 
France was flung to the breeze and tlie healtli of his majesty, 
the great ally of the United States, was drunk in bumpers oft 
renewed. The admiral also entertained the Indians at dinner 
on board the "Due de Burgogne." After a harangue by 
Rochambeau, and gratified by a varietj^ of presents, among 
which a number of red French blankets, they departed greatly 
pleased. The Indians marvelled much at the French drill and 
discipline, and to find even the apples in the orchards where 
they camped untouched — a different conduct from that of the 
outgoing British and Hessians in the preceding autumn, who 
" stripped all the gardens and orchards of their fruit " to take 
on shipboard. 

On the 2d of October the French ambassador, the Chev- 
alier de la Luzerne, paid a visit to the camp and on the 6tli.a 
mock battle was fought on the island between a detaclunent of 
the French army and Colonel Greene's continentals. On the 
28th of October La Perouse, later famous as a navigator, took out 
the frigate "Amazone" through the blockading squadron, part- 
ly dispersed by a gale of wind, and carried the Vicomte de 
Rochambeau with dispatches to the court asking for the troops 
withheld and money to pay the army. La Perouse was hotly 
pursued but got safely through with the loss of his main mast. 

Winter was now approaching and it was found impossible to 
hut the troops, so complete had been the destruction of the 
trees on the island. It was arranged with the state authorities 
that the damaged houses should be repaired at French expense. 
There were several hundred of them and tlie cost to the French 
was twenty thousand livres. In November the corps went into 
quarters; the Bourbonnais first, the others in tlieir order. The 
cavalry of Lauzun's legion and the artillery horses were sent 
to winter at Lebanon, Connecticut, where forage was plenty. 
The Duke de Lauzun gave a ball in Providence on his passage 
through on the 9th; de Chastellux followed him on a visit to 
Wasliington at the camp on the 12th; the Marquis de Laval, the 
Baron de Custine and the Count de deux Pouts made a tour to 



404 IIISTOIJY OF NEWPOHT COUNT?. 

the interior; the Viconite de Noailles and the Count de Damas 
also visited Wasliington. Rochambean occupied himself in 
looking for quarters for the second division when it should ap- 
pear and passed througii New London, Norwich and Windham 
in Connectictit, looking in upon Lauzun on his JourneJ^ 

When Rochanibeau returned he found Admiral de Ternay 
ill of a fever, but as his state was not alarming, pursued his 
own journey to Boston. In his absence de Ternay died. He 
was taken on shore from his ship on the 14th and died in the 
Wanton house, at the jioint, on the 15th of December. On the 
16th, the day being remarkably tine, the admiral was buried in 
great pomp. Newport had never witnessed such a cortege. The 
troops were all under arms ; the sailors bore the coffin on their 
shoulders to the cemetery in Trinity church yard. At the grave 
nine priests chanted the funeral services. In 178o an elegant 
monument was erected over the remains by order of the king. 
It was a large and beautiful slab of Egyptian marble, with an 
inscription in gold. Below the inscription and between the 
brackets is an escutcheon charged with the insignia of the 
Knights Hospitallus of Saint John of Jerusalem. The slab was 
designed for the interior of the church, but as no suitable place 
could be found for it inside the building, it was set up over 
the grave, where it crumbled under the exposure. It was at first 
erected on the west side of the gate, but its position was changed 
at the expense of the officers of the " Meduse '" when on their 
visit in 1794. In 1873 it was restored at the expense of the 
United States, an appropriation of eight hundred dollars being 
unanimously voted by congress. The restoration was exe- 
cuted under the dii-eotionof the Marquis de Noailles, then min- 
ister of Pi'ance to the United States, and the slab transferred to 
the vestibule of the church, where it now is. A granite stone 
was placed over the tomb with a short inscription in Latin. 
That on the slab, also in Latin, is an elaborate record of the 
admiral's long service. Even the tory gazette of Rivington 
honored his memory, announcing his death as of " an offi- 
cer of distinguished reputation ; a gentleman of most ex- 
cellent heart and amiable disposition. * * A real ornament 
of the elegant nation from whom he was derived." Tiie com- 
mand of the fleet now fell on the Chevalier des Touches, who 
held as closely to his instructions as his predecessor. About 
Christmas a vessel from Nantes brought word that M. de Cas- 



HISTORY OF N?:\VrOIiT COUNTY. 405 

tries had succeeded de Siirtiues as minister of tlie marine. The 
Marquis de Castries had shown military ability in the Low 
Countries. Neckar had also undertaken a thorough reform of 
the finances, and activity by sea and land was expected. 

In January, 1781, the Count des deux Fonts gave an elegant 
ball to the ladies of Newport. The great hall, which was con- 
structed by orders of Rochambeau, for the use of the officers, 
was not completed till later in the month. It then became the 
place of nightly resort. Late in January the French frigate 
" Astree" brought to Boston official news of the change in the 
ministry, and word from the Marquis de Castries that the 
second division would not be desj)atched. Lauzun was indig- 
nant and wrote to demand the men of his legion, of which he 
was colonel proprietor. On the 21st of January Generals Knox 
and Lincoln and Colonel Laurens visited the French camp. 
This young officer, an aid de camp to Washington, was on his 
way to France with a special mission. His father, the envoy 
to France, captured in crossini^ tlie Atlantic, was still a 
prisoner in the tower of London. Knox was the chief of 
American artillery, and greatly interested by the French arm- 
ament. 

In February the weather was very cold and the officers took 
great delight in sleighing, a new pastime to many. On Tuesday 
the 6th of February, the anniversary of the ever memorable daj^ 
when the treaty of alliance was signed at Paris, the brothers 
Viomenil, young men who are described as of resplendent 
beauty, gave an elegant ball to the ladies. Many are the tradi- 
tions of the fascinations of these dashing noblemen and the win- 
dow pane is still cherished on which they cut their names. The 
wife of General Greene, whose operations in the Carolinas were 
at the moment of absorbing interest, graced this entertainment. 
A letter of the time says: "The decent gaiety and hilarity 
which characterized the assembly afforded a convincing proof 
of the general satisfaction the alliance caused to both nations." 

The Naval Engagement. — Wiiile tlie French fleet lay se- 
cure within the sheltering haven of the Narragansett cliffs the 
English squadron in the offing imd a sev(>re experience. Cnught 
at sea in a heavy January gale, Arbuthnot lost one of his best 
vessels, another was disabled and a third driven far to sea. 
This giving the French a temporary superioritj', Des Touches in 
February determined on an expedition. .Dumas was sent by 



406 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Rocliambean to New London to watch the British fleet which 
lay quietly off Montank Point. The ships were gotten ready 
and the land forces selected. 

In March Washington came on in person and the greatest in- 
terest in his visit was shown by the entire French force. His 
fame as the hero of the old French war was as familiar to tlie 
humblest of the allied force as to his own countrymen. He ar- 
rived on the 6th and reached Conanicut about two o'clock in 
the afternoon, where he found the admiral's barge in waiting to 
convey him directly to the " Due deBourgogne." Here he vvas 
met bj' Rochambeau and the general officers of the army and 
fleet. On his leaving the ship a salute was fired. Landing at 
Barney's ferry, the corner of Long Wharf and Washington 
street, he was again met by the French officers and escorted to 
the headquarters of Rochambeau in Clarke street, receiving the 
same honor that would have been paid to a marshal of France 
or a prince of the blood royal. The route was lined with the 
French troops three deep on either side and in close order the 
entire distancce. In the evening the fleet in the harbor and all 
the houses in the town were illuminated, the town council hav- 
ing voted candles to all who were unable to provide them. A 
procession was made through the streets. In front walked 
thirty boys, each bearing a candle fixed in a staff, then Generals 
Washington and Rochambeau with their aids and officers, fol- 
lowed by a large concourse of citizens. The night was clear and 
calm. Passing through the principal streets the commanders 
returned to headquarters. 

The object of Washington in visiting Newport was to con- 
fer with the admiral, and to witness the departure of the French 
fleet and detachment, which was about to leave Newport to 
co-operate with Lafayette, who was on the march by land, in 
an attempt to intercept and cai>ture Arnold who, after his trea- 
son of the past summer, was now in command of an English 
force engaged in ravaging his countrymen of Virginia. 
Twelve hundred and fifty French troops were detached, placed 
under the command of M. de Viomenil and embarked. The 
chevalier himself, with the officers of the grenadier company 
of the Bourbonnais, were on board the flag ship. The men 
were embarked on the day of Washington's arrival. On the 
8th Captain Des Touches led the squadron down the bay. Wash- 
ington and Major General Howe, who accompanied him, re- 



lIISTOliy OF NKWPOIIT COUNTY. 407 

turned to lieadquarters, and were taken leave of with the same 
form and ceremony with wliich they were received. Tlie French 
army was paraded on Broad street, and lined the road for some 
distance beyond the town, the general officers in the center. 
As the American commander passed down the lines he received 
every known military honor, and as he reached Tonomy hill 
was finally saluted with tiiirteen guns from the French artillery. 

The squadron with which Des Touches sailed consisted of one 
line-of-battle ship of eighty guns, two of seventy-four, four of 
sixty-four, oneof thirty-two, and the "Romulus," a late capture 
from the English — in all five hundred and sixty guns. Arbuthnot, 
from his post of observation at Gardner's bay, was aware of 
the French movement and their point of destination on the 
8th. On the 9th he drop[)ed down with his squadron to the 
entrance to the hay. On the lOtli he weighed anchor, and 
hoisting his pennant on the "London" followed in pursuit, 
with one line-of-battle ship of ninetj' eight guns, three of sev- 
enty-four, three of sixty-four, one of fifty — in all eight ships, 
carrying five hundred and sixty-two guns. Fi'igates accom- 
panied each fieet as signal vessels. The English Heet over- 
hauled the French on the morning of the 16th, about sixty 
miles from the capes of the Chesapeake. The sea ran high. 
After some mancEuvering Des Touches gave signal for action, 
and in a sharp contest the van of the British squadron was 
severely handled. A fog now settled on the fleets, both of 
which held their course to the land. In the night Arbuthnot 
entered the Chesapeake and anchored his squadron in Lynn 
Haven bay. 

The next day the French officers decided to return to New- 
port to repair the damages maintained by " Le Conquerant " 
and "1" Ardent." The French had the honors of this action, 
but the English attained the object for which they sailed. The 
superior sailing qualities of the Erilisli vessels were again ap- 
parent. The French and English admiralties were alike dis- 
satisfied. Des Touches was pensioned but not promoted. Ar- 
buthnot was censured and ordered home. Congress was more 
generous, and though sadly disappointed at the failure of the 
expedition, warmly commended I he French commanders for their 
zeal and Des Touches for his gallantry. The French vessels 
were safe in Newport harbor on the afternoon of the 2Cth of 
March. 



408 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

The March of the French, 1781. — The month of April 
was without incident. The officers in their diaries notice the 
delightful weather. News from France and of the prospect of 
reinforcements were eagerly looked for. The French officers 
interested themselves in the establishment of a Masonic lodge 
over which M. de Jansecourt presided and initiations were 
frequent. On the 8th of May the " Concorde" arrived in Bos- 
ton with the Count de Barras, chef d'escadre, appointed to 
succeed de Ternay as admiral. The same frigate brought back 
the Vicomte de Rochambeau from his mission and Baron 
Cromot du Bourg, who joined Rochambeau' s staff, to whose 
full and intelligent diary liistorians are indebted for many 
details of the subsequent movements. 

The Vicomte brought word also of the sailing from Brest on 
tiie22d of March of the Count de Grasse with a strong squadron 
convoying fifteen transports laden with supplies and having on 
board two companies of artillery and five hundred men to fill 
up the regiments, moreover all restrictions were removed and 
full power was given to Rochambeau to act as he chose. 
He gave orders for instant preparation. The light artillery and 
heav_y equipments were already in Providence. Five hundred 
of the land force were put on board the shij^s of war which 
were ordered to sea to meet the incoming convoy. Tlie officers 
and men were in joy at the prospect of a campaign. Even the 
most sensible, unaware of the secrets of the commander, were 
judging his inaction with no lenient thought. Tiie French dis- 
patches rendering an interview with Washington necessary, a 
meeting was, at the request of Rochambeau, had at Wethers- 
field near Hartford on the 21st of May. Rocliambeau was ac- 
companied by the Chevalier de Chastellnx. Admiral de Barras, 
at the point of departure was detained by the appearance of 
the British fieet off Block Island in force. 

A phm of summer campaign being agreed upon Rocham- 
beau returned to Newport on the 26th of May, and the 
order of march wa§ arranged. At a council of war-l)ekl 
on board the admiral's sliip on the 6th of June it was 
decided that on the departure of the troops only a small 
guard should be left to hold the town, and that the fleet which 
it had been proposed to take to Boston should remain at the 
Newport anchorage. On the 7th of June Admiral de Barras gave 
a grand farewell dinner on board the "Due de Burgogne. 
There were sixty x^eople present, among whom were many 



HISTORY OF NKWPOUT COUNTY. 409 

Newport ladies. Tlie quarter deck was canopied with sails 
aiul a handsome hall arranged. The Due de Lauzun, gayest of 
the gay, was x^t'esent, just returned from an interview with 
Washington on points of military detail. On the 9th marching 
orders were issued and the next morning the first division, 
Bourbonnais and Royal deux Fonts, moved from Newport under 
command of Baron de Viomenil. They reached Providence in 
the evening too late to mark out a camp and were lodged by 
the town anthorities in some empty houses. 

The next day the regiment of Deux Fonts went into camp on 
the heights, and the brigades of Soissonnais and Saintonge, 
which arrived the same day, took posts on their left. All the 
heavy artillery was left on the batteries at Newport. The 
trooi^s left behind were four hundred recruits just arrived from 
France, a few pieces of artillery and a thousand local militia. 
The whole, under command of M. de Choisy, brigadier of the 
forces, an officer of experience and of approved courage. The 
commissary general, M. Blanchard, who succeeded M. de Corny 
on his return to France in February, was sent forward of the 
army to arrange its supplies. On the 11th of June M. de 
Rochambeau and his entire staff passed through Providence to 
the camp. The army lay in camp for eight days while transporta- 
tion was being provided. The arrival in Boston of the " Sagit- 
taire," and in convoy, fifteen ships, with six hundred and 
ninety recruits, and money for the land and naval forces, en- 
abled Rochambeau to close his preparations to his entire satis- 
faction. On the l(5th of June the Baron de Viomenil held a 
general review, and the army moved in the following order ; 
On the f8th the Bourl)ounais, under Rochambeau and de Chas- 
tellux ; the 19th the Royal Deux Pouts, under the Baron de 
Viomenil ; the 20th the Soissonnais, under the Count de Vio- 
menil ; the 2Ist the Saintonge, under the Count de Custine, 
successively left the camp and moved by easy marches to the 
appointed rendezvous in the county of Westchester, New 
York, preserving between the corps the distance of a day's 
march. Lauzun' s dragoons moved, byroads between the line of 
march and the sea, to cover the flank. The Count de Dumas 
preceded the columns to point out the camps and positions to 
be successively occupied. Here they must be left on that bril- 
liant movement through the American states to the junction 
with de Grasse in the Chesapeake bay, and the capture of 
Cornwallis and his arniv at Yorktown. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



NEWPORT IN THE WARS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 



By John Austin Stevens. 



War with England, 1813.— The Dorr War, 1843.— The War of the Rebellion, 

1861-5. 

THE acquisition of Louisiana by the United States, the 
transfer during the Napoleonic war of a lar^'e share of 
the carrying trade of tlie world to the American flag and tlie 
general prosperity of the new nation in the early years of the 
century aroused the jealousy of Great Britain who, in her lust 
for maritime dominion, had not yet learned that her true inter- 
est was in peace with the growing republic of her blood and 
origin. Relying upon her vast naval armament, the mistress 
of the seas confined her hostility to deliberate aggressions on 
commerce, the searching of American ships, the impressing 
American seamen and an occasional questionable capture of 
some peaceful American trader. To these acts the United 
States government replied witli a resolution suspending all im- 
portations from Great Britain until " equitable and satisfactorj^ 
arrangements were made;" in fact, by a declaration of non- 
intercourse. The first open act on the part of England was tlie 
capture of the American frigate "Chesapeake" by a British 
man-of-war, the "Leopard" in ,]\ine, 1807, the American com- 
mander having refused to surrender sundry enumerated men 
claimed by the British commander as deserters. The British 
government disavowed the act but English vessels still hovered 
about the American coast. 

The British administration continued a war in disguise and 
by an Order in Council in November, 1807, shut all the ports 
of Europe to American trade, thus destroying the advantage 
the United States enjoyed as a neutral power in the hostilities 
then raging abroad. This policy, ostensibly in response to Na- 



niSIOUV OK NEVVPOUT COUNTY. 411 

poleon's Berlin decree of a similar nature against British com- 
merce, was in reality aimed at the United States and was an- 
swered as soon as announced by the passage of an act of embargo 
by the American congress in December, 1807. The embargo act 
was a renewal of the old policy which had so signally failed in 
1774. More strictly enforced by the federal government, it 
acted with great inequality, bore with severity upon the East- 
ern states and caused more suffering at home than in Great 
Britain. The strain was great and invasions were soon the rule 
rather than the exception. Meanwhile France took as little 
note of the interests of the United States as Great Britain, and 
congress resolved in November, 1808, to shut out the ships and 
merchandize of both countries alike from the ports of the United 
States and to prepare for defense. But the powers of enforce- 
ment conferred on the executive were at variance with the spirit 
of American institutions and aroused intense opposition in New 
England. In this opposition Rhode Island shared. The em- 
bargo act bore heavily upon the West India trade, always a 
principal jiart of her commerce. 

The political tension was too strong to be endured, and con- 
gress in March, 1809, repealed the act as to all nations except 
France and Great Britain, and to either or both of these nations 
should they revoke or modify their edicts. Hopes were enter- 
tained of a modification by England, but these were dashed by a 
disavowal of the expres.sions of tiieir minister by the British gov- 
ernment and a proclamation by President Madison, renewing 
the act of non-intercourse in August. " Free Trade and Sailors' 
rights" became the general cry, and the drift was daily toward 
a declaration of war. This feeling was aggravated by the im- 
pressment of a man from an American brig by an English man- 
of-war olf Sandy Hook in May, 1811. Commodore Rodgers, 
hearing of this outrage, set sail on the "President," forty-four 
guns, and overhauling a British man-of-war, the " Little Belt," 
eighteen guns, and being fired upon, returned the fire and 
badly crippled her. This affair was smoothed over by diplo- 
macy, but no excuse could blot out the fact that nine hundred 
American vessels had been captured by British cruisers since 
1803. A want of good faith of the British officers in their deal 
ings with the hostile Indian tribes on the frontier aggravated the 
hostile feeling. 

War was formally declared against Great Britain by act of 



412 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

congress on the 17tli of June, 1812. Tlie proclamation of Pres- 
ident Madison followed on the 19th, and on the 2()th of the same 
month congress authorized the issue of letters of marque. And 
now, in addition to her loss of commerce, Rhode Island, and 
especially Newport, was in alarm at her inadequate defense. 
At first the eastern ports profitted somewhat by the declaration 
of hostilities. The British government, from motives of policy, 
confined the blockade to the southern coast and later to the 
port of New York. This course naturally diverted the neutral 
trade to Newport and the ports to the eastward. But this was 
but a temporary exemption, and the town was in constant 
alarm of a hostile visit. The records were taken to South 
Kingstown, on the mainland, where they remained till the peace. 
The banks removed their specie, and a memorial was addressed 
to tlie general government setting forth the ex^josed situation of 
the town and asking for protection. 

In December Captain Decatur, in the "United States," 
brought in the British frigate "Macedonia," to Newport liar- 
bor as a prize. In 1813 Captain Oliver H. Perry, a native of 
Rhode Inland, and a resident of Newport from earlj^ childhood, 
left the town with a detachment of seamen from the federal gun 
boats in the harbor to take command of the American squadron 
on Lake Erie. He found the squadron in embryo state, and 
with the aid of his carpenters and artificers, hurriedly completed 
it, and in September achieved the victory which made his name 
famous. Among the citizens of Newport engaged in this action 
under Perry's command as officers were: A. Perry, Daniel 
Turner, William V. Taylor, Thomas Brownell, Thomas Almy, 
Thomas Breeze, Peleg Dunham, Stephen Champlin ; among the 
petty officers and men were : Cornells, Southwi(dcs, Codding- 
tons, Lawtons, Peckhams and other familiar names. Four of 
the nine commanders hailed from Newport : Perry on the 
"Lawi'ence," Turner on the "Caledonia," Champlin on the 
"Scorpion," Almy on the " Somers." The commodore's fight- 
ing burgee is preserved in the hall of the Naval academy. It 
bears on a blue ground the famous legend (Lawrence's dj'ing 
words) which became the password to victory, " Don't give up 
the ship." In October, 1813, the revenue cutter, "Vigilant," 
under the command of Captain JohnCahoone, with a volunteer 
crew from Newport and seamen from the gunboats, went out 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 413 

in pursuit of a British privateer, tlie "Dart," which was liov- 
ering about tlie coast, and brought her in as a prize. 

Newport still maintained her old reputation as a privateer 
port; the "Providence," of eight guns, manned chiefly by her 
citizens, was exceptionally successful, capturing nuiny valuable 
prizes and repeating the old feat of surprising N«w Providence, 
where her captain and ofBcers held the fort for thiee days, 
feasted at the expense of the British coniniander, and after 
spiking its guns sailed out of the port in safety. John Trevett 
was lieutenant commanding, Peleg Hall the sailing ituister, on 
this occasion. The crew consisted of twenty-eight men. The 
British blockaders were active on the coast, and the Newport 
militia were occasionally called out to save from capture the 
vessels which, attempting to run the blockade, were driven on 
shore. In June, 1814, the general assembly authorized the 
town councils of the seaports to remove the shipping lying at 
their wharves, and Newport took advantage of this permission. 
The coast defenses were everywliere inadequate to protection, 
and Mr. Jefferson's famous gunboats could not be relied upon 
to resist a serious attack of the British men-of-war. But the 
American marine was not idle in this maritime guerrilla contest. 
The underwriters of Glasgow disclosed in 1814 that "in the 
short space of twenty-four months above eight hundred vessels 
had been captured by a power whose maritime strength had 
been hitherto held in contempt." 

In July the Newport artillery company, one hundred and 
fifty strong, under command of Colonel Benjamin Fry, was 
posted at Port Green, at the north end of Washington street on 
the point, by order of the United States. The grounds were 
put in admirable order b}^ the command. In August the Brit- 
ish captured Washington and burned the public buildings. On 
Christmas day tlie treaty of peace was signed at Ghent; a fort- 
night later the battle of New Orleans avenged the vandalism of 
the burning of tlie Capitol. Americans may feel a grim satis- 
faction that no cal)le dispatches averted hostilities before this 
humiliating di.saster to tlie British arms. 

Tjie Dorr W.vr, 1842.— The charter of King Charles the Sec- 
ond (1668) was still at the time of tlie American revolution the 
only written fundamental law of the state of Rhode Island. It 
l^rescribed no other qualification for a freeman or voter than 
his admission by those who were already freemen. This right 



414 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

of admission carried with it tlie right to those already freemen 
to prescribe some uniform qualilication to new members of the 
"body politic." The greater part of tlie colonies, either dur- 
ing the revolution or at its close, not only threw off their alle- 
giance to the crown from which they held their charters, but 
adopted new constitutions. This Rhode Island did not do, but 
continued under her old colonial charter as to form, cluinging 
only her title, and under this foiin of government she was ad- 
mitted without prolest or question to the federal union in 1790. 
That this form of government was republican in the largest 
sense of the word, and in the meaning ascribed ro it before the 
more exact definition which it took from the French revolution, 
cannot be denied; but the denial or restriction of the right 
of franchise was soon felt to be a grievance, and tliat 
portion of the people of the state who were deprived of what 
they held to be their "natural rights" grew restless. In 1811 
a bill to extend the suffrage was introduced into the state senate 
by the republican party, who entertained tlie new theory of 
natui'al right which Jefferson brought with him on his return 
from France. The bill passed the senate, but the federal party 
regaining political ascendancy, it was defeated in the house at 
the next session. 

In 1824 a convention was held under the authority of the 
general assembly, which framed a written constitution of state 
government. The delegates to this convention were elected 
after the old manner by the freemen, which included only free- 
holders and their eldest sons. For one hundred and fifty years 
the appoi'tionment of representatives for the several counties 
had not been changed, while there had been great changes in 
the population of the counties. In the colonial period Newport, 
the seat of greatest population, had six representatives; Provi- 
dence, a small community, four. In 1824 the population of 
Providence was double that of Newj)ort and the ratio of other 
counties had shifted in as great degree, yet the apportionment 
remained the same. All this the new constitution changed, re- 
placing it with a numerical basis for representation but retain- 
ing the freehold qualification and its concomitant real estate 
ownership. The constitution was i-ejected by a large majority 
in a small general vote. Newport rejected it by five hundred 
and thirty-one votes to five. Providence accepted it by six 



HJSTOliy OF NKWPOUT COUNTY. 415 

linndied and fifty-three votes to twenty-six. For tlie ne.\t five 
years tlie limitation went steadily on. 

In 1829 nnnieron.s memorials were presented to the legi.slatnre 
on the subject, when the commiltee to which Ihej- were leferred 
repoi'led them back with an adverse recommendation. By the 
consent of the assembly the petitioners weie granted leave to 
withdi'aw their memorials. Thus summarily disjiosed of in 
1829, the suffrage question came np again after the presidential 
election in 1832; but tliis time not in the separate action of a 
few scattered memorialists, but by an organized party move- 
ment in which some of the lawyers of the state joined. Among 
them was Thomas W. Dorr of Providence. The new organiza- 
tion took the name of the constitutional part3^ Their first at- 
tempt was to call a state convention. In this they were success- 
ful. Their plan was recommended to the people, but an appeal 
through the ballot box at this time failed. In 1837 it only drew 
out seven hundi-ed votes, other major considerations determin- 
ing the fate of the candidates. The party was disbanded. Mean- 
while the general assemblj' had by an overwhelming vote set 
its face against any amendments to the restrictive system. A 
convention uas called but after sundry sessions fell to pieces 
without definite action; nearly one-quarter of the towns not 
being even represented. 

In 1840 the subject was renewed and an association was formed 
which, in full public meeting at Providence, adopted a consti- 
tution. They styled themselves the " Rhode Island Suffrage 
A.ssociation," and confined their numbers to "native white 
male cilizens of the United States resident in Rhode Island." 
In the spring of 1841 auxiliary societies were formed in various 
parts of the state; in May at Newport when a committee was 
appointed to prepare for a constitutional convention. A mass 
convention met at Providence in July and directed th^ state 
committee to call such convention. Meanwhile and before this 
Providence meeting of July, the general assembly ordered the 
■calling of a convention to amend the charter or frame a consti- 
tution for the state. The people's convention invited election 
of delegates on the 28th of August. The a.ssembly fixed the 
day for the election under their call for the 31st of August. 

Tlie assembly convention was ordered to meet on the 2d of 
November; the people's convention on the IGth of November. 
The assembly convention met and adjourned to the 14th of 



416 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

February, 1842. The people's convention met on the 16th of 
November, matured a constitution and gave it out to be voted 
on December 24th, 1841. They met again on the 12th of Jan- 
uary, 1842, and declared their constitution adopted. Meanwhile 
the landholders' convention, as the body called by the general 
assembly was styled, met at Providence on the day assigned, 
and after preparing a draft which was printed and distributed, 
adjourned till February. Tliere was some disposition shown to 
extend the suffrage but the intluence of the st)Utliein part of 
the state, which, as has been seen, had superior representation 
though infei-ior nuiubers, was against an_y radical change. In 
-February the landholders' convention, who had meanwhile felt 
the pulse of the state in the vote on the people's constitution, 
completed their own revision of the constitution and proposed 
an extension of the right of suflfi'age to every American born 
resident who had reached the age of twenty-one. It was ordered 
to be voted on by the people in March, 1842. 

The leaders of the people's constitutional party claimed that 
their constitution was now the law of the land. This was the 
view taken by Thomas W. Dorr, who advised abstention from 
voting on that submitted by the assembly or landholders' con- 
vention, but the majority were of opinion that the true way 
was to defeat it at the polls. This was done, the new instru- 
ment being rejected bj' a majority of seven hundred votes. The 
suifrage party now resolved to establish the people's constitu- 
tion, to use the language of their- resolutions, "by all necessai-y 
means." Their flag bore the inscription "The Constitution is 
adopted and shall be maintained." A military enrollment Avas 
begun and independent companies organized, who drilled and 
marched about the streets of Providence. Quite a number of 
the chartered companies joined in the movement. But the 
Landholders' or Law and Order party, as they styled them- 
selves, did not yet believe any collision would occur. The gen- 
eral assembly, on the rejection by the people of the constitution 
submitted under their authority, intended, it is said, to have 
summoned a second convention, but the suffrage party declar- 
ing that they would yield no point in controversy, it did not 
carry out this intention, but called on the governor to issue a 
proclamation warning the "good people" not to countenance 
the attempt to set up a new government, and passed a restrain- 
ing act which their opponents denounced as the "Algerine 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 417 

law." It was defined as "an act in relation to offences against 
the Sovereign power of" the State." 

An extra session of the asseml)ly was held, at which a bill 
providing for an extension of the snffrage was promptly reject- 
ed. On the 18th of April, 1842, elections were held nnder the 
provision of the people's constitution, and the military were re- 
quested by their leaders to appear in Providence and install the 
new government. Alarmed at these movements, Samuel AVard 
King, the governor of the state, made by commission a requisi- 
tion for aid on the president of the United States, John Tyler, 
but was answered on the 11th of Ajiril that the subject was one 
of municipal regulation with which the general government had 
nothing to do, and that he could not furnish aid before some 
overt act had been committed. Thrown on his own resources, 
but with this contingent promise of ultimate assistance, Gover- 
nor King summoned the general assembly to meet at Provi- 
dence April 25th, 1842. Meanwhile the elections were held on 
the 15th of April under the people's constitution and Thomas 
Wilson Dorr was chosen governor. A full senate and nearly a 
full house had been chosen in defiance of the restrictions of the 
Algerine law. The regular annual election under the old char- 
ter was held on the 19th of April, when Governor King was re- 
elected by a large majority as also a full senate in support of 
the existing government. The house of representatives, with 
the exception of six who were friends of Dorr, adhered to the 
established order. 

On the 3d of May the officers elected under the people's con- 
stitution assembled in Providence to organize a state govern- 
ment. Refused the state house, they met in an unfinished 
building to which, escorted by military, Mr. Dorr and other 
members of the government elect marched in procession. The 
business of the day was transacted without disturbance from 
within or without. The people's general assembly, as it was 
called, adjourned on the 5th of May, after two days session, to 
assemble at Providence again on the 4th of July, 1842. Governor 
Dorr sent in a message with a proposal to seize the state house. 
But his assembly thought discretion the better irdrt of valour 
and confined themselves to resolutions informing the president 
of the United States and the governors of the several states of 
the establishment of the new government. The Algerine law 
was repealed and at the close of the session a resolution was 

27 



418 HISTOia* OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

adopted to demand the public records, the funds and the prop- 
erty of the state. 

The assembly elected by the legal freemen met at Newport 
May 4th. It was resolved that the emergency named by the 
president of the United States had arrived and the jiromised 
aid was called for. Some military arrangements were made and 
the assembly adjourned to wait the return of the commissioners 
sent to the j^resident. Demonstrations were now made. On the 
departure of Governor King and part of the assembly from 
Newport, to Providence the Newport artillery, more than eighty 
strong, and three hundred citizens unarmed, escorted the gov- 
ernor to the steamboat. At Providence tlie governor was re- 
ceived by the light infantry and other military organizations. 
Rumors were floating of an intention to seize the governor. This 
was not attempted but on the other hand quite a number of 
arrests were made of men prominent in the people's party. No 
attempt was made to arrest Mr. Dorr. The Providence Daili/ 
Express^ Dorr's organ, on the lUth of May issued a " particular 
notice" headed, '"The People of Rhode Island to arms," but 
the courage of the editor stopped here, for the particular notice 
is only a list of persons arrested under the Algerine law and its 
only malignitj^ was the giving the names of the informers and 
•of the committing justices. The letter of the president in an- 
swer to the requisition of Governor King was what might have 
been exjiected of a John Tyler. He declined to interfere until 
after a collision. Mr. Dorr had meanwhile left the state, and 
with his friends had interviews with the president at Washing- 
ton. In his absence both sides armed and prepared for the col- 
lision which now seemed inevitable. A public meeting was 
held by Dorr's friends at Providence on the State House 
Parade May 12th, which declared that no compromise would be 
accepted. 

On Monday, May 16th, Mr. Dorr arrived in Providence where 
he was received by a large number of people, about two hun- 
dred and fifty of whom were armed, and paraded through the 
principal streets of the city clad in undress uniform, a sword 
at his side, in an open barouche drawn by four white horses. 
He was accompanied by his secretary of state and the sheriff 
of Providence elected under the people's constitution. He took 
up headquarters at Marshal Anthony's, protected by a military 
guard and two pieces of cannon. The same day, though it 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 419 

was clear that there was no sufficient force to back him, he 
issued his proclamation. The next day, Maj' 17th, he sum- 
moned his council. Threats had been made of an assault on 
the arsenal and it was resolved to call in troops from the outer 
counties on the first indication of movement. At one o'clock 
the signal gun was fired from Dorr's quarters; at half past four 
a company of insurgent volunteers surprised the armory of the 
United Trains of artillery to which they weie attached, and car- 
ried off two brass field pieces, six pounders, to Dorr's quarters. 
Governor King, who had apjxirently anticipated no immediate 
attempt, had gone to his residence some two miles distant, and 
no one had power to give orders for resistance. He now re- 
turned at once to town and expresses were sent out to the 
southern parts of the state, Newport and other towns to be 
ready to march. The Providence troops were posted at the 
arsenal at ten o'clock at night and a steamboat sent to Warren, 
Bristol and Newport to bring up their comi)anies. During the 
night Dorr's force increased to from three to four hundred men 
and he resolved to attempt to capture the arsenal, without 
which he could not take another step; all i")romises from abroad 
of arms and munition having failed him. At one o'clock on the 
morning of the 18th, signal guns were again fired from the camp 
in front of Dorr's quarters. About half of his men now de- 
serted him. The remainder, less then two hundred and fifty, 
with Mr. Dorr at their head, sallied out to storm the stone 
building. At two o'clock, to the sound of the alarm bells ring- 
ing throughout the city and in a dense fog, he drew up his bat- 
talion at musket shot distance from the building. He then sent 
in a flag of truce demanding the surrender of the arsenal and 
received a contemptuous refusal. He then ordered his guns to 
open tire but the gunners declined; upon which he applied the 
fuse himself, but whether from fog or other cause the powder 
only flashed in the pans. His men now deserted him and he 
was left with thirty of his immediate followers to carry off his 
cannon. Not a shot was fired, and at daylight, not two hours 
from the fire of his signal gun, not an enemy was to be seen. 

The state forces now marched into the city. The mayor 
issued a proclamation requesting a suspension of business and 
a rally of the well disposed citizens. At eight o'clock the 
steamboat arrived witii artillery companies from Bristol, War- 
ren and Newport; the Newport company under the command 



420 HISTORY OF NEWPOllT COUNTY. 

of Colonel Swan. At nine o'clock Mr. Dorr, seeing himself de- 
serted by bis political associates, yielded to the advice of bis 
friends and made bis escape from Providence. Horsemen fol- 
lowed in pursuit but be fled in safety beyond tlie limits of the 
state. A few^ of bis followers made a stand Init on their engag- 
ing to give up the cannon they had carried olT, tlie troops were 
withdrawn. The next morning, the 19th, the cannon were re- 
turned. Mr. Dorr's i:)lace of refuge was concealed, but it is 
supposed that he put liimself under the protection of Governor 
Cleveland of Connecticut. One thing was certain; he was a 
much more important personage outside of Rhode Island than 
in the state. The friends of universal sufl'rage looked upon 
him as their hero and the newspapers of the leading cities ad- 
vocated his cause. Governor King made a requisition on Gov- 
ernor Cleveland for his delivery as a fugitive from justice, but 
no resiwnse forthcoming, on the 8th of June offered a reward 
of one thousand dollars for his apprehension. The state was 
now agitated with rumors and on the lOtb of June the insur- 
gents, who were strongest in the manufacturing districts in the 
northern part of the state, began fresh demonstrations, armed 
bands parading. Cannon disappeared from Providence in a 
mysterious manner. Attempts were made to seize the guns 
belonging to the company at Warren, and a powder magazine 
near Providence was forcibly entered and robbed. 

It was soon known that Chepachet, a considerable village in 
the town of Glocester, and near the Connecticut line, was the 
point selected for the concentration of the insurgent troops. An 
embankment was thrown up commanding the road fi'om Prov- 
idence to Springfield through Connecticut. Informed of this 
threatening movement, the general assembly authorized the 
governor to declare martial law. This was the signal for the 
flight of Dorr's friends to the insurgent camp, which now held 
about eight hundred men, one-half of whom were armed. Mr. 
Dorr arrived from New York at Chepachet on June 25th, and 
martial law was enforced about the camp. On the day of his 
arrival Mr. Dorr issued a proclamation convening the people's 
assembly at Glocester, instead of at Providence, on the 4th of 
July, and requested that the vacancies made by resignations be 
filled. The same day he issued a second proclamation summon- 
ing the military of the state to appear at headquarters at Glo- 
cester, and calling on the jieople of the state to assert its rights. 



lirSTOKY OK NEWroUT COUNTY. 421 

This ])r()clniiKili()n the Rhode Island pajiers refused to publish. 
The cities of the state were now in great excitement. Newport 
was a camp; armed men were marching and connter-marcliing. 
The assembly was convened liere in June, and in order to re- 
move all ground for armed collision, passed an act to call a con- 
vention to form a constitntion to meet at Newport in Septem- 
ber. Gfovernor King, naturally considering the protection of a 
fugitive from justice by an armed band as a sufficient resist- 
ance to state power to warrant the interference of the president, 
made a third requisition on him for aid, whicli was lefused be- 
cause it did not proceed from the state legislature, then in 
session. June 23d Governor King issued his preliminary orders, 
and on the 24th a steamboat was sent down the bay to bring up 
the military companies from Warren, Bristol and Newport. 
The next day the boat returned and took up three hundred in- 
fantry from the same towns, and detachments marciiing from 
all directions, and promptly armed from the government stores, 
quite a formidable force, nearly three thousand men, was col- 
lected at Providence. The Newport artillery marched on this 
occasion, also under the command of Colonel Swan; the two 
companies of volunteers under Captain Vars and Captain Swan. 
On the 26th and the 27th the army marched by different roads, 
the plan being to surprise and capture Dorr's entire foi'ce at 
Chepacliet. But he got wind of the preparations on Monday, 
and in the evening, yielding to the entreaties of iiis father, 
quietly decamped, leaving behind him a letter to his forces, 
directing them to disband. When the troops airived at Che- 
pachet the insurgent camp was nearly deserted. Some two 
hundred prisoners and six pieces of cannon were captured. 
Governor King issued a second proclamation offering this time 
a reward of five thousand di^llars for the arrest of Mr. Dorr. 
Thus ended the Dorr rebellion. Wiiatevei' opinions may be 
entertained of tlie grievances of the people's party, tliere can be 
no defense for the conduct of its leaders. Civil war is tiie last 
resort, and there were legal remedies the application of which 
should have at least been sought for before the sword was 
drawn. Mr. Dorr absented himself from the state for a long 
period. When he returned early in 1844 he was arrested, 
brought to trial in Newport for treason, and condemned to im- 
prisonment for life, but was set free by tlie general act of am- 
nesty of 1847. In 1851 he was restored to his political and civil 



422 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

rights by act of tlie legislature. Nor did the general assembly 
stop here, but reversed his sentence as illegal. The supreme 
court, however, which was not influenced by political consid- 
erations, refused to sustain this reversal. 

A new convention had before this been called, and submitted 
a draft of a constitution which the people rejected. Still another 
convention was called, and the subject was finally disposed of 
by the adoption of the present constitution of the state at a 
meeting held at East Greenwich November 5th, 1842. The old 
charter was at an end. The new government went into opera- 
tion in May, 1843. The suffrage question is not yet definitely 
closed, and at each session of the legislature efforts are made to 
abolish the property qualification which is still applied to 
foreign born citizens. 

Thp:War of the Eebellion, 1861-5.— No state in the Union 
was more loyal or more prompt in its action to suppress the re- 
bellion of the southern people than Rhode Island. By the re- 
port of Colonel Crandall, acting adjutant general, made at the 
close of the war, it appears "that the number of men sent into 
the field was in excess of all liable under the law to do military 
duty." The many and heavy calls of the president for men 
were met as they were made. The quota of Rhode Island un- 
der all calls was 23,778, consisting of eight regiments of infantry, 
three regiments and a squadron of cavalry, three regiments of 
heavy and one of light artillery. The number of men raised in 
Newport is not stated. The amount of money expended by the 
state for war purposes was $1,622,288, the proportion of New- 
port being $98,383, of which $36,900, was repaid by the state, 
leaving as the charge of the city $61,483. 

No body of men saw service more varied and over so large an 
extent of country as the Ninth Army Corps, to which the Rhode 
Island troops were attached for a long period. They served un- 
der Burnside, Hunter, Sherman, Gillmore, McClellan, Hooker, 
Meade, Sheridan and Grant; on the coast from North Carolina 
to New Orleans; in the interior to the mountains of the Tennes- 
see; everywhere with honor. The news of the ca2:)itulation of 
Fort Sumter on the evening of Saturday, the 13th of April, 
1861, reached Washington the next day. On Monday, the 15th, 
the president's pi'oclamation, calling out seventy-five thousand 
men to serve for three months, was published throughout the 
loyal states. As soon as it reached Providence Governor 



HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 423 

Spragne telegraphed to the president, tendering him the instant 
oflVr of one thonsand men; this being accepted, a company of 
uniformed militia of the state was summoned by general order 
of Tuesday the 16th, to headquarters. In response to the gov- 
ernor's request to know how many of the marine artillery of 
Newijort would march on 'this summons, Colonel Tew warned 
the company in and by evening one hundred, the required num- 
ber, were enrolled. The next morning they were marched to 
the boat for Providence xxnder an escort of past members and a 
large number of citizens. Much feeling was displayed but aa 
unalterable determination to crush out the treasonable sedition. 
In the evening the old members met at their armory and re-or- 
ganized as the Newport Artillery Old Guard; about eighty 
members enrolling. Twenty-live of these were detailed daily 
•thereafter to garrison Fort Adams. Colonel William B. Swan 
commanded this Old Guard. Within a week after the march- 
ing of the artillery, a company of infantry was recruited by Ad- 
jutant William H. Hudder at Fort Adams, where Colonel 
Charles W. Turner, now commissioned brigadier general of 
state militia, was in command. 

The order of the governor organized the Fii'st regiment* 
There was alarm for the safety of Washington and no pains were 
spai'ed to hasten the movement. The first of the Massachusetts 
quota were already on their way on the 17th. The First Rhode 
Island moved in two detachments. The first, under Colonel 
Ambrose E. Bnrnside, major general of Rhode Island militia, 
left Providence on the 20th of April; the .second, under Lieuten- 
ant Colonel Joseph S. B. Pitman, followed on the 24t]i. This 
infantry regiment was composed of ten companies, of which 
Newport furnished one, "Artillery F Company." This was the 
famous old Newport artillery organized in the last century. It 
now marched with full ranks, one hundred men, quite a num- 
ber of volunteers offering beyond the prescribed quota. It was 
under the command of Captain George W. Tew (later distin- 
guished in the line). As the steamboat conveying them pa.ssed 
down the harbor toward the sound it was saluted by artillery 
from the Old Guard and from Fort Adams. 

The first detachment carried with them a beautiful national 
rtag presented by the ladies of Providence. The regimental 
colors were the gift of natives of Rhode Island residing in Cal- 



424 HISTORY OF NEWPOItT COUNTy. 

ifornia. The colors were entrusted to Company F, the New- 
port artillery, and are now in their armory in Clark street. 

Governor Spragne accom])anied the tirst detachment, which 
reached New York on the 21st, left the same afternoon for An- 
napolis and marched to Washinglou on the 26tli of A^jril. 
They were quartered for a short time at the patent office, and 
afterward established at Camp Spragne, a beautiful spot near 
the city. The camp was laid out by Lieutenant Henry A. De 
Witt, of the engineers. The tents were built under the direc 
t.ion of Colonel William Goddard and Lieutenant William B. 
Walker. A skirmish company of carbineers was formed, un- 
der command of Captain Francis W. Goddard, and armed with 
Burnside rifles. Mr. James H. Taylor of Newport went out 
with the command as hospital steward, and his intelligent ser- 
vices were of great value to the organization. Mr. William L. 
Hunter, also of Newport, was the commissary sergeant. The 
Second regiment of infantry, Colonel Slocum, followed on the 
the 19th of June. These two regiments were brigaded together, 
and with the Seventy-tirst New York and Second New Hamp- 
shire, under command of General Burnside, led the army col- 
umn on its march to Bull Run. In the disastrous battle which 
ensued the Rhode Island regiments behaved with great coolness 
and couj'age, and their commanders were especially distin 
guished for their gallantry. Governor Spragne serving as an aid 
to General Burnside throughout the day witii exceptional dash. 

The three months term of enlistment being over, and Wash 
ington being considered safe, the command returned to Provi- 
dence, where they were warmly welcomed by the state autlior- 
ities and the citizens at large. The return of the artillery com 
pany early in August (R. I. V., 1st Reg., Co. F.) was the oc- 
casion of great rejoicing in Newjiort. The steamboat having 
the entire regiment on board was saluted with rockets as it 
passed up the river. The next morning an escort of tiie Old 
Guard went up to Providence to receive their companions. Re- 
turned to Newport, the marching company was welcomed in 
the park by Mayor Cranston and the citizens, and an elegant 
sword was formally presented to Colonel Tew on behalf of Mi-. 
John Hare Powel. In August Colonel Burnside was appointed 
brigadier general. 

The Second Rhode Island Regiment was enlisted under the 
first call of the president for troops to serve thi-ee years or 



IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 425 

during the war. After tlie failure at Bull Run, in which action 
Coh;nel Slocnni, its colonel, was killed, the regiment was placed 
in command of Colonel Prank Wheaton, a captain of United 
States regulars, and went into (juai'ters nearWasliington, wiiere 
it remained until March, 18(52, busied with the erection of F'ort 
Slocum, one of the defenses of the capital. In March it moved 
with the army of the Potomac to the peninsula, and attached 
to Stoneman's command, tooh part in the battles of that un- 
fortunate campaign: Whiteli juse, Mechanicsville, Seven Pines, 
Turkey Bend and Malvern Hill. It shared in the second Bull 
Run campaign under Pope, was in position at Elk Mountain 
during the battle of Antietam, and behaved with gallantry in 
the assault on Fredericksburg. During this period of service 
it was successively under command of Colonel Wheaton, upon 
his promotion to a brigade, of Colonel Nelson Viall, of Lieu- 
tenant Colonel Goff and of Colonel Horatio Rogers, Jr. Under 
this officer it was in position at the battle of Gettysburg, and 
took part in the movements which followed. In the spring of 
1804 it shared in the eventful campaign during which the rebel 
army was forced from the Rapidan to the Chickahominy and 
the lines about Richnionc,!. Soon after the bloody affair at 
Cold Harbor, the term of service of the three years' men ex- 
piring, they returned to Providence under command of Colonel 
Read, and were mustered out. Newport was represented in 
this i-egiment in Company K, of which Charles W. Turner was 
captain. The nucleus of the organization remained in the lines 
before Petersburg, and recruited to a regimental standard, was 
placed under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Elisha T. Rhodes. 
The new organization shared in the defense of Washington 
from Early's raid, and in the Shenandoah campaign which fol- 
lowed, being engaged in the historic light at Winchester in 
Sei^tember. In December it rejoined the army of the Potomac, 
and was engaged in siege dut}' during the winter. It partici- 
pated in the linal attack on Petersburg in April, 186.'), and al- 
though in the second line of the advance of the Sixth Corps, 
was the lirst to plant its colors on the parapet of the enemy's 
works. The regiment was mustered out of the United States 
service in July, ISCf). When it reached home it numbered 
three hundred and forty-live, raids, and tile. By general orders 
from the war department it was permitted to inscribe on its 
colors: "First Bull Run ; Yorktown ; Williamsburg ; Malvern 



426 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Hill; Antietara ; Fredei'icksbiirg ; Marye's Heights; Salem 
Heights ; Gettysburg ; Rappahanock Station ; Wilderness ; 
Spotsylvania ; Cold Harbor ; Petersburg ; Fort Stevens ; 
Opequan." 

The Fourth Regiment, Rhode Island volunteers, was orga- 
nized in September. 1861, and in October placed in command of 
Colonel Isaac P. Rodman. Included among the troops selected 
for the North Carolina campaign under General Burnside, it 
made part of the Third brigade of the coast division. They 
were engaged at Roanoke island, where they were gallantly led, 
and later distinguished themselves in the capture of Newbern. 
When Burnside was ordered from North Carolina to the sup- 
port of McCIellan in the peninsula, the Fourth Rhode Island 
moved with his command. They were hotly engaged at South 
Mountain and Antietam. In this last bloody affair their com- 
mander, Colonel Steere, was badly wounded, and their old com- 
mander. General Rodman, killed. In November they lost their 
lieutenant-colonel, Joseph B. Curtis, killed while forming line 
before Fredericksburg. In July the regiment was transferred to 
the Seventh corps, but rejoined the Ninth before Petersburg in 
1864, and took part in the assault on the rebel lines. It was 
jiermitted to inscribe on its colors the names: " Roanoke Island, 
Newbern, Fort Macon, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericks- 
burg, Suffolk, Weldon Railroad, Poplar Spring Church, Hat- 
cher's Run." Newjiort was represented in this regiment in 
Company G, of which George W. Tew was captain. This was 
the officer who went out with the three months' men as captain 
of the Newport artillery (Company F, First R. I. V.) In the 
Fourth infantry Captain Tew was twice promoted— major and 
lieutenant-colonel. 

The Ninth Regiment was organized in May, 1862, in tlie emer- 
gency of the raid up the Shenandoah valley, and the fear enter- 
tained for the safety of Washington. Placed under command 
of Colonel John T. Pittman, it was chiefly engaged in gari'ison 
duty on the line of the Potomac during the three months of 
special service for which it was enlisted. It returned in August, 
having honorably discharged its duty. The Honorable John 
H. Powel, the present mayor of Newport, went out with this 
regiment as captain of Company L; entirely recruited from the 
island of Rhode Island. He returned as lieutenant-colonel of 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 427 

the command. The muster shows the mimes of representatives 
of many of the old resident families. 

The Tenth Regiment was raised under the same call for short 
service, principally in Providence. Like the Ninth, it was made 
up of well known citizens. Its duties were of a similar charac- 
ter of defense. They were assigned to the chain of forts com- 
manding the Potomac at Chain bridge and the road from Har- 
per's Ferry to Rockville. 

The Eleventh Rhode Island was enlisted for the war under the 
general order of May, 1862, and went to the field under the 
command of Colonel Zenas R. Bliss in the following September, 
and was assigned to Paul's Second brigade of Casey's division. 
It did good service at the assault on Fredericksburg, spending 
the night on the field after the engagement. In this battle it 
lost one hundred and forty killed and wounded, including 
among the former Lieutenant-Colonel Sayles, Major Babbitt, 
Adjutant Page and several other line officers. In the winter of 
1863 the Seventh was sent to Kentucky as part of the Ninth 
army corps, and was engaged in the movements which resulted 
in the capture of Vicksburg. In the spring of 1864 it returned 
to the army of the Potomac and took part in the struggles at 
Spotsylvania Court House and Cold Harbor. Consolidated with 
the Fourth Rhode Island in October, 1864, before Petersburg, 
it shared in the labors of the siege, making part of the garrison 
of Fort Sedgwick (Fort Hell) on the Jerusalem plank road. In 
the pursuit of the retreating confederate army the regiment 
moved with the Ninth corps. It was permitted to inscribe on 
its colors the names of "Fredericksburg, Siege of A'icksburg, 
Jackson, Spotsylvania, North Anna, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, 
Weldon Railroad, Poplar Spring Church, Hatcher's Run." In 
this regiment Newport was represented in Company I, of which 
Thomas B. Carr of this city was captain. 

The Twelfth Regiment was organized at about the same per- 
iod as the Eleventh (September, 1862), under the call for nine 
months' men, and in the enlistment received the Newport re- 
cruits. Company I., Captain George C. Almy. The regiment 
was placed under command of Colonel George H. Browne and 
marched to the front before Fredericksburg, where it was brig- 
aded under General Nagle in Sturgis' division of the Ninth 
army corps. It was thrown across the river and took part in 
the assault of the town, in which it suffered severely. In Jan- 



428 



HISTORY ov nf:\vpokt county. 



uary it moved with tlie Ninth army corps to the Peninsula. It 
marched with Burnside to the Department of the Ohio and en- 
gaged in various service in tlie campaign of tlie Tennessee, re- 
turning home in July, 1863. 

In the Rhode Island cavalry Newport was honorably repre- 
sented among the officers, the First regiment being commanded 
by Robert B. Lawton, colonel; Troop P being led by Captain 
John Rogers and Troop G by Captain T. B. Wood; and on its 
reorganization Captain Rogers was promoted major. In the 
Second regiment Charles W. Turner served as fii'st lieutenant 




FOKT ADAMS. 

in Troop G, and iufer in tlie same rank in Troop G of tlie Third 
regiment. 

In the heavy artillery New[)ort was chiefly represented in the 
Fifth regiment, in companies E, G and II, and in the Four- 
teenth regiment (Coloit'd), which was moved to the Department 
of the Gull' and iil'lerward transformed into the Eleventh United 
States heavy artillery (colored). 

The adjutant general's office does not supply full returns of 
the naval recruits from Rhode Island, but in the partial list 
printed b}^ oi'der of the state, Newi)ort is fully represented. 

In 1862 the war department designated Fort Adams as the 



IIISTOIIY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 429 

headquarters of the Fifteenth United States infantry, General 
Fitz John Porter colonel, Lieutenant Colonel Sanderson in com- 
mand. The companies enlisted were in the field and many of 
the officers on special duty. The new men recruited were or- 
dered to Fort Adams for instruction. 

A list of soldiers from New])ort, wlio died during tlie war, is 
given here with date and place of death: 

First Regiment. — Company F: Tliomas Harrington and John 
P. Peckham, July 21st, ISGl, at Bull Run, Va. 

Second Regiment. — Company K: William McCann and John 

C. Nicholson, July 21st, ISGl, at Bull Run, Va.; David A. New- 
man, May 14tli, 1862, at Washington, D. C. ; Robert Shane, 
June 25th, 1862, at Fair Oaks, Va.; James Taylor, May 12th, 
1864, at Wilderness, Va.; Anson J. Smith, June 3d, 1864, at 
Cold Harbor, Va. 

Third Regiment. — Company C: Henry H. Warfield, October 
8th, 1861, at Fort Hamilton, N. Y. 

Fourth Regiment. — Companj'^ A: W^illiam Tew, January 5th, 
1864, drowned; Company C: Robert Hardman, February 4tli, 
1863, at Washington, D. C; Company D: John T. Clark, March 
14th, 1862, at Newbern, N. C. ; Company G: Samuel Curtis, 
August 20th, 1862, at Newport, R. I.; Henry Fish, Thomas B. 
Tanner and G. B. Gardiner, September 17th, 1862, at Antietani; 
William S. Denham and Robert Williams April 19th, 1862, at 
Carolina City, N. C; John W.Chase, April 26th, 1862, at 
Carolina City. N. C; William H. Cair, June 14th, 1862, at 
Beaufort. N. C; Thomas C. Lake, August 1st, 1864, at Peters- 
burg, Va.; Fred. J. Peabody, September 30th, 1S64; Henry 
Dunnegan, November 28th, 1863, at Bowers Hill, Va.; James 
Walker, December 11th, 1862, wounded at Antietaur, Richard 
T. Tew, August 3d, 1863, at Portsmouth, Va. ; Company H: 
William J. Anthony, December 18th, 1862, at Washington, 

D. C. 

First Cavalry.— Thomas C. Moore, December 14th, 1864; 
Company A: George H. Harris, May 19tli, 1864, at hospital; 
Philip B. Smith, December 1st, 1863, at Audersonville, Ga. ; 
Company C: James P. Taylor, August 10th, 1862. 

Fifth Cavahy. — Company A: Amos B. Sherman and Edward 
Bass, March 18th, 1862, at Newbern, N. C; William F. Caswell, 
December 12th, 1862, at Newbern, N. C; Company C: Joliu W.' 
Allen, October luth, 1864, at Newbern, N. C 



430 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Seventh Cavalry. — Company I: John Kilroy, January 30th, 
1864, at Petersburg; Samuel F. Simpson, May 26th, 1864, at 
North Anna River. 

Twelfth Cavalry. — Company D: John Caswell, January 5th, 
186B, at Falmouth, Va. 

Fourteenth Cavalry. — Company G: George H. Jackson, Oc- 
tober 15th, 1864, at Fort Jackson, Fla. 



CHAPTER IX. 



CHURCHES AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NEWPORT. 

By John Austin Stevens. 



Baptist Churches. — Tlie Society of Friends. — Congi-egational Churches. — Protest- 
ant Episcopal Cliurches. — The Moravians. — Methodist Episcopal Churches. — 
(Jews' Synagogue. — Catholic Churches. — Public Schools. 



THE spirit which moved the English emigrants to leave 
their native land and make their settlements on the 
savage coast of America was a religious spirit. A phase of 
the revolt against form, which began with the burning of the 
Pope's bull by Luther, has continued through various evolu- 
tions and has not yet reached its legitimate conclusions in any 
land; the absolute freedom of the mind from priestly leading 
strings. Indeed, if the motive which directly governed the 
emigration be carefully studied, it will be found to have been 
a revolt against the manner of the form rather than against 
form itself. The colony founded was a religious colony, the 
majority of whose members were as thoroughly attached to 
uniformity as the English church establishments from which 
they broke away. Yet while the colonies agreed in this pro- 
test in kind, they diilered in degree. The Puritans, as it is 
the habit to call all the early settlers, were by no means of 
one mind. 

The Plymouth colony were of the sect of dissenters known 
as Separatists; that which settled about the ^lassachusetts bay 
lield more nearly to the communion of the Church of England. 
While they were in near accord as to the nature of the Lord's 
kingdom, they were by no means in harmony among them- 
selves as to tlie manner in which it should be ''externally man- 
aged and maintained in his church." On one point, however, 
there was agreement; the interdependence of cliurch and state; 
the supremacy of the church over the state and the consequent 
need oi a theocratic form of government. Heresy or "errone- 



432 insTollY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

ons opinions," to use their own gentlest form of condemnation, 
was tlierefore criminal — punishable by imprisonment, by exile 
and even death. Intolerance accompanied uniformity as its 
natural corollary and, in accordance with the universal law of 
the 7uoi-al as of the physical world, pressure developed resislance 
in the precise ratio of its force. At first the conditions of the 
settlement, isolated in an unknown country uiufer a severe 
climate, and among savage tribes, compelled sulimission in 
practice if not acquiescence in spirit to the established forms 
of the theocratic rule. The age was an age of religious inquiry. 
Religious inquiry was the very reason and cause of the Puii 
tan settlement. It was the life, the business, the amusement, 
after a grim fashion, of the Puritan fathers. 

But difference, not uniformity, is the underlying law, and it 
is not surprising to find even among these peoi)le the tendency 
to divergence from the common center of faith — a divergence 
the expression of which was at first restrained by the phJ^sical 
condition of the settlement. As their numbers increased by 
the continuous flow of emigration from the mother country and 
they grew more self reliant, measures restrictive not only of 
independent action but of expressions of independent opinion 
were now rigidly enforced, until at last intolerance reached its 
extreme limit in an inquiry into opinion itself, regardless of 
its expression. To hold " erroneous opinions " was an offense 
against their theocratic law. In the beginning revolt, even re- 
sistance to this oppression of the dominant theocracy was mad- 
ness. There was no escape but to return to England, which 
would be to put themselves again within the fangs of the san- 
guinary laud or in exile among the savages of the interior. In- 
deed this casting from them of the offender into the outer dark- 
ness was the favorite punishment of our sanctimonious fore- 
fathers. At first this seemed a terrible outlook, but as ac- 
quaintance with the Indians reassured them as to their friendly 
disposition toward the invaders of the soil, e.xile lost its hor- 
rors and even took on the pleasing guise of adventure and the 
chance of profit. 

This desire for freedom from the established formalism cul- 
minated in two separate movements, which were respectively 
the origin of the Connecticut and Rhode Island colonies. 
These movements differed as much in purpose as in scope. 
Hooker led his Newtown charge to the Connecticut valley, 



HISTORY OF NKWPOirr COUNTY. 433 

there to found at Tlnrtford a colony on olnircli tenets not in 
conformity with those of the established church in England 
certainly, but not so far removed in practice as that of the 
chiirch established in Massachusetts bay. Thus the beginnings 
of Connecticut, as those of Massachusetts before it, were relig- 
ious beginnings — a schism within a schism, but nevertheless a 
theocratic government in which the clergy and the civil magis- 
trates were either identical or held equal coordinate jiowers. 
This hegira of Hooker was in the summer of 1G3C. He had 
already been preceded in his tiight into the wilderness by a 
clergyman of his own faith: not like him, howevei', a voluntary 
exile from the hoaie of his adoption, leading to a lield promis- 
ing profitable enterprise a select band of the best and foremost 
of the New England settlers, but an exile by the law, a solitary 
pilgrim, an exile from the pilgrims' land. 

The edict of banisliment of Roger AVilliams bears date of the 
8d of November, 163.'i. Summoned from his charge of the 
church at Salem before the general conrt in October, he de- 
fended himself of his "errors.'" Hooker was chosen to dispute 
with him, but could not "reduce him from any of his errors." 
All the ministers of the colony were present, and all save one 
concurred in his sentence. The names of Hooker and of Wil- 
liams are not mentioned here either in antithesis or opposition, 
but simply to l)ring to attention the fact that the wilderness 
was by no means so dangerous to either of them as might be 
supposed. Williams had already made himself the friend of 
the Indians, " living in their huts about Boston and learning 
their language," and Ousamequin (Massasoit), the great chief 
of the Wampanoags, who welcomed him to the Narragansett 
waters, was his personal friend. It is of history also that John 
Eliot, later the apostle of the Indians, was an intimate com- 
panion of Hooker, and had been his assistant teacher at a school 
in London before their emigration. Eliot and Williams came 
to America the same year (1631) and alike were earnest in their 
desire to benefit the Indian tribes. They were probably the 
only two educated white men who understood the language of 
the natives. 

The habitation of Williams at Seekonk and his later settle- 
ment at Providence must of course be held the beginnings of 
Rhode Island; and the liberty of conscience, which he later in- 
sisted upon as the religious motive upon which the civil govern- 
as 



434 HISTORY OF NEWPOHT COUNTY. 

merit of the colony was to hinge, may likewise find in him its 
first representative. The early records of Providence seem to 
contemplate a future settlement, but in the agreeuient of the 
thirteen "inhabitants, masters of families incorporated together 
in town fellowship, and others whom they shall admit unto 
them only in civil things " (four of whom it may be said pusslm 
only signed their marks), there seems to liave been no tlidught 
except of the simplest form of patriarchal regulation; none 
whatever of any religious organization. In point of fact the true 
political beginnings of the Rhode Island settlement are found 
in the establishment on the island of Aquidneck of the lit- 
tle colony which followed John Clarke. Here also will be 
found the beginnings of religious observance, tenets and rules. 
In the agreement entered into at Portsmouth on the 7th day of 
the lirst month (March, 1638), signed by Williams, Coddington, 
John Clarke and their seventeen associates, they solemnly incor- 
porate themselves into a "Bodie Politick," submitting their 
persons, lives and estates unto the Lord Jesus Christ and ''to 
all those perfect and most absolute laws of his given in his holy 
word," and to make more explicit their understanding of the 
laws intended they name Exodus, 24, 8, 4, Second Chronicles, 
11, 3, and Second Kings, 11, 17, and the same day electing Cod- 
dington to be their judge, "covenant to yield all due honour 
uuto him according to the lawes of God;" and again, at their 
next general meeting, upon "publick notice 3d month, 13 day, 
1638," require submission to the government that is or shall be 
established on the island according to the vi^ord of God; and by 
further resolution order that the meeting house shall be set out 
on the neck of land that goes over to the main of the island. 

At the synod held in Newtown in August, 1635, preceding 
that meeting of the genei'al court in October and November 
which passed the sentence of banishment on Roger \Villiaras, 
no less than "eighty erroneous opinions" were presented, de- 
bated and condemned. The majority of the court, after a three 
days debate and some cliange of sides, determined to stand by 
the synod and carry its judgment into effect by legislation or 
rules, whereupon Mr. John Clarke, one of the remonstrants, 
made proposal. to which a number agreed, to seek out a place 
where they might govern themselves and worship God after 
their own manner. Yet that this manner was not that entire 
liberty of conscience which Roger Williams later claimed to 



HISTORY OK NKWroUT COUNTY. 435 

have been the piirposeof settleiiienf, appears in tlie banislinient 
of Gorton a year or so later on contention because of religious 
opinions peculiar to himself and his followers. 

John Clarke was a Baptist and may fairly be claimed to have 
founded the first Baptist cliurch in America. Benedict, in his 
history of the Baptist denomination in America, claims that the 
church founded by Roger Williams at Providence in 1G3J) was 
the first of the Baptist denomination in the American continent 
and assigns the second place to that founded by John Clarke in 
Newport in 1644. The Massachusetts hierarchy liad consented 
to no such heresy. That the beginnings were in the Rhode Is- 
land settlement there is no doubt, but the order of precedence 
is not so certain. It is certain, however, that John Clarke, as 
the leader of the little colony and a man of letters, carried on 
public worshijx A survey of New England in 1641 records " the 
religious condition of Aquidneck as broken and precarious; the 
Newport church where one Master Clark was Elder as dissolved; 
at the other end of the island a town, Portsmouth, but no 
church — a meeting of some men who there teach one another 
and call it propliecy; at Providence Master Williams and his 
company of divers opinions, most are Anabaptists." 

Tradition is so uncertain and history in matters of religion so 
takes its color from the opinions of the reporter, that it is vain 
to attempt to settle these discordant opinions, but whatever 
date may be assigned to the earliest beginnings of John Clarke's 
preaching, there is no doubt that he was the first who taught the 
Bai)tist belief in America, that liis first open teachings were in 
Rhode Island and that the meeting or church, or whatever name 
may be given it, was in full operation in 1648, when the names of 
fifteen i)ersons appear in the list of the members of the church 
on occasion of the baptism of Samuel Hubbard. This worthy 
had fled from Hartford, being threatened witli imprisonment 
because of his holding wilh his wife to " the holy ordinance of 
baj)tizing only visible believers." The chief helpmate of Clarke 
in his early teachings was Robert Lenthal, who was admitted a 
freeman of the town of Newport in 1640. He had come from 
Weymouth because of his inability to found a church there; the 
common people embracing liis opinions but the authorities re- 
pressing his efforts with a stern hand. On his arrival he opened a 
public school which is said to have been the first attempt of the 
kind in this country, if not in the world. He soon drifted into the- 



436 IIISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

ology and aided Clarke in a public controversy of the two fun- 
damental questions which then convulsed the Puritan world; 
namely, the sufhciency of scrij)ture as a rule of faith and prac- 
tice and the existence on earth of a visible church with visible 
ordinances. 

The Antinomian heresy, which claimed exclusive possession 
of an inner light which, rather than the teachings of the scrijD- 
tures, is the true rule of action, was spreading its convenient 
doctrine far and wide. At Newport it became the cause of con- 
tention ; Coddington, Coggeshall and others of the foremost 
men holding to the new theories ; Clarke, their minister, Len- 
thal and others vigorously dissenting from and strenuously op- 
posing them. Hence a schism in the infant church. 

In 1649 the members of the church were, howevei", increased 
by numerous additions. These removed from Seekonk (Reho- 
both), where their attempt to found a church had been merci- 
lessly throttled by the Plymouth magistrates, within whose 
jurisdiction the town lay. Some of these new comers became 
pillars of the church and eminent in the Narragansett colony. 
Of Mr. Clarke's connection with their entrance into the new or- 
der of religion there is evidence in a letter of Williams to Win- 
' throp, in which he says, "at Seekonk a great many have con- 
curred with John Clarke and our Providence men about the 
point of a new baptism and the manner by dipping, and Mr. 
John Clarke hath been there lately (and Mr. Lucar) and hath 
dipped them." But AVilliams adds (and this of itself seems 
sufficient evidence that he had not established a Baptist church 
at Providence), " I believe their practice comes nearer the fii'st 
practice of our great founder Christ Jesus than other practices 
of religion do, and yet I have not satisfaction neither in the au- 
thority by which it is done nor in the manner. In 1649 also 
Mr. Clarke jireached and baptized in the neighborhood of Prov- 
idence. 

John Clarke continued tcr minister to the Newport church 
until his death in 1676, in the sixty-sixth year of his age. He 
was succeeded by Obadiah Holmes. Holmes was a native of 
England and emigrated to America about 1639, and was a com- 
municant of the Pedobaptist congregation first at Salem, later 
at Seekonk, or Rehoboth, Avhere he was baptized by Clarke. 
Visiting Boston he was arrested bj^ the authorities and terri- 
bly scourged for his heresy. He was glad to escape the vin- 



IIISTOKY OK NKWJ'OKT COUWTY. 437 

diolive pursuit of the Plymouth government by moving to 
Newport, which was beyond the pale of their authority. The 
Narragansetts were still the undisi)uted masters of this soil. 
On Clarke's visit to England on the alTairs of the charter for 
the colony Holmes was made pastor of the church, and held 
the charge until his death in 1682, at seventy-six years. It is 
not necessary here to enter into details of the ministry of his 
successors, but an exception must be made in the case of the 
sixth pastor, John Callender, A. M., who was called to his 
charge in 1731, and continued in it until his death in 1748. He 
was a graduate of Harvard College, and to him we owe the 
"Century Sermon," a sketch of the history of Rhode Island 
for a hundred years. This discourse, preached, or i-ather de- 
livered, in 1738, and printed at Boston in the following year, is 
the undisputed text book of the historical student, and an ad- 
mirable summary of tlie traditions of the fathers for the cen- 
tury elapsed from the beginnings of the plantation to the year 
of its preparation. 

The English Baptists have been described uiuler the name of 
Congregational Liberalists. There were churches of the order 
of General Baptists in England in 1608, and of English in Am- 
sterdam in 1611. A printed confession of the latter in this year 
affirms the "Magistracy to be a holy ordinance of God, and 
that every soul ought to be subject to it not for fear only, but 
for conscience sake," but adds " that the magistrate is not to 
meddle with religion or matters of conscience." 

The doctrines which Mr. Clarke brought with him were 
those of the English Particular Baptist church. The church 
which he established was early in correspondence with the 
cliurch in London, but it does not appear that he was ever a 
preacher except according to the Baptist practice of eldership. 
Indeed he is always mentioned as an elder. There is little 
doubt that he was the anthoi' of tlie confession of faith and 
purpose which was the foundation, not only of the Baptist 
church of Aquidneck, but of the civil government of the 
colony. 

The terms General and Particular Baptists may be thus de- 
fined. The Particular Baptists held to the narrow dogma of 
Calvin and believed in the salvation of the elect only; a doctrine 
peculiarly acceptable to the New England theocratic hierarchy. 
The General Baptists on the contrary leaned to the Arminian 



438 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

belief that salvation was possible to all. It is natural to find 
that the exclusive doctrine found by far the most adiierents, 
but it is to the credit of the early settlers of Rhode Island 
that they were of the General Baptist order and not unwilling 
to share salvation with the outer world. 

The First Baptist Church. — Founders: Constituents ac- 
cording to tradition, Dr. John Clarke and wife, Mark Lukar, 
Nathaniel West and wife, William Vaughan, Thomas Clark, 
Joseph Clark, John Peckham, John Thomdon, William and 
Samuel Weeden (Benedict's History). 

Pastors: Elder John Clarke, M. D., 1638-1676; Obadiah 
Holmes, 1652-168-2; Richard Dingley, 1689-1694; William Peck- 
ham, 1711-1732; John Comer, A. B., 1726-1729; John Callender, 
A. M., 1731-1746; Edward Upham, A. M., 1748-1771; Erasmus 
Kelly, 1771-1784; Benjamin Foster, D.D., 178.5-1788; Michael 
Eddy, 1790-1835; Arthur A. Ross, 1835-1840; Joseph Smith, 
1841-1849; Samuel Adlam, 1849-1864; Comfort E. Barrows, 
1865-1888; Francis W. Rider, 18841886; E. P. Tnller, 1886. 

House of Worsliip. — This ancient society has considerable 
possessions in real estate bequeathed to it by Dr. John Clarke, 
its founder. Later Governor Lyndon bequeathed to it his 
mansion house for a parsonage. It is uncertain whether the 
early members of the society ever carried into effect the early 
order of the colony to build a meeting house on Ferry neck. 
The first house of worship in Newport proper was on Tanner 
street (now West Broadway), which was sold in 1738 and a new 
edifice erected on the present site. This was taken down and 
replaced by a new structure in 1841. The lot, according to 
Benedict, was seventy-three feet by sixty-four, and was given 
to the church by Colonel Hezekiah Carpenter and Governor 
Lyndon. The meeting house was forty feet by nearly sixty. 

The Second Baptist Church was organized by twenty one 
members of the First, who seceded from it in 1656 for the fol- 
lowing reasons: 1st. Her use of psalmody. 2d. Undue re- 
straints upon the liberty of prophesying. 3d. Particular 
redemption. 4th. Her holding the laying-on of hands as a 
matter of indifference. The last article was no doubt the chief 
cause of separation, which might perhaps have been avoided but 
for the absence of Mr. Clarke in England. Their leader was 
William Vaughan, who became the first pastor of the new 
church. He continued his ministry till his death in 1677. His 



JIISTOliT OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 439 

■sncoessor, Thomas Baker, after a short service, raised up a 
church in North Kingstown. The third pastor was John 
Harder, a native of Enghind, who died in liis charge in 1700. 
The fourth was James Clarke, a nephew of John Clarke, the 
common founder of all the Baptist churclies. 

Founders /William Vanghan, Thomas Baker, James Clarke, 
Jeremiah Clarke, Daniel Wightman, John Odlin, Jeremiah 
Weeden, Joseph Card, John Greenman, Henry Clark, Peleg ' 
Peckham, James Barker, Stephen Hookey, Timothy Peckham, 
Joseph Weeden, John Rhodes, James Brown, John Hammet, 
William Rhodes, Daniel Sabear, William Greenman (Bene- 
dict's History). 

Pastors: William Yaughan, 163(3-1677; Thomas Baker, 1677 
-1679; John Harden, 1679-1700; James Clarke, 1700-1736; Dan- 
iel Wightman, 1736-17.)0; Nicholas Eyres, 17o0-17o9; Gardner 
Thurston, 1759-1801; Joshua Bradley, 1801-1807; John B. Gib- 
son, 1807-1815; Samuel Wydown, 1815-1817; Romeo Elton, 
1817-1822; William Gammell, 1823-1827; John O. Choules, 
1827-1833; John Dowling, 1833-1836; Leland Howard, 1838- 
1840; Tliomas Leaver, 1841-1845; John O. Choules (2d time), 
1847-1856; Charles H. Malcom, 1857-1877; N. B. Thompson, 

1878-1881; Frank Rector, 1881-1887; Covell, 1887-1887 (a 

few months); S. W. Stevens, 1888. 

House of WorsJiip. — The original building stood on Farewell 
street on a lot one hundred and forty feet by seventy-five, and 
adjoining was a smaller lot fifty feet square, on which stood a 
smaller building, at first occupied as a school house but later de- 
voted to the housing of poor members of the congregation. The 
present house is on the corner of North Baptist and Farewell 
streets, a building of a gothic order eighty-six by fifty-four 
feet, erected in 1834-5, and thoroughly renovated in 1885. It is 
finished with a tower and bell, galleries, an organ and conven- 
ient vestries. 

Tiiiui) Baptist Ciiuucir. — The Sabbatarians, as this sect of 
Baptists were formerly denominated, differ from their brethren 
of the general name in hardly any other article that the observ- 
ance of the Sabbath. Holding to the strict text of the Old Tes- 
tament they believe in the Jewish Sabbath and the observance 
of the seventh day when the Almighty rested, and not of the 
first day as ordained by Constantine in the law for the' observ- 
ance of Sunday. There is no precise infoimation as to the ori- 



440 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

gin of the sect of the Seventh Day Baiitist.s in England. In 
America they first appear in Rliode Island. Green (in his sliort 
history of Rhode Island) says that in 1667 they were sufficient- 
ly numerous to justify them in asking that niarliet day might 
be changed from Saturday, their Sabbath, to some other day, 
and that the assembly, to quiet their scruples, added Thursday 
as another market day. 

• The first Sabbatarian church in America was formed in New- 
port in the year 1671. Its founder was Stephen Mumford, who 
came to this country from England in 1665, bringing with him 
the last variety of Baptist doctrine, viz., that it was an anti- 
Christian power that had changed the Sabbath from the seventh 
to the first day of the week. He joined Mr. Clarke's church in 
which he soon found many who agreed with him in his new 
opinion, among whom some of its more considerable members. 
The majority of the church, however, though it seems, concur- 
ring in tlie opinion that the change of day was a reformation, 
did not take the extreme view of the innovators, who in conse- 
quence, to the number of seven, among whom were William 
Hiscox, Samuel H. Hubbard and Steplien Mumfoi'd, thereupon 
withdrew. William Hiscox became their pastor. He died in 
1704, aged sixty six years, and was succeeded by William Gib- 
son, an Englishman who was ordained in London before he 
crossed the seas. The new church grew in inttnence if not to 
great numbers and many of their chief characters in Rhode Is- 
land history are to be found in the list of its communicants, 
among whom two of the governors of the colony foremost in 
intelligence and patriotism, among the best of colonial and rev- 
olutionary worthies, Richard and Samuel AVard. Yet even 
these strict constructionists had in something to bend to the 
practical temper of the day; and the more liberal went so far as 
to contend that they might lawfully ride their horses to meet- 
ing and do other things which to the Jews were forbidden on 
pain, not of eternal damnation in the world to come, of which 
they seem not to have had notice, but of an immediate j^unish- 
ment in the world tiiat is. 

On the settlement of Misquamicut (now Westerly) many of the 
membei-s removed to that place and joined in the organization 
of the church of this denomination there in 1705. The Newport 
church was at the height of its membersliip from the middle of 
the last century until the revolutionary war. About the middle 



IIIPTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 441 

of the present century it had dwindled to such small numbers 
that services were suspended and for twenty-five years its meet- 
ing house was closed. 

Founders: William Hiscock, Samuel Hubbard, Stephen 
Mumford, Roger Baxter and three sisters, Tacy Hubbard, 
Rachel Langworthy, ■ Mumford. 

Pastors: Reverends William Hiscock, 1671-1704; William 
Gibson, 1704-1717 ; Joseph Crandal, 1717-1737 ; John Maxon, 
1737-1788; Ebenezer David, 1775-1778; William Bliss, 1788- 
1808 ; Arnold Bliss, Henry Burdick, 1808-1843 (the last 
pastor). 

House of Worsliip. — In 1729 a building was erected for tliem 
by Henry Collins, one of the founders of the Redwood library, 
on the north side of Barney street, near to Spring street. In 
1884 this ancient structure which, in the long lapse of time, 
preserved its original appearance without and within, passed into 
the hands of the Newport Historical Society. During the year 
1887 this young bnt vigorous institution, desirous of preserving 
from all possible danger this, almost the last of the quaint rel- 
ics of the olden time, purchased a fine lot on Touro street, next 
to the Jewish synagogue, and removed their building. It now 
stands safe and sound alongside of its durable neighbors. It is 
an odd conjuncture that after a century brings together, alike de- 
serted of worshippers, the two buildings in which the Hebrew 
ritualists and their followers in strict observance of the Sab- 
bath day commandment, were wont to gather in worship on the 
seventh day. 

Central Baptist Church. — This church, organized Janu- 
ary 7th, 1847, had its origin in the interference of members of 
the Society of Baptists, who were not professors of the faith, in 
the church government ; one hundred and forty-five members, 
including all the officers of the church, asked letters of dis- 
missal, "hicli were granted them, and under the lead of Dr. 
Henry Jackson founded a new church, whic'h has proved a 
sound and thriving organization, maintaining besides their own 
religious instruction a Sunday school on Callender avenue. 
Their meeting house was dedicated in September, 1847, and 
the society has had a career of uninterrupted prosperity. 

House of Worship.— On their organization in 1847 the Central 
Baptist Church purchased the Second Congregational meeting 
house, a handsome frame building, erected on the west side of 



442 nisTOMY OF newpoht count y. 

Clarke street in 17B3. This was entirely remodelled witli a 
tower, galleries, vestries, a bell and an organ. 

Pastors: Henry Jackson, D. D,, 1847-1863; H. E. Robbins, 
1861-1867 ; S. F. Hancock, 1867-1869 ; N. J. Wheeler, 1869- 
1879 ; Warren Randolph, 1879. . 

The Siiiloh Baptist Church was organized on May 10th, 
1864. The Rev. William Barnett was the first pastor. Rev. H. 
N. Jeter is the pre.sent pastor. The meeting house of this so- 
ciety is on the southwest corner of Mary and School streets. 
It was erected in 1798, and was for many years the property of 
Trinity cluirch. It was purchased in 1869 by Shiloh church. 
The present membership is about seventy. 

Friends' or Quakers' Society. — George Fox. the father of 
this denomination of Christians, began his labors in England 
in the year 1644. In the year 1656 Mary Fisher and her com- 
pany arrived at Boston, where the appearance of this "cursed 
sect of heretics" alarmed and mortified the worthy Puritans 
to the appointment of a day of humiliation. Laws were passed 
for their suppression, and in 1658 their tenets were made a 
capital offense. A persecution followed which continued for five 
years, and was only stayed by the order of Charles the Second, 
requiring a stoppage of all punishments, capital or corporal, and 
the dispatch of the offenders to England. But before adopting 
their violent measures of suppression, the Massachusetts au- 
thorities had resorted to their favorite method of exclusion. 
The party of eight which arrived in 1656 was returned to Eng- 
land the same year, but nothing daunted by their experience or 
the terrors of the sea, they re-embarked for America in 1057, this 
time, however, for New Amsterdam. The Dutch colony and 
the city of Manhattan was at this period the only soil where 
liberty of practice as well as of conscience in matters of religion, 
save in the case of Roman Catholics, was freely allowed. Yet 
even here the Quakers were harshly dealt with in the city 
proper, though permitted to live undisturbed on Long Island, 
where they rapidly grew in numbers and prosperity. A part 
of this little emigrant party landed in the Dutch city, the rest 
remained on the vessel, the ship " Woodhouse," which carried 
them on to Rhode Island. A trade and intercourse had already 
grown up between the settlers in Narragansett bay and the 
Hollanders at the western extremity of Long Island sound. 

Before the arrival of these professed Friends at Newport, 



IIISTOItY OV NKVVPOKT COUNTY. 443 

opinions similar to tlieirs had been held by a sect termed 
Seekers, who soon after were merged in tlie former society. 
The bnsiness of " Seekers," Callender defines to be, "to wait 
for new apostles to restore Christianity. " Mr. Arnold, writing 
of 1647, states that up to that date the Friends did not exist as 
a distinct society holding to the nnlawfnlnessof oaths. Among 
these was William Coddington, one of the founders and the 
first judge of the colony. The opinions of the new sect spread 
rapidly, and it is said that in I608 there were no less than fif- 
teen ministers of the society in New England, nearly all of them 
in prison at once place or another. 

Tlie commissioners of the United Colonies assembled at Bos- 
ton in 1657, wrote to Rhode Island urging the banishment of 
the Quakers already arrived and the prohibition of any more 
from coming to the state, but the authorities and the general 
assembly answered that freedom of conscience, the principle 
and ground of their charter, should be maintained; adding 
that "being iinmolested the Quakers were becoming disgusted 
with their want of success." In this they were probably ill 
informed, as the free soil of Rhode Island was fast becoming 
the haven of rest to the persecuted Friends. Again in 1658 the 
commissioners summoned the general courts of all tlie colonies. 
Massachusetts passed a law punishing with death any Quaker 
returning after banishment. Rhode Island was threatened 
witli non-intercourse and stoppage of trade with all the other 
New England colonies and again held fast to her freedom. It is 
true that the threat of non-intercourse had no terrors for the 
colony so long as the English and Dutch were at peace. New 
Amsterdam was a nearer port and of easier and safer reach 
than Massachusetts bay. But the commissioners cared more 
for the rotundity of their phrases than the soundness of their 
facts. 

In 1658 the wife of one of the Providence settlers was pub- 
licly flogged in Boston for protesting against the cruelty prac- 
ticed on three of her brethren whose ears were cut off as Qua- 
kers under the penaltj- of the law, and in 1660 Mary Dyre, the 
wife of the first secretary of Aquidneck, having embraced the 
l)roscribed tenets and returning to Boston in spite of a decree 
of banishment, was hanged. She had before been condemned 
and reprieved on the scaffold, but returned to brave the general 



444 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

courf, which was at tlie time sitting; this third appearance 
proved fatal. That the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the 
church was now shown in the histoiy of the Friends. They 
gathered at Newport in 1661 in such numbers as to alarm the 
people of Boston for their personal safety. This gathering is 
called the First Yearly Meeting of Friends in America. 

In 1672 George Fox, the founder of the English Society of 
Friends, visited Newport when the yearly meeting was held at 
the house of William Coddington and lasted six days. Fox 
arrived from the Barbadoes, barely escaping capture by an Al" 
gerine rover, a good fortune he ascribed to the power of j^rayer. 
The Quakers were already in considerable numbers in the En- 
glish West India islands, and naturally found their way to the 
shores of Narragansett, whose settlers were already coasting on 
the islands and the main in a trade of barter. While Fox was 
in Newport a grand religious combat was proposed. No less a 
champion than Roger W^illiams himself sent a written challenge 
to the Quaker apostle to meet him in public discussion of four- 
teen jn-opositions denouncing the Quaker tenets; seven to be 
disputed at Newport, the remainder at Providence. The chal- 
lenge was some days on the way, and when it reached the 
hands of Deputy Governor Cranston, to whom it was consigned, 
Fox had already left the island. The dispute came off never- 
theless. Williams, though then seventy-three years of age, 
rowed himself down the bay from Providence. He was met by 
three of Fox's disciples. For three days the war of words raged 
high. The next hearing was at Providence, where one daj^ suf- 
ficed. No result is recorded; one fact remains, however, to 
whatever influence it be ascribed, whether the persuasion of 
Fox or the failure of Williams : at the October election, 167:^, 
William Coddington was cliosen governor of the colony. The 
Quakers were in control. i 

It has been found impossible to ascertain the date of the first 
organization of the Friends as a society. The first records of a 
monthly meeling at Newport are of the year 1676. The records 
of the yearly meetings begin at 1683. This meeting also was 
held at the house of Coddington; the date is of the 11th of the 
fourth month (June). The record states the assembly of Rhode 
Island to begin " ye second daye of ye 4th month in every year- 
til friends see cause in ye wisdom and council of God to 
alter it." 



IirSTOllY OF NKWPOUT COUNTY. 445 

Friends'' Meefinf/ House. — The house of Governoi- Coddinf?- 
ton, wliere the earlj' meetings were held, stood on Mailborongh 
street, opposite Duke street. Coddington's lot of six acres was 
bounded by what are now Marlborough, Farewell. North Bap- 
tist and Thames streets. Then in open grounds, this must have 
been an admirable spot in the lovely month of June for an out- 
of-door gathering. Occasionally the nneetings were held at 
Portsmouth, at the house of Joshua Coggeshall, or at Adam 
Mott's, on the northern end of the island toward Bristol ferry, 
a large country house Avell fitted for the purpose. 

The first Friends' meeting house, devoted to that service and 
the place of the yearly meetings, was begun in the year 1699 
and completed the next year. The women's section was added 
in 1808. Tliis was the period of the Friends' greatest i^rosper- 
ity when it is estimated that one-half of the population of this 
neighborhood were of this persuasion. Newport retains its 
prestige among the New England Friends. There is still a 
monthly meeting, a quarterly meeting for Rhode Island and a 
part of Massachusetts, and the great yearly meeting of all New 
England, held here every other year. Tliis church is the first 
house of worship built in Rhode Island. 

The First Congregational Church had its origin in the 
gatherings attracted by the preaching of Mr. Nathaniel Clap of 
Dorchester in the Massachusetts Bay, a graduate of Harvard 
College, and a member of the church of this denomination in 
Boston, who, at the instance of his minister, came to Newport, 
where he ])reaclied until his death. 

In 1720 the Fiist Congregational church in Newport was or- 
ganized, and Mr. Clap was chosen its pastor. The church grew 
and flourished ; its membership lapidly inci-easing for a few 
years wiien the pastor, whose ideas of discipline and church 
government were severely rigid, refused both to administer the 
sacrament of the Lord's J^upper and the right of baptism to the 
child of two of the communicants of his church on the ground 
that these members of his chui'ch were " not of sufficiently 
holy conversation" for the sacred ordinances. This course 
gave rise to heart burnings and differences which culminated in 
1724 in a respectful petition to the pastor for consent to receive 
the sacrament in otlier churches ; to which he replied that lie 
had come to Newport on the advice of the reverend minister 
of Boston, and warning them of the awful account they would 



446 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

have to render for the " damnation of souls lost for the want of 
his preaching." Mr. Clai) was evidently an eccentric jj^rson, and 
it would be difficult to understand how such strained relations 
could exist between a minister and his parish if it be not borne 
iu mind that the connection was at that time held "as solemn and 
as sacred as the marriage contract." In 1725 his people proposed 
a colleague, but this he also declined, and when, notwithstand- 
ing his objection, a minister was engaged, he took care to occupy 
the pulpit throughout the service to the exclusion of the new- 
comer, and in 1723 he maintained the same stand, in spite of 
the recommendation of an exparte council of churches, con- 
vened in April of that year. Exasperated bj' tliis persistence, 
a large. part of the congregation withdrew and organized a new 
church. Meanwhile it appears that in some way Mr. Adams, 
the minister with whom Mr. Clap refused to divide his charge, 
preached in the church building, whereupon Mr. Clap declined 
to preach in it thereafter, and a new house of worship was 
erected for him on Mill street. Mr. Clap died at an advanced 
age in 1745. There is a portrait of him in the church vestry. 

In 1755 the Reverend Samuel Hopkins, one of the most dis- 
tinguished divines in the history of New England, was installed 
as pastor of the First church. He was in charge when the rev- 
olution broke out, and in 1776 left the city for Great Barring- 
ton, in Massachusetts. He returned to his parish in the spring 
of 1780, and set himself to work to build up the broken con- 
gregation. 

Founders : Nathaniel Clap, John Reynolds, Thomas Brown, 
Culbert Campbell, Ebenezer Daveni)ort, William Sanford, 
Richard Clark, Job Bissefc, Joshua Statson, Kendal Nichols, 
John Mayhem, James Carey, Nathaniel Townsend and John 
Labeer (Peterson's History of Rhode Island). 

Pastors : Reverend Nathaniel Clap, 1720-1745 ; Joseph Gard- 
ner, 1740-43 ; Jonathan Heliei-, 1744-1745 ; William Vinal, 
1746-1768 ; Samuel Hopkins, 1755-1803 ; Caleb T. Turney, 1804 
-1815 ; Calvin Hitchcock, 1815-1820 ; Samuel Austin; 1821- 
1826 ; William Torrey, 1827-1829 ; William Beecher, 1830- 
1833. 

House of Worship. — This building was used for barracks by 
the British troops during their occupation of the city, and was 
left by them in a very bad condition. The pulpit, pews and 
fixtures were all demolished and the bell sent over to England. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 447 

The Second Congregational Church was organized in 
1728. Perliaps the most interesting event in its history is the 
connection with it of the Reverend Ezra Stiles, who was or- 
dained its pastor in i7o5, and continned in its charge nntil 
October, 1776, when the remnant of the (H)iigregation in the 
city resolved to suspend public worship during the winter be- 
cause of its disturbed state in the British occupation. In 
March of the following year Doctor Stiles left Newport and be- 
came president of Yale College, although he was not dismissed 
from his charge until after the close of the war. In 1786 he 
was succeeded in it by the Reverend William Patton, an ad- 
mirable scholar and worthy man, ))ut of Doctor Stiles it may 
be said that he was one of the most learned and profound 
scholars of his own or indeed of any age in American history. 

Pastors: Reverend John Adams, 1728-1729-1730; James Sear- 
ing, 1731 1755; Ezra Stiles, 1755-1776; William Patton, 1786- 
1833. 

House of Worship. — This building fared little better than 
the first during the revolution. It was used also for barracks 
by the British troojis, the pews were destroyed and a chimney 
built through the middle of the pulpit. In 1787 a new bell 
weighing about eleven hundred pounds was imported from 
Copenhagen, and was hung in the belfry of the Union Congre- 
gational church in Springfield. "The City of Newport" is 
cast on the bell. 

United Congregational Church. — In 1833 the First and 
Second churches, after their separation of- more than a century, 
resolved to ninte again, and carrying their puri)ose into effect, 
the Reverend A. Henry Dumont was installed by an ecclesias- 
tical council the first pastor of the United church. A new 
house of worship was the next j'ear erected. 

Pastors: Reverend A. Henry Dumont, 1833; Thatcher 
Thayer, 1833-73; J. P. Taylor, 1873-76; II. J. Van Dyke, 1881- 
1883; Forest F. Emerson, 1883. 

House of Worship. — On the union of the First and Second 
Congregational cliurches it was resolved to erect a new house 
of worship. This was dedicated to the worship of the Triune 
God on the 4th of June, 1834. Later a new house was erected 
on the corner of Spring and Pelham streets. 



448 niSTOKY OF newpout county. 

Unitarian Congregational Church.— Congregationalism, 
Channing himself defined to be " the independence of Christian 
chiuclies." This was the fundamental principle of the fathers 
of New England. "They taught," he says, "that every 
church or congregation of Christians is an independent com- 
munity; that It is competent to its own government, has the 
sole power of managing its own resources, electing its own 
ministers and deciding its own controversies: and that it is 
not subject to any other church, oi' to bishops or synods or 
assemblies, or to any foreign ecclesiastical tribunal whatever." 
Newport was Channing's birtliplace, yet such was the heredi 
tary distaste to any innovation which threatened the "essen- 
tials," as they were called, of religion and faith, that for 
many years he rarely found welcome in any pulpit in the city. 
Nor is this surprising; for not half a century ago a Unitarian 
was held to be no better, indeed by many as somewhat worse, 
than a heathen. This exclusion of Channing was of course the 
consequence of his open identification with the Liberal church. 
The decisiv^e beginning of the Unitarian movement in Newport 
was in the autumn of 1835, when the Reverend Charles Briggs 
of the American Unitarian Association repeatedly preached in 
the state house. On the 24th of October a meeting was held 
at the house of William EUery, whose sister was the mother 
of Doctor Channing. Thei'e was present Samuel St. John, 
Richard Randolph of Virginia, Josiah C. Shaw, Charles Gyles, 
James Hammond, George Wanton EUery, William V. Taylor 
and Robert J. Taylor. A society was formed and the old 
Hopkins meeting house, then in possession of the Fourth 
(Freewill) Baptist Society, was purchased and remodelled. 
The society was originally formed as the Unitarian Association 
but at the next meeting of the general assembly, in January, 
1836, it obtained an act of incorporation as the Unitarian Con- 
gregational church. . The last preaching in the state house was 
by Dr. Hale of Providence. 

The opening service in the church building formerly the Con- 
gregational, on Mill street, which they purchased in 1835, was 
held by Mr. Farley. He was followed during the winter by Mr. 
Angier of New Bedford, Samuel Barret of Boston, George 
Briggs of Fall River, on Thanksgiving day and in December by 
Ezra Stiles Gannett. In May Mr. Charles G. Brooks arrived on 
the island for the first time and preached the next day. The 



HISTOIIY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 



449 



church was dedicated on the 27th of .Tiily, 1836, Doctor Chan- 
ning himself preaching. Here they continued to worship until 
the present edifice, known as the Channing Memorial church 
was dedicated in 1881. The corner-stone of this structure was 
laid April 7th, 1880, the 100th anniversary of the hirth of Chan- 
ning. In August Mr. Brooks, of Salem, was invited to come to 
Newport and organize the church. He began his settled minis- 
try in December and was ordained on Wednes- 
day, June 14th, 1837, Doctor Brazer of Salem 
preaching the sermon and Doctor Channing de- 
livering the charge. Mr. Brooks ended his ser- 
vice, which had 
been rarely inter- 
rupted either by 
absence or ex- 
change, on the last 
Sunday before 
Thanksgiving, 
1871, when the 
condition of his 
eyes compelled 
him to retire. He 
resigned his charge 
in the winter of 
1872-73 and in Oc 
tober was succeed- 
ed by the Rever- 
end John C. Kim- 
ball as past 01', who 
served until Rev- 
erend M. K. Scher- 
merhorne took 
charge. He was 
followed bj^ the 
Reverend John W. Day who resigned in 1887. The church is 
now without a settled pastor. There is a fine medallion of 
Doctor Brooks in bronze in the Newport Histoiical Society. 

TkinityEpi.scopalChukcii.— On the 20th of September, 1C99, 
the people of the Church of England then resident in Rhode Is- 
land delivered a petition to tiie Earl v)f Bellomont, captain-gen- 
eral of the New England colonies and the New York province. 
29 




CH.\NNINO MEMORIAL CHURCH. 



450 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

to tlie effect that they had agreed and concluded to erect a 
church for the worshiji of God according to the discijiline of the 
Church of England yet that, though disposed to encourage a 
pious and learned minister to settle among them, they were not 
able to provide a requisite maintenance; they therefore prayed 
the earl to intei'cede with the king for letters to the government 
of Rhode Island in their favor and also to interest himself with 
the lords of council of trade and i^lantations. This petition the 
earl sent to the board of trade with a cordial concurrence. Thej^ 
placed it in the hands of the bishop of London who presented 
it to the king. The king referred it back to the board of trade. 
To this and other petitions for promoting the Gospel among the 
Indians is ascribed the incorporation in 1702 of the "Society 
for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts," which soon be- 
came an effective missionary agency of the Church of England 
among the whites as well as Indians of the American colonies. 

From the fact that the first two signatures to the Rhode Is- 
land petition were of French Huguenots, Gabriel Bernon and 
Pierre Ayrault, it is probable that the movement to organize an 
Episcopal church here sprung from them. The Huguenot col- 
ony at Frenchtown had just been dispersed by the encroach- 
ments of their neighbors; the families scattered and their church 
closed. The forms of the French Protestant church, its ritual 
and services, do not vai-y much from that of the Church of 
England and were more acceptable to the French than the want 
of form of the Puritan nonconformists in any of their sect 
varieties. 

The original founder and patron of Trinity church, the 
first Episcopal church in Newport, was Sir Francis Nichol- 
son. Of English birth and by profession a soldier, he held 
continuously from 1687 to 172.^ various posts of the highest 
honor in the provinces of the British crown in America. He 
was successively lieutenant governor and governor of New 
York, of Virginia, of Maryland, and again of Virginia. He com- 
manded the British forces sent to Canada in 1710, and cap- 
tured the post of Port Royal. In 1713 he was appointed 
governor of Nova Scotia, and in 1720 of Carolina. He re- 
turned to England in 1725, and died in London in 1728. 

The church in Newport was gathered by Mr. Lockyear, an 
Episcopal clergyman who began his ministry in 1698. A soci- 
ety was soon collected which, aided by the bounty of Nichol- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 451 

son, built a handsome church. It was completed in 1702. In 
that year the " Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign 
Parts " being incorporated in England, tiie wardens of Trinity 
applied to it for aid. In response, the Reverend James Ilon- 
eyman was sent over as a missionary in 1704, and also a fine 
theological library of seventy-live volumes, mostly in folio. 
A bell was presented by Queen Anne in 1709, ami funds to 
hang it were sent by the governor of Massachusetts and the 
Reverend Samuel Miles, minister of Boston, in whose respective 
hands Sir Francis Nicholson had left funds. The society grew 
and prospered in the charge of Mr. Honeyman, who is said to 
have been of a broad and conciliatory spirit to other religious 
denominations, all of whom he "embraced with the arm of 
charity." 

In 1713 the rector, church wardens and vestrj^ petitioned the 
queen for the establishment of bishops in America. Among 
the signers of the petition was Mr. Nathaniel Kay, the collector 
of the queen's revenue and a liberal patron of the church. In 
the year 1724 the society had so much outgrown the church 
that there were not seats enough to accommodate its own mem- 
bers and those who desired to join the communion, to say noth- 
ing of the numerous strangers who, even at that early day, 
were attracted to Newport. The communicants of the church 
numbered more than fifty. A thousand pounds were pledged 
toward the cost of a new building, which was completed in 1726, 
when Mr. Honeyman preached in it. The old structure was 
given to the people of Warwick, who were without a building. 
The church society was at this time in high jirosperity, having 
increased four fold in the quarter of a century since its founda- 
tion. The denomination was spreading over the island and its 
neighborhood, Mr. Honeyman having under his care also the 
towns of Freetown, Tiverton and Little Compton. 

In 1729 occurred an event interesting in itself and fraught 
with advantage to the church and town. This was the unpre- 
meditated arrival from England of Dean Berkeley, whose name 
is indissolubly connected with Newport history. The dean was 
an eloquent preacher and attracted large numbers to Trinity 
church. His son and his servants, to whom, after the fashion 
of the day, were given the family name of their master, were 
baptised into it by himself in the year of his coming. On his 



452 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTi'. 




return to England in 1733 the dean sent over a fine organ as a 
donation to the church. 

The early records of Trinity church have been long lost. 
The second book begins with the date of July 5th, 1731. lu 
1740 the society received a large bequest from Mr. Nathaniel 
Kay, one of the vestry, for the building of a school. In 1750 
Mr. Honeyman died and was buried at the expense of the 
church in the south of the passage from the gate to the 

church, where his tomb- 
stone lies. He was suc- 
ceeded by the school 
teacher, deacon and priest, 
Mr. Jeremiah Leaming, 
under a temporary ap- 
pointment, or until the 
Venerable Society for the 
Propagation of the Gospel 
should supply a perma- 
nent minister. In 1752 a 
sum sufficient to purchase 
a parsonage was raised 
by subscription. In 1754 
Thomas Pollen was sent 
out from England by the 
society a s missionary. 
The society having cut off 
twenty pounds of their 
allowance to the churcli, 
the pewholders had agreed 
among themselves to an 
annual tax for the support 
of their minister. Mr. 
TRINITY CHURCH, .NEWPORT. Polleu left the church of 

his own accord in 1760, and the venerable society was again 
invited to send over a successor ; but they neglecting to reply 
and withholding their annual allowance, the church called to 
their charge the Reverend Marmaduke Brown of Portsmouth, 
whom they settled with a salary of one hundred pounds ster- 
ling per annum, provided the English society did not continue 
their mission in Newport. 

In 17G9 the .society petitioned the general assembly for an act 




HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 453 

of incorporation. The same year Mr. Brown visited England, 
the pulpit being filled in his absence bj' the Reverend Mr. i5is- 
set, who came from England two years before as an assistant. 
On the death of Mr. Brown the charge was placed in Mr. Bis- 
set's liands until the venerable society should be heard from. 
Mr. Bisset was soon after sent abroad with a letter from Trinity 
church soliciting the continuance of the mission, but without 
result. Thrown wholly upon their own resources, the congrega- 
tion in 1771 elected Mr. Bisset their minister. 

This reverend gentleman was in charge when on Sunday, tlie 
8th of December, 1776, the British entered the bay and took 
possession of the island. Mr. Bisset, English born, was natur- 
ally loyal to the crown ; moreover, a large number of the 
wealthy and influential members of Trinity church were in full 
sympathy with the royal cause ; in this not dilfering from the 
Episcopalians in general throughout the colonies, in whose 
creed church and state were indisollubly joined. On the evac- 
uation of Newport by the British Mr. Bisset and many of these 
gentlemen went out with the fleet and sought refuge in New 
York, the British military headquarters. With Mr. Bisset' s 
departure services ceased. Indeed in the state of feeling of the 
inhabitants, they necessarily came to a close. Nay, more, the 
church building was occupied for some years by the " Six 
Principle Baptist Society." This suspense of the English ser- 
vice continued until 1781, when it was resumed by Mr. John 
Bours, a lay reader, who was invited in 1784 to take orders, and 
accept their charge as minister, but declined. 

In 1786 the Reverend James Sayre was settled as minister, 
but his jjastorate was not of long duration. The cause of the 
disagreement which brought it to a close is vvorthy of remark 
as showing how the principles of the American revolution had 
penetrated to tiie heart of society. He liad declared that he 
would never be brought to conform to any form which might be 
agreed ui)on for the establishment of union in the Episcopal 
churcliesof America if it dift'ered in any manner from the forms 
of the church of England, excepting the prayers for the liing. 
Record does not show how he was dismissed, wiiether or not 
by the intervention of Bishop Seabury, who was appealed to, 
or of Ills own free will. In 1789 tlie Reverend William Smith 
of St. Paul's church, Narragansett, became the minister of 
Trinity. 



454 IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Trinity church was represented by Mr. John Bours, their late 
lay reader, at the convention wliicli met at Boston in ITSii, and 
established the union of the New England churches and the 
liturgy and forms of worship. These were agreed to by the 
Trinity congregation, hut the agreement was rescinded on a 
nearly equal division of its members at the Easter meeting in 
1789. In 1790 the Rhode Island Episcopal churches of New- 
port, Providence and Bristol, assembled in convention, declared 
the Right Reverend Samuel Seabury, J). D., then bishop of the 
church in Connecticut, to be also bishop of the church in the 
state of Rhode Island. But the feuds of the Newport church 
were not yet healed and Mr. Smith withdrew, accepting a call 
to Norwalk, Connecticut, in 1797. The Reverend John S. J. 
Gardner, assistant minister of Trinity church, Boston, was then 
invited to the charge, but finding it " a scattered church and a 
divided people," and perhaps because of an increase of his 
salary by the Boston congregation, declined the service, and 
recommended to the Newport church Mr. Theodore Dehon, a 
young clergyman, who entered on his duties in January, 1798. 
Under his ministry the church again began to flourish in its 
affairs, both temporal and spiritual. Mr. Dehon' s health was 
the cause of many absences, bnt his influence was beneficial, 
and he left the church in full prosperity when, in 1810, he re- 
signed the rectorship and proceeded to his new charge of bishop 
of South Carolina. Mr. Dehon was succeeded by his brother- 
in-law, the Reverend Salmon Wheaton from New Haven, who 
continued his ministry for thirty years, being sncceeded on his 
his resignation, in 1841, by the Reverend Francis Vinton as 
rector. 

Rectors of Trinitj/ Church: Reverend Mr. Lockyear, 1704; 
James Honey man, 1704-1750; Jeremiah Leaming, 1750-1754; 
Thomas Pollen, 1754-1760; Marmaduke Brown, 1760-1771; 
George Bisset, 1771-1779; James Sayre, 1786 1788; William 
Smith, 1789-1797; Theodore Dehon, 1798-1809; Samuel Wheaton, 
1810-1840; Francis Vinton, Robert Hall, Darius R. Brewer, 
1846-1855; Ale.xander Mercer, O. H. Prescott, J. H. Black, I. P. 
White. George J. Magill. 

Founders of Trinity Church: Petitioners to the Earl of Bell- 
omont, 1699; Galniel Bernan, Pierre Ayrault, Thomas Fox, 
George Cutler, William Pease, Edwin Carter, Francis Pope, 
Richard Newland, William Brinly, Isaac Martindale, Robert 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 455 

Gardiner, Thomas Paine, Thomas Mallett, Robert Wright ington, 
Anthony Blount, Tliomas Lillibridge. 

Second Episcopal Parish (Zion Church). — This churcli, an 
offshoot of Trinity, was organized in 1833 by a number of per- 
sons who believed there was room in Newport for a .second 
church of this faith. They were incorporated by act of tlie 
general assembly in 1834. Their first jninister was the Reverend 
John West, who, after service for some time as a convocation 
missionary, was invited to take permanent charge of the con- 
gregation as rector in 1834. During the first year great diffi- 
culty was found in procuring suitable places for the holding of 
services. The early meetings were held in the chamber of rep- 
resentatives in the state house. Later the congregation found 
comfortable accommodations in the vacant Presbyterian church 
building on the hill and in the brick school house in Mill street. 
The churcli building which the congregation erected on the 
south side of Washington square was completed in the spring 
of 1834, and consecrated in June by the Right Reverend Bishop 
Griswold. The building was expensive and tlie church struggled 
under a considerable debt until 183G, when a committe was 
raised to relieve it, who, it is said, in a few days collected 
enough money to extinguish it. The church has been since 
prosperous. 

In 1840, it being found that the bell in the tower was injuring 
the organ, the tower was taken down and tlie bell removed. 
In 18n3 the chancel was altered in accordance with a plan sub- 
mitted by the rector, the Reverend Mr. AVatson, and greatly 
improved. In 1863 a new altar table and credence were presented 
by the Reverend Mr. Child, and the next year a very fine and 
costly organ took the place of the old instrument. It was ob- 
tained by voluntary contributions. The same year the rector, 
Mr. Child, consti'ucted at his own expense an addition to the 
chapel in gothic style with an emblen: chancel window, for the 
accommodation of the Sunday school. During the rectorship of 
Mr. Murphy various improvements were made to the interior 
and exterior; among othersa beautiful stained glass window, the 
subject of which is Raphael's "Ascension of the Saviour.'' In 
1885 the property was sold to St. Joseph's church (Roman 
Catholic), and "Zion church" ceases to exist. 

Founders: Stephen T. Northam, James Mumford, Samuel 
Whitehorne, John G. Whitehorne, Henry Potter, Jacob Smith, 



456 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Charles H. Mnmford, Alexander P. Moore, James Atkinson, 
John F. Townsend, William Rider, George Knowles, W. Van 
Zandt, John B. Lyon, Richard Johnston, John G. Barlow. 

Ministers : Reverend John West, 1834-42; Benjamin Watson, 
1842-55; L. Richmond Dickinson, 1856-58; William Colvin 
Brown, 1858-61; William S. Child, 1861-68; T. Logan Murphy, 
1868-1876; Edward H. Kettell, 1876-1881; John C. Hewlett, 1881- 
1883; Frank Woods Baker, 1884-1885; Charles C. Gilliat, the 
last rector. 

Emmandel Church. — In 1850 thecotton mills in the southern 
part of the city attracting a considerable population to that 
neighborhood. Miss Charlotte Tew began to visit them and soon 
interested the clergy in their behalf. The Reverend D. R. 
Brewer, then rector of Tiinity, who had but shortly before suc- 
cessfully established All Saints' chapel for tlie occupation of 
the more well-to-do in worldly affairs, was quickly and earnestly 
interested in the new movement. The old Free Will Baptist 
church was purchased, and the other rectors of the Episcopal 
church on the island joining with him, services were there held 
continuously from October, 1850, until the summer of 1851, 
when the Reverend John L. Gray received a call as permanent 
rector, his support being paid for by subscrij^tions from mem- 
bers of TrinitJ^ A Sunday school was organized and the new 
church grew rapidly in numbers. Doctor Gray withdrew the 
next year and was succeeded by the Reverend Kersey J. Stewart, 
whose salary was pledged in advance by the Reverend Mr. 
Brewer, and the parish being now duly organized, was admitted 
into the convention in 1852. Three years later, in 1855, Mr. 
Stewart resigned, accepting a call to Virginia and the Reverend 
Doctor Brewer assumed the charge of the parish, leaving for 
this small mission that of Trinity church. 

A sufficient sum of money being pledged, a new church build- 
ing was erected on the corner of Sjiring and Dearborne streets; 
a fair was held by the ladies of Trinity church which brought 
a sum larger than that pledged. It was given to the building 
fund of the Emmanuel Free church, which was inaugurated in 
June, 1856, by the Right Reverend Bishop Clark by the mar- 
riage by the bishop of Miss Charlotte Tew, who may be held 
the founder of the parish, and the rector. Dr. Brewer. The first 
Sunday service was held two days later. In April, 1858, the 
last indebtedness being cleared, the new church was consecrated. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 457 

The church lias been successful in a high degree, its Sunday 
school education being one of its most extensive features. 

Ministers: The Reverend John D. Gray, 1850-1851; Kersey 
J. Stewart, 1851-18.55; D. R. Brewer, 1855-1858; Charles Win- 
gate, 1858-1861; Louis P. W. Balch, 1861-1865; F. A. McAllis- 
ter, 1865-1867; S. C. Hill, 1867-1876; Robert B. Peet, the 
present rector. 

House of Worship. — Originally, 1850 to 1856, in the old Free- 
will Baptist church on Thames street; from 1856 on the corner 
of Spring and Dearborne streets. 

All Saints' Chapel. — This chapel, which originally stood 
on Church street, was built in 1848 by the Rev. D. R. Brewer, 
with a view to relieving the pressure during the summer months 
upon Trinity, of which he was then the rector. The cost of the 
building was defraj'ed by a subscription among the parishioners, 
to which Miss Phoebe Bull was the largest contributor. The 
services at the chapel were intended to be and were conducted 
by visiting bishops and clergymen. Mr. Brewer retained the 
control of the building until, to obtain funds for the addition 
of a tower and school room to Emmanuel church which he had 
since erected, he sold the chapel to the Reverend Doctor Mercer 
who had succeeded him as rector of Trinity. The purpose of 
Doctor Mercer was the reverse of that originally contemplated 
in the erection of the chai:>el. He proposed to occupy the 
pulpit himself in the summer months and give the use of 
Trinity to the visiting bishops and clergymen. The next year 
the chapel was removed from Church street to Beach and 
Cottage streets, where it now stands. 

Some differences of ojnnion arising between Doctor Mercer 
and his vestry in which, however, the rector had the support of 
his congregation at Trinity, he resigned his charge and accepted 
a call to Trinity church, Boston. In the progress of this differ- 
ence some of the higher clergy recommended to the church a 
waiting policy and on the advice of Bishop Clark, a young di- 
vinity student, Mr. Walter Bernard Noyes, was invited to occu- 
py the pulpit of All Saints' as lay reader of the services and of 
the sermons of Fiederick Robertson. In 1861 the vestry of 
Trinity, disturbed at the protracted withdrawal of so large a 
number of its members, proposed that if they would close the 
chapel and return to Trinity no objections would be made to 
Doctor Mercer's return to the chapel whenever he might 



458 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

choose. This was accepted but immediately afterward the rec- 
tor of Zion church, who had before joined with the vestry in 
their opposition to the officiating of Doctor Mercer in the 
chapel after his resignation of his charge in Trinity, and held 
him to be a clergyman foreign to the parish, again made pro- 
test, on this occasion joined by the rector of Emmanuel church, 
and the qhapel was once more closed. Again, as in the case of 
the Trinity congregation, the people of Emmanuel had no part in 
this action of their rector. It was now proposed to Doctor Mer- 
cer that^if he would relinquish the right of personal property in 
the chapel and leave it in trust for the purposes of the Episco- 
pal church it would be received into the diocese at the ap- 
proaching convention. This Doctor Mercer at once agreed to 
and in 1864 the j^arish was organized and the chapel became 
free. It had always been kept for the accommodation of sum- 
mer visitors. 

St. George's Church. — This is an outgrowth of Zion church. 
For a year after the sale of the property on Washington square, 
this parish worshij^iped, by the courtesy of the order of the 
Grand Army of the Republic, in their hall on Thames street. In 
April, 1885, the society purchased a lot on Rhode Island av- 
enue opposite Berkeley street, and in August the cornerstone 
was laid by the Right Reverend Bishop Clark, assisted by 
Bishop Potter of New York and the local clergy of the Episco- 
pal church. Bishop Potter delivered the address. The site was 
selected because of the rapid growth of the city in the neigh- 
borhood and the need of more accessible accommodation in the 
winter season. The church was named after the Right Rever- 
end George Berkeley. The wisdom of the selection of the site 
has been shown by the growth of the parish since the change of 
location. The parish has been constantly in the charge of the 
Reverend Charles G. Gilliat since its removal, and to his devo- 
ted service its remarkable success is due. An organ was pre- 
sented by some of the liberal friends of the parish in the sum- 
mer of 1886 and the choral service is already an attractive fea- 
ture of the service. A memorial window to Mrs. Duty J. Pierce, 
widow of the late Judge Pierce, the oldest communicant of Old 
Zion parish, is now ready to be set uji, and the church is the 
constant recijjient of gifts appropriate to the festal seasons. A 
commodious building has been erected on the church lot for the 
Sunday school which has a. large and rapidly growing attend- 



IIISTOUY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 459 

ance. Built essentially for the local permanent population, the 
attractive situation has brought to St. George's a large number 
of transient summer worshippers. 

The Moravians or United Brethren. — This order of Chris- 
tians, Brethren of the Law of Christ, as they at first called them- 
selves, and later United Brethren, originated in Moravia toward 
the middle of the fifteenth century. They first came into his- 
torical notice about the year 1725, when they were received into 
the protection of Count Zinzendorf and allowed to settle in his 
village of Bethelsdorf. In 1734, the Elector of Saxony expel- 
ling the order from his dominions, the count, who had himself 
joined the society, undertook to procure them passage to Geor- 
gia from the agents of that colony residing in London. The 
society established missions there, but declining to take up arms 
in defense of the colony, were forced in 1739-40 to take refuge 
in the Pennsylvania settlement. In 1740 Bishop Nischnian, with 
a company of the brethren, arrived from Europe and purchased 
a wild and woody tract in Pennsjdvania, in the heart of the In- 
dian country, to which they gave the name of Bethlehem. 
They soon after purchased of Mr. Whitefield " his manor of 
Nazareth " and his unfinished school house. In 1742 they were 
visited by Count Zinzendorf. They soon began to send out mis- 
sionaries, not only among the neigliboring Indians, but into 
distant lands. 

In 1749 two of these missionary brethren, Matthew Reutze 
and George Henke, came to Newport to take passage foi' Sur- 
inam. Here they preached among the Sabbatarians, then un- 
der the charge of the Reverend Timothy Peckham, and greatly 
interesting these people, were requested to organize a church. 
At their request the parent society in Pennsylvania sent on two 
brethren, who were followed by others, until in 1758 a congre- 
gation was established and a minister settled. The church 
maintained its existence with various -fortunes for nearly a cen- 
tury, but gradually united with other societies and has since 
passed out of existence. The meeting house was taken down 
and the land since sold to Trinity church, and a fine brick 
school house has been built thererui. 

Pastors: Reverend Richard Ultey, 1758 ; Thomas Yar- 

rell; Frederick Smith, 1763; Louis Rusmeyer, 1760— 

1783; Frederick Smith, 1785—1802; Samuel Towle, 1803-1819; 
George I. Muller, 1819—1829; John G. Herman, 1821—1823; 
Charles A. Van Vlyck, 1834—1837; Charles P. Seidel, 1837. 



460 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Methodist Episcopal Church. — Methodism, the religions 
revival of the eighteenth century, takes its name from the or 
derly progression, the observance of system or meth(xl in re- 
ligious affairs, which was inculcated in the doctrines preached 
and illustrated in the methods practiced by the Wesley broth- 
ers and by Whitefield. John and Charles Wesley began their 
teaching at Oxford in 1729. In 1735 they crossed the ocean as 
missionaries to Georgia, but met with little success. In 1736 
Charles Wesley visited New England and preached in King's 
chapel, the English Episcopal church of Boston, after which he 
returned to England, whither his brother followed him some 
time later. 

GeorgeWhitefieldcame over i»173S and made an itinerant tour 
through New England, preaching in the open air to great crowds 
of people. He arrived in Newport in a sloop from South Caro- 
lina, on Sunday, the 14th day of September, 1740. Contrary 
winds detained the vessel in the offing, but Whitefield set him- 
self to ))rayer that he and the ship's company might arrive in 
time for public worship. When he had done praying, lie says 
in his recital, and had come up out of the cabin, it was quite 
fair. He arrived in time for worshii^, and after the services 
was invited to lodge with one of the gentlemen of the city. In 
the evening he visited the Reverend Mr. Honeyman, the rector 
of Trinity, and obtained permission to use his pulpit on the 
next daj% though the reverend gentleman at first hesitated, ob- 
jecting that preaching on week days was disorderly. The next 
day he read prayers from Trinity pulpit to some tliree thou- 
sand persons who were gathered without and within the church, 
and numbers were greatly affected. The general assemblj', 
which was then in session, adjourned that its members might 
hear him. Richard Ward was then the governor. Whitefield 
also preached from a small table in the fields near the old stone 
mill, in what is now known as Touro Park. 

He left Newport on Wednesday and preached in Bristol and 
Brockton with great effect, and journeying on to Boston was 
met some miles outside of the city by the son of Belcher, the 
governor of Massachusetts, and a company of gentlemen of dis- 
tinction. He was at this time but twenty-six years of age. In 
his mission work in America Whitefield crossed the Atlantic 
thirteen times, and finally died in Newburyport in 1790. He 
founded the Princeton and Dartmouth colleges and the negro 



HISTORY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 401 

children's school, of Nazareth, on the banks of the Delaware. 
Neither of the Wesleys ever returned to America, but the con- 
verts of John Wesley came over in large numbers. 

In 1769 Richard Boardman and Joseph Pittmoi'e, Wesleyan 
preachers, were sent over to take charge of his following in this 
country, the first going to New York and the latter to Phila- 
delphia. 

In 1771 Francis Asbury and Richard Wright came over, 
and Mr. Asbury became the first resident bishop in America. 
At the first Wesleyan conference held in 1773 the number of 
members was reported at nearly twenty-one hundred. 

During the colonial i^eriod these American churches were 
connected with the church in England, but in 1784 the Methodist 
Episcopal Church in America was organized as an independent 
body, five years before the similar reorganization of the Pro- 
testant Ei:)iscopal Church. At the conference in 1784 rhe num- 
ber of Methodists was reported as nearly fourteen thousand, 
but in the appointments for that year no preacher was assigned 
to New England. In 1789 Jesse Lee, of Virginia, made a tour 
of New England, and preached in September at Cranston's 
coffee house in Charlestown, Washington county, R. I., after 
which he visited Boston. 

In 1790 he returned to Rhode Island, preached his first ser- 
mon in Newport on the 30th day of June, "as is believed in the 
church on Division street," and on other occasions both in the 
city and other towns on Narragansett bay. In 1800 Joshua 
Hall was appointed to Rhode Island and preached in Newport 
several times. Meanwhile regular cii'cuits were established for 
the itinerant preachers, Newport being at first included in 
Greenwich and in 1794 in Warren circuit. In the same year 
the first Methodist house of worship was built in Warren. 
The Newport Methodist society was at first transitory. In 1803 
Thomas Lyel, whose post was at Boston, was appointed to 
Newport for two months, George Pickering being the presiding 
elder. In 1805 Reuben Hubbard and Peter Payne, whose 
station was also at Boston, preached in Newport in the First 
Baptist church, of which the Reverend Michael Eddy was 
pastor. 

In 1806 a regular appointment was made for the town of 
Newport and Mr. Hubbard was assigned as preacher in chaige. 
The use of the senate chainber in the state house and afterward 



462 HISTORY OF newpokt county. 

of the assembly chambers was granted to the congregation. 
There remains, however, no record of the names of the early 
members of the society. 

The society was incorporated by act of the general assembly 
in 1807. Of the twenty-three incorporators named in the act 
the first, Reuben Hubbard, was the pastor. He came from 
Maryland, to which he soon returned, however, and joined the 
Protestant Episcopal church. Many of the others were promi- 
nent citizens of Newport. The first board of trustees under 
the charter consisted of James Perrj% Benjamin Wightman, 
Joshua Ajipleby, John Hull, Joseph Boss, Jr., George Irish 
and Benjamin Moore. The first preserved records of the meet- 
ing of the incorporators was in March, 1810, when Lloyd Beale 
presided as itioderator and James Perry was elected steward. 
Their first task was to build a house of worship in which they 
were greatly aided by two jiersons, Captain James Perry and 
Benjamin Wightman, who, though neither of them were mem- 
bers of the church themselves, erected the building. In June 
an attempt was made to raise the funds needed by a lottery. 
The scheme was based on a ten thousand dollar prize, the price 
of tickets being set at five dollars. The Newport Mercury of 
June 5th, 1807, contains the advertisement: 

NEWPORT METHODIST CHAPEL LOTTERY. 

10,000 dollars a going for only five dollars. Now is the time to make your for- 
tune. Tickets in the above lottery for sale at the Auction Room of Lopez & Dex- 
ter, where a scheme of the lottery may be seen. It is hoped that those who wish 
to encourage religion, laying aside the prospect of a fortune, will call and pur- 
chase liberally. No deduction from prices — 

10,000 Dollars THE HIGHEST PRIZE for 5 Dollars. 
Adventurers I You have now a fine chance to make your fortune. If you do not 
buy a ticket you will not draw a prize. Tickets in the Newport Methodist Chapel 
Lottery of John C. Shaw, No. 3 Washington Square. 

and later followed : 

Nothing Venture, Nothing Have. Now is your time, Adventurers to try your 
good fortune or lose only five dollars. Y'ou may gain Ten Thousand Dollars on 
trial in the Newport Chapel Lottery. James Pekry. 

This plan of raising money for public purposes by lottery 
was common during the last half of the last century and in the 
beginning of this. It was usual in the colonies and states. 
The Newi)ort lottery, however, seems never to have been 
drawn. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 4G3 

The chnrch was not fully completed at the time of its dedi- 
cation in May, 1807. Samuel Merwin, the preacher in charge, 
preached the sermon. The society now began to attract new 
members, and is said to have had an element of " worldliness " 
nnnsnal in that day and not precisely in accord with the origi- 
nal spiiit of the early Wesleyans. 

In 1829, when the term of service of Mr. Norris as preacher in 
charge expired, the number of members was reported as ninety- 
five. When the towns of Newport and Portsmouth were united 
under a single charge the full membership was one hundred and 
sixty-four. In 1832, during the term of Asa Kent, a period of 
adversity for the church began in the charge of murder brought 
against Mr. Avery, the pastor of the Bristol church, who was 
brought to Newport for trial. Opinions as to his guilt were di- 
vided within as well as without the church and feeling ran high. 
Animosity to the individual turned to hatred of Methodism in 
general. Kent held firm in his work though the membership of 
the chnrch fell off one half and at times the service was almost 
wholly deserted. The acccused was aquitted but the cause of 
Methodism suffered until 1834, when a revival of religion, iinex- 
ampled in its historj^, restored its waning fortunes. 

In 1844 the annual conference was held in Newport, Bishop 
Hedding presiding, assisted by Bishop Janes, and the influence 
of the chnrch again took increase and an era of unchecked pros- 
perity set in. In 1855 P"'rederick Uphani was appointed to New- 
port as pastor and his administration was of great advantage to 
his people. 

In 1871 a new act of incorporation was obtained from the leg- 
islatui-e for tlie first church. Before this the church had not 
been incorjiorated in accordance with the forms prescribed b}^ 
the "Book of Discipline." Under the new charter the parish 
holds the legal title of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of 
Newport. The first charter, however, remains in force under 
the title of the Methodist Episcopal Clumdi and Congregation. 
The two work together. In December, 1881, dui'ing the pastor- 
ate of Mr. Angelo Carroll, the society met with calamity in the 
almost total destruction of the first church by fire. They were 
not without frieiuls in their disaster, the Friends offering them 
one of their large rooms and the Second Baptist society inviting 
them to join with it in worship. The Congregationalists gave 
them a similar invitation and the Central Baptists offered the 



464 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

use of their building half of each Sabbath, an invitation which 
was heartily accepted. The injured Iniilding was promptly re- 
stored with many convenient changes and in July, 1882, the 
congregation bade farewell to their hospitable friends and re- 
turned to their old home. 

Incorporators of the First MetJiodist Episcopal Church : Reu- 
ben Hubbard, James Perry, Joshua Appleby, John Hull, Jo- 
seph Boss, Jr., George .Irish, Henry Moore, William Dennis, 
Lloj'd Beale, William Moore, Jr., Benjamin Wightman, John 
Spooner, Albert W. Gardiner, John Pitman, Paul M. Mumford, 
Jonathan Heath, Benjamin Pearce, George Cox, Isaac Sherman, 
Samuel E. Carr, John A. Shaw, Nicholas R. Gardiner. — (Davis' 
History of Newport Methodist Chnrch). 

Pastors of the First Mothoclist Church : Reuben Hubbard, 
1805; Samuel Mervvin, 1807; Daniel Webb, 1809; Benjamin F. 
Lambert, 1811; Daniel Webb, 1814; Enoch Mudge, 1825; Sam- 
uel Norris, 1827; James Porter, 1829; Thomas W. Tucker, 1830; 
Asa Kent, 1832; John Lord, 1834; Louis Janson, 1835; Thomas 
Ely, 1836; Jonathan Cady, 1837; Isaac Stoddard, 1838; Frank- 
lin Gavitt, 1840; Joel Knight, 1842; Robert M. Hatfield, 1843; 
Elislia B. Bradford, 1845; Richard Livesey, 1846; Bartholomew 
Otherman, 1848; Asa U. Swinerton, 1850; John B. Husted, 1852; 
John Lovejoy, 1853; Frederick Upham, 1855; Micah J. Talbot, 
1857; John B. Husted, 1858; Henry S. White, 1859; Charles H. 
Titus, 1861; Lucius D. Davis, 1863; Daniel A. Wheadon, 1866; 
George M. Hamlin, 1868; Edwin S. Stanley, 1869; Dudley P. 
Leavitt, 1871; William F. Whitcher, 1874; Edgar M.Smith, 
1877; Angelo Carroll, 1880; Daniel A. Wheadon, 1882; Joseph 
Hollingshead, 1883-5; Thomas J. Everett, 1886; Joshua A. Rich, 
1887. 

Second Methodist Episcopal (Thames Street) Church. — 
This second organization of the Methodists, originally intended 
as a mission in the southern part of the city of Newport, was 
formed in 1856, during the i:)astorate of Mr. Upham. Twenty- 
seven persons took letters from the First church, and were 
placed under the charge of Mr. O. N. Brooks. They had at 
first met for prayer and class instruction at i:)rivate houses. In 
1854 they held stated meetings in an old school house in Mil- 
burn court, and soon after in a vacant store on Sisson's wharf. 
They still continued a part of the First church until the next 
year, when the conference assigned Mr. Brooks to South New- 



HISTORY OF NEAVPORT COUNTY. 465 

port. He found the churcli witlumt a single member. Bishop 
Janes joined the two organizations in one charge, and Mr. 
Brooks was appointed assistant. A house and lot were pur- 
chased on the corner of Thames and Brewer streets, the build- 
ing was converted into a temporary chapel, and the next year 
the new society was formed. The leading spirits in this move- 
ment were Clark Burdick and Isaac W. Sherman. 

Founders of tlie Second {Thames Street) Methodist Episcopal 
Clmrcli: Clark Burdick, Martha Burdick, Isaac W. Sher- 
man, Emily D. Sherman, William T. Holt, Eliza G. Holt, Ed- 
ward S. Hildreth, Seth Swinburne, Ira S. Eldredge, Sarah H. 
■ Eldredge, William D. Morehead, Sally Morehead, Alexis M. 
Slocnm, Mary G. Albro, Susan A. Carr, Levi J. Greene, Ben- 
jamin A. Sayer, Jacob H. Lamb, Harriet P. Lamb, David Reed, 
Charles Williams, Rebecca Williams, Hannah Peabody, Mary 
E. Mowrj', Sarah Slocum, Mary E. Sherman, Susan C. Kaull. 

Pastors of the Thames Street Church : Orlando IST. Brooks, 
1855; Edward A. Lyon, 1858; William H. Richards, 18C0; Wil- 
liam Livesey, 1862; Edward A. Lyon, 1864; Frederick Upham, 
1866; Asa N. Bodfish, 1868; Benjamin A. Chase, 1870; Shadrack 
Leader, 1874; William T. Harlow, 1876; Oliver H. Pernald, 
1878; Samuel T. Carroll, 1880; Edgar P. Clarke, 1883-5; Pran- 
cis D. Blakeslee, 1886; Orange W. Scott, 1887. 

The house of worship of the Pirst Methodist Episcopal church 
was erected in 18(^7. It is said to have been the first Meth- 
odist church with pews, a steeple and bell, erected in Amer- 
ica; and there is a tradition that Bishop Asbury "lilted his 
hands with holy horror when he first saw it and predicted 
that a church which began with a steeple would end with a 
choir and perhaps even with an organ." The partial destruc- 
tion by fire in 1881 left the steeple undamaged, but the bell 
has been changed and the old square pews have given way 
to more modern seats. 

Houseqf WorsJiip. — The church occupied by this congregation 
stands on the corner of Thames and Brewer streets. It was 
erected in 1866 and the chapel rebuilt in 1873. In 1879 great 
changes were made in the chief building, the walls frescoed, 
stained glass windows introduced and a good organ provided. 

The methods of the Methodists are now more like those of 
their worldly neighbors than in the simple beginnings of the 
foundation of their order. 

30 



466 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

The Cnion Congregational Church (Colored). — This 
church was oi'gfinized in 1824 witli fourteen members. It orig 
inated from a society formed in 1780, called the Union Society 
for General Improvement. The present edifice, which is located 
on Division street, was erected in 1871. The pastor is Rever- 
end M. Van Horn, who commenced his service in 1868. The 
church has about two hundred members. 

The Jewish Synagogue. — It is said to be of record in the 
annals of the order of MasDnry that fifteen Hebrew families 
from Holland arrived at Newport in 1652, and brought with 
them the first three degrees of the craft. If it be true it is the 
earliest mention of Jews in Newport. In 1677 two of this race, 
Moses Pacheco and Mordecai Campanal, bought for tlie use of 
the Hebrews then resident in Newport a plot of land "for a 
burial j^lace," and the deed assigns it to the said Jews and their 
heirs and assigns and successors forever. The piece of land 
thus conveyed was forty by thirty feet. This was the begin- 
ning of the cemetery of the ancient Hebrew congregation, 
which i^icturesque and well oi'dered burial place is to be seen on 
Kay street, at the head of Touro. 

Among the pi'oceedings of the general assemblj- held at New- 
port June 24th, 1684, the following is recorded: '■'Voted, In 
answer to the petition of Simon Medus, David Brown and asso- 
ciates, being Jews, presented to this assemblj^ bearing date 
June 24, 1684, we declare that they may expect as good protec- 
tion here as any stranger, being not of our nation, residing 
amongst us in this his Majesty's colony, ought to have, being 
obedient to his Majesty's laws." 

This is the first mention of the Jews as a class, or indeed at 
all, in the colonial records. The answer of the assembly to the 
l^etition is not a law but a declaration, and is in entire accord 
with the first article "touching Lawes" in the " Lawes and 
Orders " adopted and promulgated in 1647, which reads, "That 
no person in this colony shall be taken or imprisoned, or be 
disseized of his Lands or Liberties, or be exiled or any other- 
wise molested or destroyed but by the Lawfull judgment of his 
Peers or hy some known Law and according to the Letter of it 
Ratified and confirmed by the major part of the General As- 
sembly lawfully met and orderly managed." 

The patent for Providence Plantations, granted in 1643, gave 
the colony full power to rule themselves and ordain their civil 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 467 

laws and constitutions and inflict pnnislinients, provided that 
tile said laws, constitutions and punitslimenis for the civil gov- 
ernment of the said Plantations be conformable to the laws 
of England so far as the nature aiul constitution of tlie place 
would admit. The charter granted by Cliarles the Second in 
1663 contains this phrase: "That our royall will and ])le;tsure 
is that noe person within the said colony [Rhode Tslaiul and 
Providence plantations] at any time hereafter shall be in any 
wise molested, punished or called in question for any differ- 
ences in opinion in matters of religion, and doe not actually 
disturb the civil peace of our sayd colony; but that all and 
every person or persons may from time to time and at all times 
hereafter freely and fully have and enjoye his and their own judg- 
ments and consciences in matters of religious concernments." 

The general assembly at their meeting of May,1664,in conform- 
ity to this clause declare, "At present this General Assembly 
judgeth it their duty to signify his majesty's gracious pleasure 
vouchsafed in these words to us verbatim (viz): That no person 
within the said colony at any time hei-eafter shall be in any 
Avays molested, punished, disquieted or called in question for 
any difference of opinion in matters of religion and do not 
actually disturb the civil peace of the said colony." But it 
must not be supposed that either tlie charter or the acts of the 
assembly invested any person with political rights. The 
original settlement of Aqiiidneck was under a compact by in- 
corporators. They styled themselves "Freemen incorporate of 
this Body politick." Subsequent freemen were admitted. This 
body alone claimed, held, and exercised all civil authority. 
The records of 1641 give the court roll of freemen and note the 
disfranchisement of four of their number and order the names 
to be cancelled out of the roll. A distinction is made between 
those admitted to be inhabitants and those admitted as freemen. 
Later the records do not make mention of formal admission of 
inhabitants, but there can be no question that the resident Jews 
were by usage and consent so held. 

In 1762 two persons professing the Jewish religion petitioned 
the superior court of the colonj' to be made citizens. Tiieir pe- 
tition was denied; and whatever may be thought of the wisdom 
of this denial it is absurd to say that any community from 
whom the power has not been withheld by charter or constitu- 
tion has not the natural right to Judge for itself whom it may 



4C8 HISTORr OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

admit to the share in its government and the framing of its laws. 
Mr. Arnold (History of Rhode Island) says that "long anterior 
to the Revolution, Jews were not only allowed in Rhode Island 
as they were nowhere else in New England, the quiet enjoy- 
ment of their religious faith and forms of worship, but were on 
several occasions upon petitions to the assembly naturalized as 
citizens of the colony." 

Certain facts of history are hardly to be found outside of le- 
gal records, newspapers and letters. As the Jews were not free- 
men of the town they are seldom mentioned in the first; the 
second were not printed in any of the colonies till after the be- 
ginning of the eighteenth century; and such as have come down 
of the third class of information of course do not touch upon 
the concerns of a race who lived apart, rarely mingled with their 
Christian neighbors, were by nature and habit secretive and re- 
served, and at this time had little interest in literature or the 
arts. It is probable that the first Holland emigrants of Jewish 
race were of Spanish descent, driven out from their southern 
home by the Jesuit inquisitions. And here it may be remarked 
that the southern Jew was and is of a higher order than those of 
Middle and Northern Europe. The better class of Jews left 
Jerusalem in the first great exodus and settled along the shores 
of the Mediterranean, while those from whom the Jews of the 
Rhine derive were of the lower order and sent up as slaves with 
the famous Sixth Legion which, after the destruction of the Holy 
City by Titus, was ordered to garrison the frontier posts in the 
neighborhood of the present cities of Mayence and Frankfort. 
This digression is made to account for the esteem in which the 
Jews in New^rortwere held and the position they were accorded 
in the social life of the eighteenth century. Some account of 
their relation to the trade and commerce of Newport appears in 
another chapter. 

It has been seen that true to the traditions of Abraham, their 
first public act was to secure a burial place set aiaart and conse- 
crated to their use. But toward the middle of the eighteenth 
centTiry they had increased in numbers and in wealth sufficient- 
ly to erect for themselves a place of worship; and in the year 
1759 they secured a plot of land on which, following the precept 
of their religion as to constructions, they erected a building 
which still stands; a worthy monument to the unobtrusive na- 
ture, the quiet push and the ideas of permanence which char- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 469 

acterize the best varieties of their race. This structure was com- 
pleted in 1703. There were at that time over sixty families of 
Jews in the town, some of considerable wealtli. 

An account of the dedication of this, their synagogue, ap- 
peared in the Newport letter of the Boston Post Boi/ oi the 12th 
of the same month, 1763: " Newport, December 5. — On Friday 
last, in the afternoon, was the Dedication of the new Synagogue 
in this Town. It began by a handsome Procession in which 
were carried the Books of the Law to be deposited in the Ark. 
Several portions of the Scripture, and of their Service with a 
Prayer for the Royal Family were read and finely sung by the 
Priest and People. There were present many Gentlemen and 
Ladies. The Order and Decorum, the Harmony and Solemnity 
of the Mnsick, together with a handsome Assembly of People, in 
an edifice the most pefect of the Temple kind perhaps in America 
and splendidly illuminated, could not but raise in the mind a 
faint Idea of the Majesty and grandeur of the ancient Jewish 
Worship mentioned in Scripture." 

Callender writing in 1739 says: " There are at this time seven 
worshipping assemblies, churches or societies in this town, be- 
sides a large one of the People called Quakers at Portsmouth, 
the other end Part of the Island:'' three Baptist, two Con- 
gregational, one Church of England, one Friends. Morse's 
Gazetteer m 1797 records that Newport had ten houses for public 
worship. 

To-day, in 18SS, there are nineteen churches or houses of 
worship: four Episcopalian, four Baptist, three Methodist, two 
Congregational, one Friends, one Swedes, one Synagogue, and 
two Roman Catliolic; one of the Baptist, Methodist and Congre- 
gational for colored people. 

History of the Catholic Church in Newport.* 

The history of the Catholic church in Newport county, like 
its history everywhere, is full of interest. From a small begin- 
ning it has steadil}^ increased and is now an important factor 
in the promotion of law and order in the community. All things 
considered, its story reads like a romance, so rapid has been its 
development, so marvellous the lidelity of its scattered children. 
To-day, whithersoever we turn, monuments of Catholic zeal and 
enterprise meet our gaze — monuments, too, tliat are the direct 

* By Reverend James Coyle. 



470 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

result of sacrifices such as tlie world has seldom witnessed. 
Sixty years ago Catholics in Newport county were extremely 
few in number and poor in all that regards worldly posses- 
sions. 

Historicnlly speaking Newport can claim the honor of being 
, the cradle of the Catliolic churcli in Rhode Island. During the 
war of independence, in 1778, the sacrifice of the Mass was 
offered up b.y the chaplains of D'Estaing in the soutli room of 
the present state house. It is certain that there were Catholics 
in Newport after the departure of the French allies, for records 
in the Boston cathedral, bearing date 1791, show that Bishop 
Carroll of Baltimore, and Father Thayer of Boston had conferred 
the sacrament of baptism in that town. Bristol and its environs 
were visited in 1811 and 1812 by Bishop Cheverus and Doctor 
Matignon of Boston, who there baptized the children of the 
French- American portion of the population. In February, 1827, 
Reverend Patrick Byrne, also of Boston, visited the Catholics 
employed at Fort Adams and in the coal mines at the northern 
part of the island and prepared over one hundred and fifty of 
the operatives for the reception of Holy Communion. Encour- 
aged by Father Byrne's report. Bishop Fen wick authorized 
Reverend Robert D. Woodley, then residing in Providence, to 
attend Newport as an outmission. 

In 1828, Father Woodley purchased and fitted up a small 
school building on Barney street, the first Catholic church in 
the state of Rhode Island. In October, 1828, Bishop Fenwick 
visited this modest edifice, where he preached and confirmed 
eleven persons. During his sermon he urged the purchase of 
additional lands for future needs. 

In 1830 Reverend John Corry succeeded Father Woodley in 
the care of the Newport mission. The latter, relying on his 
rapidly increasing congregation, began the election of a more 
pretentious edifice on Mount Vernon street, which M-as dedi- 
cated to the service of God August 20th, 1837. The new church 
was known as St. Joseph's, and had a seating capacity of be- 
tween seven and eight hundred. In tiie fall of 1837 Father 
Corry was succeeded by Reverend C. Lee, who was in turn 
succeeded by Reverend James O'Reilly in 1839. 

On Father O'Reilly's departure for New Bedford Bishop Ty- 
ler appointed as Newport's resident jxistor a man whose name 
is slill a household word. Reverend James Fitton. Father Fit- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 471 

ton considered tlie Moiint Vernon street edifice unsal'e, and fore- 
casting the future of Newport, secured on Spring street the site 
of the present splendid temple of Our Lady of the Isle. In his 
onerous work Father Fitton had not only the support of his 
own faithful tiock, he had moreover the cordial co-operation of 
his fellow citizens irrespective of creed or class. To his aid, 
too, with princely munificence, caine those worthy descend- 
ants of the Carrolls of Carroll ton, Mrs. Harper and her devoted 
daughter Emily, both of Baltimore. Their substantial aid was 
of incalculable value to Father Fitton in his gigantic under- 
taking. The corner-stone of Our Lady of the Isle was laid June 
14th, 1849, the two hundred and tenth year of the settlement 
of Newport, there being then within its limits a Catholic jJopTi- 
lation of five hundred and eighty-six souls. During its entire 
progress the work was superintended by General Rosecrans, 
then an officer at Fort Adams. Our Lady of the Isle was ded- 
icated in 1853 by Right Reverend Bernard O' Reilly, the then 
bishop of Hartford. 

Saint Mary's, as the church is now called, was among the 
first and best efforts of that prince of Catholic architects, P. C. 
Keeley of Brooklyn, who might base his claim to undying re- 
membrance on this glorious temple alone. In 1855 Father Fit- 
ton was succeeded by the Very Rev. William O'Reilly. V. Gf. 
Father O'Reilly entered upon the work of his new charge with 
ardor, and in 1865 replaced the old school building on William 
street by the present massive granite structure. After the death 
of Father O'Reilly, in December, 1868, the aifairs of the parish 
were conducted by Father O'Connor, till the arrival of the i)res- 
ent incumbent, Reverend Phillip Grace, D. D., in September, 
1869. The new pastor found that much had been done, but 
that more remained to be done. Debts, numerous and pressing, 
stared him in the face. With a loftiness of purpose that won 
him hosts of friends. Doctor Grace began liis great life work. 
The task was Herculean but priest and people were a unit in 
well-doing, the result unequivocal success. The history of Doc- 
tor Grace's nineteen years pastorate is stamped on every move- 
ment, where scholarly al)ility and unbouuded devotion were 
called into question. His zeal and self-sacrifice have had their 
fruition in the absolute clearance from debt of everything con- 
nected with Saint Mary's. A stately convent, a magnificent 
church, a majestic school and a beautiful rectory, all free and 



472 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

unincumbered, speak volumes for the ceaseless generosity of 
the resident and visiting Catholics of Newport. To this proud 
record might be added manj^ less notable works, among them 
two cemeteries where the faithful toilers, pastors and people, 
united even in death, slumber together. 

The Church of Our Ladj^ of the Isle was solemnly conse- 
crated by Right Rev. Thomas F. Hendricken, Bishop of Prov- 
idence August ]5th, 1884, in the presence of the Most Rev. 
Archbishop of Boston and other prominent dignitaries of 
church and state. The sermon on the occasion was delivered by 
Very Rev. C. H. McKenna, the far-famed Dominican preacher. 

In January, 1885, the new Saint Joseph's parish was estab- 
lished, the needs of the residents in the northern portion of the 
city necessitating the division. In May, 1887, Doctor Grace 
took possession of the costly and spacious rectory built on the 
site of the old parochial residence. This last and crowning 
glory renders Saint Mary's parish comi)lete in every particular. 
The new edifice, like all the other buildings, is entirely paid for, 
a fact that speaks volumes for the united and generous efforts 
of pastor and iwople. 

Saint Joseph's Parish. —The history of the new Saint Jo- 
seph's pai'ish, though covering but a brief space, is full of in- 
terest. It embraces the northern portion of the city, and has 
a resident population of about sixteen hundred souls. The 
formation of Saint Joseph's was officially announced on Sun- 
day, January 18th, 18S5, from the pulpit of Siiint Mary's. One 
week later its first pasLor, Reverend James Coyle, held initial 
services in the old Unitarian church on Mill street, with large 
and interested audiences in attendance. Here the people as- 
sembled till the March following, when a more commodious 
edifice, that of the Zion church corporation, corner of Touro 
and Clarke streets, was secured. The sum paid fen- this prop- 
erty was§15,02r), a price by no means exoi'bitant, inasmuch as 
the site is deemed by far the finest in the city. After making 
some necessary repairs and alterations, the church and chapel 
adjoining were solemnly dedicated on Sunday, September Gth, 
1886, by Right Reverend Thomas F. Hendricken, Bishop of 
Providence. Tlie high mass on this occasion was sung by Rev- 
erend Leo P. Boland of Boston, and the vespers by Reverend 
William Staug of the Cathedral, Providence. The bishop 
preached to large and attentive audiences at botii services. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 473 

besides administering the sacrament of contirmation to two 
hundred and sixty-eight persons after the eight o'cloclv mass. 
In addition to the local, many out of town clergj'men were also 
in attendance, and took part in the ceremonies. 

The close of its second j^ear found Saint Joseph's not alone 
without debt, but ready to augment its possessions. This it did 
by securing, January 1.5th, 1887, the neighboring property, 
known as the Young estate, the price paid being $28,500. May 
of the same year saw the commencement of a new rectory des- 
tined to be complete in all its appointments, and an ornament 
to that portion of the city. The architect of this stately edifice 
was J. D. Johnston, Esq., and the builder Mr. M. A. McCormick. 
This new structure was taken possession of October 13th, and 
on the day following was thrown open for the inspection of the 
citizens generally. Over fifteen hundred people of both sexes 
accepted the invitation and examined the new residence in all 
its details. Three days later, October 16th, Right Reverend 
MathewHarkins, Bishop of Providence, visited the parish offici- 
ally, and confirmed seventy-five persons and received a large num- 
ber of aspirants into the various church societies. This year, 
too (1887), witnessed other changes that drew from all quarters 
expressions of unqualified approval. Large sums were expended 
in the beautification of the church, chapel and grounds which, 
together, now form a picture exceedingly attractive. 

Besides the wox-k of the parish proper, Saint Thomas' church 
at the Coal Mines, twelve miles distant, is visited once a month 
for regular services. The Catholic boys of the Training Squad- 
ron, too, are attended from Saint Joseph's, as are the inmates 
of the Newport Hospital, alms house and county jail. The 
Sunday-school, inaugnrated during the stay in Mill street, has 
grown steadily until the present, when about four hundred 
children are in attendance. In addition to the ordinary attrac- 
tions, these have a large, carefully selected library at their 
disposal, from which books may be taken weekly without 
charge. 

The church societies are ten in number, seven of which have 
secured costly banners and regalia. The organizations are so 
graded as to embrace the entire youth of both sexes, their aim 
being to facilitate i)arish work and to promote real practical 
piety. Saint Jo.sei)h"s Total Abstinence Society for adults is 



474 IIISTOlty OF XEWPOKT COUNTY. 

the laro-est in the diocesan union and is daily increasing in 
membership and influence. 

The third year of Saint Joseph's existence, like the two pre- 
ceding, has been of rai)id advancement. Not alone has it added 
to its material possessions, it has besides contributed its mite 
toward the beauty and moral well being of the city. Since its 
organization three years ago Father Coyle has actually piaid 
from its treasury between forty-eight and fifty thousand dol- 
lars, a marvelous showing, all things considered. This year 
(1887) a new and spacious rectory has been built and paid for, 
the vestry enlarged, church, chapel and grounds beautified 
and the funded debt of the pai'ish reduced considerably. Like 
its older sister. Saint Mary's, the motto of this young but am- 
bitious parish seems to be "Upward and Onward." 

Public Schools. 

According to the colonial records Mr. Robert Lenthal was 
admitted freeman of the body politic by the general consent of 
the general court held at Portsmouth on the 6th of August, 
1640. Lenthal came to Newport from Weymouth, near the 
Massachusetts Bay colony, where the year before (1639) he, with 
some associates, had been prevented organizing a Baptist church 
by the magistrates. They were all arraigned before tlie general 
court at Boston and fined and imprisoned. L:;nthal managed to 
delay his sentence, perhaps to avoid his tine, and at last joined 
Mr. Clarke's Aquidneck settlement. His name first appears 
in the roll of freemen of the town of Newport on the 16Lh of 
March, 1641. According to Arnold (History of Rhode Island, 
I, 145), he had been by a vote of the town of Newport, on the 
20th of August, 1640, "called to keep a public school for the 
learning of Youth and for his encouragement there was granted 
to him and his Jieirs one hundred acres of land and four more 
for a house lot," and he adds it was also voted " that one hun- 
dred acres should be laid fourth and appropriated for a school 
for encouragement of the poorer sort to train up their yoiitli 
in learning, and Mr. Robert Lenthal while he continues to 
teach school is to have the benefit thereof." Mr. Lenthal was 
a minister and sided with Clarke in the early schism which dis- 
turbed the Baptist church in the summer of 1641. In the fol- 
lowing spring he returned to England and apparently did not 
return, as his name appears for the last time in the records of 



IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 475 

the f^eneral court of election IGth and 17th March, 1642, where 
it is ordered " that Mr. Leuthal being gone for Enghmd is sus- 
pended his vote in election." There is no doubt, however, that 
he had given instruction to youths before his departure, though 
the influence of Governor Coddington, who was one of the dis- 
sidents in the church controversy, probably interfered with the 
settlement of Lenthal as schoolmaster under the provisions of 
the grant. 

The assembly, in their order directing the preparation of an 
address to Charles the Second on his restoration to the crown 
(1666), mention the "erecting of schools and promoting of learn- 
inge by some encouragements from England" among the sub- 
jects to be treated of, and the address conforms to the order 
but asks no other favor than the restoration of the royal 
grant to its former state that the colony might itself be encour- 
aged to go on propagating plantations, etc., "and instructing 
their children in learning and civil education." 

On the 28th of April, 1697 (as we learn from Governor Coz- 
zen's Long Wharf address), Newport voted other school lands 
for the benefit of a schoolmaster. In 1704 the town built an- 
other school house at the public charge. The town voted six 
acres to be sold for the purpose, and laid a tax of one hundred 
and fifty pounds for this object. After some delays a large 
house was built and fitted, and in 1709 Mr. William Gilbert was 
chosen schoolmaster, to have the benefit of the land for one 
year. In 1710 leave was granted to a Mr. Galloway to teach a 
Latin school in the school house. In 1713 another school was 
established, and Benjamin Nicholson was chosen schoolmaster. 

In 1714 John Hanimett was chosen for nine j'^ears, on terms 
similar to the previt)us engagements. In 1728 one hundred and 
six acres were voted by the town for a school house in the 
eastern portion. In 1726 it was ordered that the great school 
house, and all the public school hou.ses, in the precincts of New- 
port be repaired and paid for out of the public treasury. Gov- 
ernor Cozzens, in the address in which these facts are stated, 
says that "from 1726 down to the time of the revolution we find 
the same devotion to the cause of learning that characterized 
our early settlers; but evidently private schools monopolized a 
large share of the youth between 1740 and 1776," the period of 
Newport's prosperity. 

During the revolution the school houses, in common with 



476 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

other public buildings, were used as barracks, and education 
declined. "Consequently," adds Governor Cozzens, "public 
scliools appear to have been abandoned, and we discover no ev- 
idence of any effort being made to restore them until 1825, the 
only exception being the Friends' school under the Potter be- 
quest and the direction of the Long Wharf trustees. Private 
schools of c'ourse were continued, but there was no revival of 
interest in the public school system until 1830, when their mod- 
ern history may be said to begin." 

The public school system of Newport owes its origin not to 
an act of the legislature, but to the spirit of its inhabitants, and 
one of its chief features is that it was designed by its authors, 
not for rhe education of one class alone, but of all classes, rich 
and poor alike. The original agreement of association is pre- 
served, and may well be looked back upon by the descendants 
of its subscribers because of its broad and truly American 
spirit of fraternity. It will be seen that the number of asso- 
ciators outran that provided for as the minimum in the agree- 
ment. 

"Newport, August 26th, 1824. — The subscribers do agree to 
form an association to obtain the best j^ossible information rel 
ative to the establishment and support of free schools in those 
places where they are under the best regulations, and to use 
all just and honorable means for the establishment and support 
of free scliools in this town on the l)est plan that can be devised 
for the education of the youth of every class of the community 
on just and equitable priMcii)les. And to this end we agree to 
meet as soon as the signatures of one hundred freemen shall be 
obtained to carry the object into effect. Samuel Austin" (and 
others as -follows — the list of subscribers being now classified 
alphal)etically for greater convenience of reference). 

Subscribers: Samuel Austin, Jonathan T. Almy, Samuel 
Allen, John T. Allen, William S. N. Allen, Thomas C. Allen, An- 
drew V. Allen. 

John Bigley, Isaac Burdick, Green Burroughs, William Bar- 
ber, Nicholas G. Bass, Stephen Bowen, Thomas Bush, Alex- 
ander Barkei', David Braman, David Bowen, Samuel Barker, 
John Brown, Gardner Braman, Sanford Bell, Lewis Barlow, 
Abraham Barkei', Jonathan Bowen. 

John Cahoone, James Coggeshall, David M. Coggeshall, R. 
B. Cranston, Stephen H. Cahoone, Charles Cotton, Benjamin 



HISTORY 01' NEWPOliT COUNTY. 477 

Waite Case, Henry T. Cranston, Charles Cozzens, Robert Car- 
ter, Freeborn Cogo-eshall, Thomas Coggeshall, Thomas Clarke, 
Isaiali Crooker, Otis Chaffee, Christopher G. Champlin, Charles 
Collins. 

John W. Davis, John Dennis, Anthony Dixon, Benedict Day- 
ton, Thomas Dennis, jr., Daniel C. Denliam, Robert Dennis, 
John W. Davis, jr., Darius Dennis. 

George Engs, James Easton, William Ennis. 

Michael Freeborn. 

Charles Gorton, John Goddard, Isaac Gould. 

Benjamin Hull, William N. G. Holme, Zeaas L. Hammond, 
Henry J. Hudson. 

William Lovie, J. W. Lyon, Benjamin Lawton, Robert P. 
Lee. 

Elnathan Manchester, Joseph Martin, David Melville, Jolm 
S. Maxon, Benjamin Mumford, T. H. Mumford, Benjamin B. 
Mumford, John P. Mann. 

Simon Newton, William S. Nichols, Moses Norman, S. T. 
Northam. 

Dutee S. Pearce, James B. Phillips, Gideon Palmer, Isaac C. 
Peckham. 

David Rodman, Peter P. Remington, Oliver Read, Chris- 
topher E. Robbins. 

E. P. Shearman, George C. Shaw, John Stevens, Harvey Ses- 
sions, Elijah Sherman, Isaac R. Spooner, Richard Swan, Wil- 
liam Shearman, Joseph G. Stevens, Thomas Sherman, Robert 
M. Simmons, Abiel Spencer, Samuel Simpson, John Sterns, 
W^. Stevens. 

Benjamin H. Tisdale, Anthony V. Taylor, James Townsend, 
Theophilus Topham, William Tilley, Jr., John Tillinghast, 
William Thurston, Thomas Townsend, Jr. 

Nicholas Underwood. 

Samuel W. Vinson. 

Joseph Weavei-, Solomon G. Weaver, Pardon White, Ben- 
jamin Weaver, Thomas Weaver, Charles Whitfield, Nicholas 
White, Charles Wilcox, John Williams, Robert Williams, 
Samuel Watson. 

Shortly after, public opinion being excited in favor of a gen- 
eral plan of education, the town was authorized in 1825 by the 
assembly to raise a tax of eight hundred dollars for "educating 
the white children of the town who are not otherwise provided 



478 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTT. 

with the means of instrnotion," and to apply to this purpose the 
avails of certain lands which had been bequeathed to the town. 
In February, 1826, it was voted in town meeting to purchase a 
lot in Mill street, and a committee was appointed to erect 
a building. In March of the next year this committee reported 
the purchase of the lot and the building of a school house of 
brick and stone at a cost of $2,7o0, of which sixteen hundred 
dollars came from the two years' tax, the remainder being 
the proceeds of bequests and private gifts. At the same meet- 
ing the town took measures to establish a fund for the support 
of the public school fund from sales and rent of land and the 
avails of license. They also resolved on the immediate begin- 
ning of a school for boys on the Lancasterian or Monitorial 
system. Other general regulations were adopted and a school 
committee of live was appointed who were " to perform their 
duty gratuitously, the honor of the station and the gratitude 
of their townsmen to be their only reward." 

The gentlemen thus honored as the first committee were: 
Nicholas G. Boss, Edward W. Lawton, George Engs, James 
B. Phillips and Theophilus C. Dunn. In 1828 they reported 
three hundred and thirty-seven applications for admission, of 
whom thirty-three were reported as not within the provisions 
of the law. The number then attending was stated as two 
hundred and twelve. In 1844 a committee reported that there 
were nearly two thousand children in town between the ages 
of five and fifteen; that of these six hundred and eighty were 
provided for in the public schools, and four hundred and fifty 
in thirty private schools, leaving nearly nine hundred for whom 
there was no accommodation in the existing buildings. 

The first full report of the Newport school committee appears 
in the state report of 1856. It stated the number of public 
school pupils at eight hundred and seventy-three, distributed 
among seventeen schools and taught Ijy twenty-two teachers. 
The appropriation at that period for school support was sixty- 
five hundred dollars. 

The report of the school committee of 1887 estimates the 
population of Newport at twenty thousand and gives the fol- 
lowing statistics of school attendance in general in 1886: public 
school pupils, 1,888; Catholic school pupils, 615; select school 
pupils, 149; total, 3,390; number of children attending no school, 
3,539. In the public school instruction fifty-three teachers 
were employed, and the total exjienditure reached $50,635. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUKTY. 479 

The RoGf;RS Hirm School.— This institution, the fame of 
which is not confined to the limits of Rhode Island, had its be- 
ginning in a bequest of one hundred thousand dollars by Wil- 
liam Saiiford Rogers of Boston, which came into possession of 
the N^ewport city authorities in June, 1872. The conditions of 
the bequest required the erection by the city of a suitable build- 
ing. The city accepted the bequest and the tax payers voted an 
appropriation of thirty thousand dollars for the purpose. A lot 
was purchased on the south side of Church street about ten 
thousand square feet in extent. A building was at once con- 
structed and in December of the same year Mr. Frederick W. 
Tilton, well known and experienced in educational matter's, was 
selected as head master. 

The generous benefactor was himself a Newporter, born in the 
city in 1786 and buried there in the newer portion of the grave- 
yard at the head of Farewell street in 1872. He was a purser in 
the United States Navy and served on the "Adams" in 1813. 
Not a man of the highest education him.self, he knew the value 
of learning and his name will be gratefully remembered for his 
generous practice wlien those of more cultured theorists shall 
be forgotten. 

The school maintains its high repute. By the last report of 
the school committee (1887) the number of students was 133. 

The Female Industrial School. — In the early part of 1872 
Miss Katharine P. Wormeley began in a modest way in the 
Townsend homestead on Broadway, the training of females for 
household work and home duties, the attendant expense being 
contributed by sympathizing friends and long-suilering house- 
keepers. Application was made at the session of the assembly 
in tlie ensuing winter for an appropriation from the school fund 
to the support of this establishment. At the outset it had the 
sympathy of the community, but on careful examination of the 
possible ultimate bearing of such special designation, all parties 
united in opposition to the appropriation. Meritorious as the 
institution was recognized to be, the policy of any diversion of 
the general fund, voted to general purposes, to any special pur- 
pose was seen to be dangerous as a i)recedent; and it is to the 
credit of Miss Wormeley that she herself, in a noble letter to the 
public press, accepted the refusal of the assembly as wise and 
foreseeing. 

Private assistance enables her to carry on this most worthy 



480 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

sclioo], and there is little doubt that in the abundant gener- 
osity of the citizens of Newport, and the thousands who have 
interest in this new Eden, she will iind an endowment wliich 
will, as it should, lift its fortunes beyond the caprice of in- 
dividuals or the range of legislative enactments, and consequent 
interference with that class of instruction which is better man- 
aged by a well governed trust. 

Minor Schools. — It would not be becoming to mention the 
names of the many well bred and educated ladies who have 
undertaken, and still undertake, the tuition of youth in New 
port. Many of them belong to the oldest and most widely 
known of New England families ; some to other sections of 
the country. To the honor of the city it may be truly said 
that the science of instruction — the pi-ide of the Greeks, the 
delight of the middle ages— is, at least in this city, a profes- 
sion in highest honor. 

The Lenthal School House. — This, the most elaborate of 
the public school buildings, stands on the corner of Spring and 
Perry streets, on a lot fronting on each; two hundred and one 
feet on Spring and two hundred and fifty-four on Perry. It is 
of stone and brick, two and a half stories high. Its measure- 
ments are eighty-seven and one-half feet by nearly eighty si.v. 
Its architecture is of the colonial style, the body of the build- 
ing being of Swanzey granite. The total cost, furnished, was 
fifty thousand dollars. 

The city council, in 18S4, in view of tlie large and growing 
population in the southern part of the city, and the need of 
more ample school accommodations there, submitted to the 
tax i)ayers a proposition to borrow a sum of money for the 
purchase of land for the purpose, and in 1885 for a further sum 
for the construction of the building. In September, 1887, the 
structure was formally transferred by Mr. Nathan Barker, 
chairman of the common council and chairman of the building 
committee, in the presence of a distinguished body of citizens, 
to the Honorable Mr. Powel, mayor of the city. Appropriate 
addresses were delivered and the building declared open for its 
designated object. 

It is named in honor of Kobert Lenthal, who, in 16-±U, opened 
in Newport the first free school in America, and, as has been 
said, "perhaiDS in the world;" but, strange to say, there is no 
allusion to this pioneer in Rhode Island education in at least 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 481 

the printed remarks of any of the honorable orators on this oc- 
casion. 

In 186.5 the office of superintendent of pnhlic schools was 
created, tlie first incumbent being the Reverend M. I. Talbot. 
Mr. George A. Littlefield is now (1888) superintendent. 

Among the other school buildings may be mentioned : Long 
Wharf School House, William and Third streets. The origin 
of this school is an instance of the utilitarian or practical and 
educational or moral ideas in appeals to the public sympathy 
and the public purse. In 179.1 thirty-six of the merchants of 
Newport, anxious to rebuild Long Wharf, which had greatly 
si;ffered during the war of the revolution, petitioned the general 
assembly for their incorporation as a board of trustees and jier- 
mission to raise twenty-five thousand dollars by lottery for this 
purpose and the building of a hotel, under the engagement that 
all j)rofits arising from the enterprise should be appropriated to 
the building of one or more free schools. The public notice of 
the scheme attracted the attention of Simeon Potter, a resident 
of Swanzey in Massachusetts, who made a gift of a dwelling 
house and some buildings on Easton's point, to be added to the 
school fund. 

The lottery was drawn, the wharf rebuilt and the income of 
the Potter gift applied to the betterment of the estate until 1814, 
when the trustees appointed a committee to devise a plan for 
opening a free school for poor children. Accommodations in 
the Potter house were provided for from fifty to si.xty pupils, 
and Captain Joseph Finch and his wife were placed in charge. 
The Potter house was on Washington street, corner of Marsh 
street. It was a large building and had one rooip fifteen by fifty 
feet long with two fire places, which was adapted for school pur- 
poses. The first year twentj'-five boys were instructed; in 1815 
their number was increased to forty. Under the supervision of 
an annual committee the school flourished until the death of 
Captain Fincsh in 1829, when it was changed to a school for 
smaller children of both sexes under the charge of his widow. 
In 1834, on the.liberal establishment of town schools, the Potter 
school was no longer deemed necessary. The estate was sold 
and the proceeds deposited in the savings bank where the fund 
increased. In the year 1862 the trustees of the Long Wharf es- 
tate, under the authority of the general assembly, leased the 
property for a term of one hundred j^ears to the Newport & Fall 
31 



482 iirsTOTiY OF Newport county. 

River Railroad Companj^; they determined to carry out fully 
the conditions of tlieir trust and appointed a committee to pur- 
chase ground for and build a new school house in the First 
ward. 

Plans were submitted by George C. Mason and accepted. A 
lot one hundred feet square, on the corner of Tliird and AYillow 
streets, was bought, and a two-story slate roofed fire i)ro(,)f 
building, with a front of fifty-four feet on Willow street and 
measuring forty feet on Third, of pressed brick with freestone 
trimmings, was erected. It was dedicated with appropriate cer- 
emony in May, 1863, and an opening address delivered by the 
Honorable William C. Cozzens, the governor of the state, who 
was also one of the trustees. The custody of the building, with 
a formal presentation of the keys, was then made to the mayor 
of the city, and by him to the chairman of the school committee 
of the city, before a large assembly of people. 

Trustees of Long Wharf, Hotel, and Public School: Act of 
assembly, January, 1795. Henry Marchant, George Gibbs, 
George Champlin, Christoi)her Cliamplin, James Robinson, 
Peleg Clarke, Henry Sherburne, John Bours, Oliver Warner, 
John Handy, Francis Malbone, Daniel Mason, Ethan Clarke, 
Christopher Fowler, Simeon Martin, Thomas Dennis, John L. 
Boss, Samuel Vernon, Junior, Christopher EUery, Christopher 
G. Champlin, William Ellery, Junior, Daniel Lyman, Isaac 
Senter, Benjamin Mason, Aaron Sheffeld, William Littlefield, 
Silas Deane, Audlej^ Clarke, Constant Tabor, Caleb Gardner, 
^^athan Beebe, Moses Seixas, Nicholas Taylor, Walter Chan- 
ning, Archibald Crary and Robert Rogers. (36). 

Public School Houses 1887. — Rogers High School, Church 
street; Coddingt on school. Mill street; Potter school. Elm street; 
Willow street school; Cranston avenue school; Cranston street 
school; Clarke street school; Farewell street school; Edward 
street school; Fifth Ward school. Perry street; Parish school, 
South Spring street; Thames street evening school. 

Dates of Building. — Farewell street school house, 1833; Clarke 
street school house, before 1852; Thames street school house, 
1860; Willow street, Edward street and Parish school houses, 
1863; Cranston street school house, 1867; the Coddington, 1870; 
the Rogers High School, 1873; the Lenthal school house, 1887. 



CHAPTER X. 



NEWPORT TOWN AND CITY. 



By John Austin Stevens. 



First Settlements. — Newport as a Summer Resort. — Private Mansions. — Town 
and City Governments. — Mayors. — Fire Engines. — Gas. — Public Parks. — Pub- 
lic Buildings. — Liberty Tree. — Libraries. — Fine Arts. — Newspapers. — Notable 
Events. — Trade and Commerce. — Manufactures. — Banks. — Cemeteries. — 
Charitable Organizations. — Societies. 



WHEN the British evacuated Newport in 1779 they carried 
with tliem the town records. The vessel on board 
which they were placed sunk at Hurlgate. In 1782 the town 
council applied to General Carleton, then commander-in-chief 
of the British forces with his headquarters at NewYork, for their 
restoration. In December, 1782, they were returned by the gen- 
eral, with a courteous letter of regret for the condition in which 
they were — water soaked and neglected for thi'ee years. No 
attempt was made by the Newport authorities to repair or re- 
store them until December, 1857, when orders were given to 
this end. About one-half of the records were rescued and re- 
copied. The real estate and probate records, consisting of over 
thirty large volumes, were irretrievably lost. The town rec- 
ords have not as yet been printed. The student is therefore 
compelled to resort to cognate and collateral sources for the de- 
tails of town history. 

The first settlements in the town of Newport were made in 
conformity with the order of the incorporators, agreed upon in 
general meeting, that " the town be laid out and built on both 
sides of the spring and by the sea southward." This spring 
had its source at or near the head of what was for many years 
known as Tanner street but now is West Broadway. There 
was then a pond at this place (Vaughan's pond) and a flow of 
water from it sufficient to drive a mill. In fact the first struc- 
ture of this character was built here within a few years after 



484 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

tlie settlement. The first house was built by Nicholas Easton, 
on what is now Farewell street. It was destroyed by fire, 
kindled, as the records have it, by Indians in the woods near 
by, in 1641; Callender says, it was thought, by Miantonomi, but 
there does not appear to have lieen any just cause I'or such sus- 
picion. Peter Easton, in his diary, says that his father, Nicho- 
las Easton, with his two sons, himself and his brother John, 
came down from Pocasset by boat to an island, where they 
landed and to which they gave the name of Coaster's Harbor, 
Avhich it has since retained. This island is now the property 
of the United States and the site of the War College and the 
Naval Training school. The Eastons were soon joined by others 
of the company, and the rude beginnings of a town were nuxde 
in the neighborhood of the present state house, on the two sides 
©f the spring which descended to the cove. The mill was on 
Marlborough street. 

It may be here observed that all these names of localities ai'e 
of later date. It was evident that it was the purpose of the 
settlers to found a seaport town. The cove was the natural 
harbor. The depth of water admitted of the passage of vessels 
of one hundred tons. The laud was, however, marshy, and it 
was only by continued effort that the shores were pi'epared for 
the purposes of trade. As the population increased the town 
grew in a southerly direction, following the line of Thames and 
Spring streets. The earliest authoritative account of the con- 
dition of the town is found in the answer of Rhode Island, 
Peleg Sanford, governor, to the inquiries of the board of trade 
in 1680, which says "that the principal town for trade in the 
colony was the Towne of Newport; that the generality of the 
buildings was of timber and generally small." 

The first survey was made in 1712 by John Mum ford, sur- 
veyor, on the order of the townholders, granted in response to 
a petition of John Hammett, the town clerk. It ran as follows: 
"Whereas, it is universal and orderly custom for all towns 
and places throughout the world when grown to considerable 
degree of maturity by some general order to name streets, lanes 
and alleys tliereof and this town having of late years been so 
prospered as to increase the number of buildings the which is to 
the admiration of the neighboring towns so that it is the Met- 
tropolitan of the said government and trade and yet, notwith- 
standing to our great reproach persons at a distance are not 



HISTORY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 



485 



capable to demonstrate when occasions reqnire in what street 
in this town they dwell. And also it being no small ditficulty 
to the scrivener in obligatory writings to give such plain and 
ample demonstrations of the bounds of lands and houses 
bounding on any of the streets of this town." 

A map, known as the Mumford map, was drawn in conform- 
ity with this survey. For many years it was out of sight but 
in I860 was mounted and hung up in the office of tlie city clerk, 
where it is to day preserved. On tliis map the main street is 
called, as it is now, Thames street. It had been previously 
known, certainly as early as 1699, as the Strand, tiie general 
name for the 
water front. 
Spring street 
began at Grif- 
fin, now Touro 
street, and 
stopped a little 
south of Mary 
street (so call- 
ed in memory 
of the wife of 
Governor Wal- 
ter Clarke). 
The part of 
Spring street 
from Griffin 
northerly was 
called Bull and 
stopped at 
Broad street 
then as now. 

The only streets which ran easterly, rising to the crest of 
the hill, were Griffin and Mill — which took its name irom 
the old stone mill. These were connected bj^ a short street 
on the ridge called Jews street, now the northern end of 
Bellevue avenue. The compact part of the town was from 
tlie town pound, at the head of Broad street, to Tiiames street. 
The public buildings at this time weie tlie town school house 
between Queen and Ann streets, now the parade, Govei'nor 
Bull's house, built in l(i39 and still standing (the oldest house in 




THAMES STREET, NEWPORT. 



486 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 



the colony), on Spring street near its junction with Broadway. 
The northern part of this, a stone bniiding, was used as a jail, Mr. 
Bull having- begun his official career as the lirst jailer or ''Gen- 
eral Seargeaut of the Colony." The only meeting house was 
the Friends', erected in 1699, still standing on Farewell street. 
The principal private residences were the Coddington house, 
the governor's dwelling ou the north side of Marlborough street 
near Duke, built in 1641; the Nichols house, dwelling of John 
Nichols, later deputy governor, afterward known as the White 
Horse Inn and still standing on the northwest corner of Marl- 
borough and Farewell streets, and the Wanton houses, residences 

of the two gov- 
ernors, William 
and John, on each 
side of Thames 
street. The tlrst 
census of the col- 
ony was taken in 
1708. The total 
population was 
7,181, of which 
1,015 were free- 
men,56 white and 
426 black serv- 
ants. Of this 
-X e w port ha d 
twenty-two hun- 
dred and three 
all told. Provi- 
dence at this time 
had only fourteen hundred and forty-six inhabitants. 

By the answer of 1680 to the board of trade it appears that 
at this date "There was no shipping belonging to the colony 
but only a few sloops." The governor must have been modest 
in this statement for the town records show the existence of 
Long Wharf in 108;"), at which time a privilege was granted for 
building another "wharf into the sea." Long Wharf is on the 
Mumford map called Queenhithe, an old English name for a 
haven for boats,and the next street north was Shipwright street, 
all of which show a considerable shipping and shipbuilding in- 
terest. It is curious to notice how the English colonists clung 




THE OLD CODDINQTON HOUSE. 



HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 487 

to home names. Even the fish market, which was at the foot of 
Mill street, was called Billingsgate, after the famous London 
mart. Hammett, in his bibliography of Newj)ort, which is of 
special value for its treatment of newspapers and maps, says 
" that in the division of the island among the early settlers it is 
probable that there was some kind of a survey, but the divisions 
seem to have been described by reference to prominent objects." 
The records show that there was a survey and the allusion to 
prominent objects is adhered to even in surveys of the most ac- 
curate kind. In 1729 Dean Berkeley wrote "The town of New- 
port is the most thriving place in all America for bigness;" a 
comparative but not otherwise instructive description. 

In 1745 the assembly ordered a plan of Fort George and the 
harbor for the instruction of the British Board of ordnance. 
The plan was drawn by Peter Harrison, the architect of the 
Redwood Library. In 1758 Dr. Ezra Stiles made a map which 
he annotated witli his own hand. It is one of the treasures of 
the Redwood Library. From his notes it appears that from the 
bars below Captain Collins (the south end of Thames street) to 
the tree at upper end of Main street was 1,900 paces or one mile. 
There were 17 wharves to the Long Wharf. On the Point 188 
dwelling houses and 110 stores, including the buildings on the 
west side of Thames street; 148 of these dwelling houses two 
stories high, 48 one story high; 110 stores, still shops, stables, 
etc. In 1761 Newport contained 888 dwellings, 439 warehouses 
and other buildings. 

Descriptions of the city at later periods, during the English 
and French occupation and after the revolution, have already 
been given in the chapters relating to those periods, and ob- 
servations also of sundry visitors to the town during the lat- 
ter part of the century. Maps were made for military purposes, 
one on a survey by Charles Blaskowitz in 1777, engraved and 
published by William Farden, Cliaring Cross, London, in Sep- 
tember of that year. A fac simile reduction accompanied Mr. 
Stevens' "French in Rhode Island" in the Magazine of Amer- 
ican History for July, ]879, of which he was the founder and 
then the editor. Blaskowitz also surveyed Narragansett bay, 
and a chart was published at London in 1777, and republished 
in France for the use of the navy by order of M. de Sartine, 
minister of the marine, in 1780. De Banes, in 1781, included 
a map and chart of Newport in the splendid collection entitled 



488 



HISXOKY OF NEWrOirr COUNTY. 



"Atlantic Neptune" published by the London admiralty for 
the use of the royal navy. By the descri^ition of Newpori 
which Doctor Morse published in his "American Gazetteer" 
of 1797, it appears that the town then contained one thousand 
houses built chiefly of wood, and ten houses for public worship. 
Newport was long in recovering from the effects of the war 
of 1812 and the total sus[)ension of her commerce. "For thir- 
teen years," says Mr. Dow in his interesting sketch of New- 
l^ort in four epochs of her history, from 1815 to 1828, " not a 
house was built upon the island, and for the ten succeeding 
years the merchants watched auQ waited in vain for a revival 
of commerce." From one of the first, the glorious port had be- 
come the most insignificant of shipping i^laces. Perhaps it 
was owing to this very repose and tranquility that Newport 
owes her later prosperity. The relations between Newport and 
South Carolina were always intimate, and after the revolution, 
the union of the states bringing their peojile into closer com- 
panion ship, 
travel greatly 
increased. The 
charm of the 
summer cli- 
mate of the 
"city by I he 
sea" soon at- 
tracted num- 
bers of the 
richer class, 
who y e a r 1 y 
sought relief 
from the op- 
pressive heat 
of the lower 
latitudes. Nor 
was this desire 
confined to the 

gentlemen of South Carolina. New York, Philadelphia and 
Baltimore families followed their example, and northerners 
and southerners met in this Eden of America in peace and 
harmony. 

About 1825 the Brinley House on Catharine street was opened 




HOUSE OF CHARLES W. SHIELDS, NEWPORT, R. I. 



HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 



489 



us a hotel, and by ISoO quite a number of boarding liouses regu- 
larl}' received summer guests. The wave of real estate specu- 
lation, which followed the withdrawal of deposits from the 
Bank of the United States and the consequent expansion of the 
currency, touched Newport in 1830, but no considerable pur- 
chase was made 
until 1845, 
when Charles 
Hazard Ru^ 
sell, a Rhodr 
Island gentli' 
man of fortune 
established in 
New Y o r 1\ . 
with so lu (■ 
friends,bouglii 
three hundii''! 
acres of land 
lying south 
and east of 
Touro street, 
and later asso- 
ciated with 




TUE TOOKEE COTTAGE, XEWI'DRT, R. 1. 



them Mr. Alfred Smith, an enterprising native of the island, 
who had acquired some property in New York. Mr. Smith fore- 
saw that the hill could be made attractive enough to secure the 
fortune of Newport as a watering place. Before this date the 
Brinley House had been enlarged and its name changed to the 
Bellevue. In 1844 the first Ocean House was built, but was de- 
stioyed by fire in the summer of the next year. 

Meanwhile the boarding houses did a thriving business. 
Among the most noted hosts was Cajjtain Hazard, who kept 
the Perry House, on the Gibbs farm, where the old trees and 
well may still be seen on the avenue of that name. Here the 
writer spent the summer of 1839, and well remembers the fine 
plover shooting on Easton's point, the old Tea House, about five 
miles out on the main load leading to the stone bridge, where 
the high fashion met of an afternoon, and the bathing beach 
then amply supplied witli bath hou.ses on wheels, wiiiuh were 
run far into the surf. 

By tlie year 18^2 twelve handsome residences iiad been 



490 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTr. 

erected, four by gentlemen from Boston, and eight by gentle- 
men from the Middle and Southern states, and there were three 
great hotels —the Bellevue, Fillmore and Atlantic — and a large 
boarding house on the Bateman farm. The writer well remem- 
bers that toward the close of the forties there were nine gates 
to be passed between Bateman's and the town. 

The summer of 1854 was famous for the gathering of beauti- 
ful women — the Marquise d'Aldania, New Orleans born. Miss 
Groesbeck of Cincinnati, later the wife of lighting Joe Hooker, 
and the lovely Dulaney sisters, one of whom was later married 
to Mr. Rowland of New York, the other to Mr. Gushing of 
Boston; and there wei'e many bright stars of lesser magni- 
tude. 

Since 1854 there has been a steady growth. Bellevue avenue 
has been macadamized and lighted, the ocean drive of eight 
miles completed, and nearly its whole length is now bordered by 
handsome villas, while the growth north and east within the 
last five years is no less striking. 

From the middle of the last century Newport has been cele- 
brated for the taste and elegance of its private mansions, both 
in exterior ajapearance and in their interior arrangement and 
adornment. Many of the finest of these were on farms or 
country places beyond the town limits. Of these, that erected 
by Godfrey MalbonenearWonnumetonoray hill in 1742 and de- 
stroyed by fire in 1766 is said to have been the most sumptuous. 
Whitehall, built by Dean Berkeley in 1729, is in sad decay. 
Many of the fine residences within the town limits ai'e still 
standing but altered and disfigured to suit the demand of later 
occupancy. The brick house south of the custom house in Thames 
street was the home of the Malbones. The Wanton house on 
the west side of Thames street is now the Boston store. The 
Wanton house on Washington street, the residence of Colonel 
Joseph Wanton, Jr., is still one of the finest specimens of 
colonial architecture, though sadly changed since it j)assed out 
of the hands of the Hunter family, Avho resided there in this 
century. The Tillinghast house on Mill street, later the resi- 
dence of Governor Gibbs, has been entirely remodelled within 
a year. Of those which remain unaltered are the Vernon house 
on Clarke street, the Cheeseborough, late Champlin house on 
Mary street, the Brenton house on Thames street and the Ban- 
nister house on Pelham street. The walls of most of these are 



/^f^irf.' ^ 




•tFil^Yl 






S^-;^jS?Mi .'^ 




"THE BREAKERS." 

RESIDENCE OF CORNELIUS VANDERBILT. 
Newport. 



t. *\\»*AVftA *. ^. 



HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 



491 



lined with wainscots, the halls are broad and the staircase, 
models of graceful architecture, notably those of the Wanton 
house on Washington street, which has been copied again and 
again in tiie late retui-n to colonial forms. 

In the A^ernon house there is a corner cabinet of great 
beauty. The rich furniture which they once contained has 
been dispersed but gems maybe seen even in modest dwellings, 
cliarniing specimens of Chippendale and elaborately carved 
chairs of Newport make. Not tlie least graceful are the beau- 
tiful inlaid pieces now styled Huguenot, the work of the French 
colony which took 
refuge in New 
England after the 
revocation of the 
edict of Nantes 
and later removed 
from Boston to the 
Narragansett colo- 
ny. Nor was tlie 
m i nor furniture, 
the house orna- 
ments, the table 
ware of porcelain, 
crockery or delft, 
conlinedtoEnglisli .". 
importations. The 
Newport mer- 
chants traded far 
and near,and their 
privateers brought 
home many a rare addition to their owner's treasure. 

The wills of the seventeenth century are full of curious de- 
tails. One before us of Governor Caleb Carr, who died in office 
in 1695, makes special disposition of his " Silver Possett and 
the cover belonging to it," of his three gold rings and of "his 
great Bible and Seal Ring and little cabinet." The seal ring bore 
the coat of arms of his family. The governor had a dwelling 
house in Newport and two gardens with " pale and wharfeage," 
and a farm and dwelling on Conanicut. (Mr. William H. Carr, 
the courteous clt^rk of the Fiftii Avenue Hotel, New York, is 
the, fifth in descent from this colonial worthy.) 




RESIDENCE OF GORDON MCKAY, NEwrulM, It. I. 



493 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

To\VN Government. — Although settled in 1639 Newport was 
not ])ermitted to regulate its domestic affairs until 1705. The 
seat of government being here it was not held necessary. On 
the 7fch of May of this year this power was granted to the town 
of Newport by special statute. At this time the outlying 
country northward of the settled district was known as " the 
woods." In 1742 the freeholders inhabiting this wooded 
country petitioned the assembly for a separation from New- 
j)ort. The petition was at first rejected, but being renewed in 
1743 was granted, and the township of Middletown, the name 
indicating its position between Newport and Portsmouth, was 
set off. 

City Government. — Newport remained under its primitive 
form of government by the freeholders in town meeting assem- 
bled, regulated by a moderator, until 1784, when on June 1st it 
was incorporated as a city, and divided into four wards. At the 
first meeting held under the charter the officers elected were: 
Mayor, George Hazard; aldermeTi, Francis Malbone, Christo- 
pher Champlin, Samuel Fowler and Oliver R. Warner. In 1787, 
on the petition of a minority and in disregard of the protests 
of a large majoritj^ the city charter was repealed and a return 
made to the old town meeting form of government which was 
long sustained. Arnold terms the repeal "an act of despotic 
authoritj'." 

In 1840 a committee was named by the town to report as to 
the need and cost of a city government. In 1853 a new 
charter was obtained under which Newport has been since 
governed. Its chief difference from that of 1784 is that the 
numbering of wards is geographically reversed — the First be- 
coming the Fourth and Fifth. The present mayor is Colonel 
John Hare Powel in whose favor partisan and political oppo- 
nents have united, and under whose judicious initiative the 
city thrives and prospers. The problem to be solved is the 
harmonious settlement of the economic questions which dis- 
turb watering places, the population and the interests of which 
so widely differ in the winter from the summer season. 

Newport clung long to its old customs and there are many 
who regret them still. The office of town crier was not discon- 
tinued until 1885. He was an important personage in the olden 
time. The first bellman was appointed in 1681. His name was 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 493 

Richard Barnes. The last was Henry Lincoln. There has been 
no appointment since 188.5. 

Mayors of Newport.* — George Hazard. 118A:-f), 1785-6, 
1786-7. He was engaged in mercantile affairs, and held many 
offices of honor and trnst during his active life. Tn 176'2 he was 
one of a commit tee to prepare an address of thanks to his majesty 
for giving his royal consent to the repeal of the stamp act. 
He represented Newport in the general assembly for more than 
thirty years, and was chief justice of the court of common pleas 
for Newportcounty twelve years; resigned 1776. WhenNewx^ort 
received its first charter in 1784 he was elected mayor. He was 
a member of the state convention that adopted the constitution 
of United States. Died August 10th, 1797, aged. 73 years. 

Rohert B. Cranston. First mayor under the charter of 1853. 
Qualified June 9th. 1853; resigned same day. 

Thomas R. Hunter. By virtue of his position as alderman, 
acted as mayor until October, 1853. 

George Henry Calvert. October, 1853, to June, 1854. Born in 
Baltimore, Md., January 2d, 1803, he was a great-grandson of 
Sir George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore. His mother was a 
lineal descendant of the painter Rubens. Graduated from Har- 
vard 1823, and studied at Gottingen. On his return to America 
he was for several years editor of the Baltimore American. Mr. 
Calvert's long and busy life has been occupied principally in 
literary j^ursuits. He has been a citizen of Newport since 1848, 
and is still living. 

William C. Cozzens. June, 1854, to June, 1855. Born in 
Newport August 11th, 1811, died in Newport December 17th, 
1876. Established the dry goods business of W. C. Cozzens & 
Co., in 1882. " During his administration the cholera visited 
Newport, and he devoted himself with great fidelity to meet 
the scourge by carefully guarding the sanitary condition of the 
city." He represented Newport in the general assembly sev- 
eral years. In 1863, while senator for Newport, he was chosen 
president of the senate. Governor Sprague was elected to the 
United States senate. Lieutenant Governor Arnold, having been 
previously elected to the same body, and Mr. Cozzens, by vir- 
tue of his office, became governor, which position he held from 
March to May, 1863. He was president of the Rhode Island 
Union Bank and director of the Redwood Library. He took an 

♦Contributed by Mr. R. H. Tilley. 



494 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

active part in bringing the Old Colony railroad to Newport. 
He was a member of Zion church, and for many years one of 
the wardens. 

William J. Swinburne. June, IS.'JS, to June, 1857. Born in 
Newport January 23d, 1822. Member of the school commit- 
tee many years; spent ten years (1836-46) in Virginia; lieu- 
tenant in volunteer service in Mexican war; many years (is 
now) in the coal business. During the civil war he was exten- 
sively engaged in the milling (Hour) business in Newport. 
Member of the state legislature 1886-7, 1887-8. 

William Henry Cranston. 18o7-66. (See Chapter XI.) 

Samuel A. Parker. June, 1866, to June, 1868. He was state 
treasurer 1855 to 1866, and from May, 1868, until his death, Feb- 
ruary, 1872. 

James Atkinson. 1868-9, 1869-70, 1870-1, 1871-2, 1872-3. 

Stephen P. Slocum. 187R-4, 1874-5, 1875-6, 1880-], 1881-2. 
Born in Portsmouth, R. I., March 16th, 1818, received a com- 
mon school education, came to Newport in 1831; 1852-6 was 
custom house inspector of Newport; in 1858 began the market 
business, in which he has continued successfully to the present 
time; alderman 1872; 1880, candidate on democratic ticket for 
lieutenant governor. 

Henry Bedloio. 1876 to 1879, inclusive. 

J. Truman Bur dick. 1879-80, 1880-1. He was in the common 
council two years, and is at present treasurer of Newport 
hospital. 

Robert S. Franklin. 1882 to 1885, inclusive. He was born 
in Newport August 4th, 1836, and is self educated. Firm of 
R. & W. Franklin, bakers. He was a member of common 
council from 1871 to 1881; six years president common council, 
director Aquidneck Bank, a prominent mason. 

Jolm Hare Powel. 1885-8. Term e.xpires January 1st, 1889. 
{See Chapter XI.) 

Fire Engines, 1736. —The first fire engine. Engine No. 1, was 
imported from London by Colonel Godfrey Malbone, and j^re- 
sented to the city of Newport in 1736. The records of Engine No. 
1 are complete. By them it appears that the first fire at which 
it was used was in December, 1749, " Ellery's house on the 
hill." From this date to January 21st, 1861, there were 217 
alarms. 

A steam fire engine was introduced into the service by the 




h 

w 

u 

u 

X 
h 



> 

m 
X 

D 

J 
J 



I 

D 
1 

U. 


u 
o 
z 

UJ 

□ 

00 

u 

E 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 495 

mayor and aldermen, on iietition of the fire department, in 
1806. The present department consists of four steamers, seven 
hose carriages, one liook and ladder truck, all di-awn l)y horses, 
and one hundred and twenty-four paid men, including chief 
engineer and four assistants. Newport has never greatly suf- 
fered from the scourge of fire. The losses from this cause in 
1887 but slightly exceeded eight thousand dollars, a trivial sum 
when the great value contained in many of the residences even is 
held in mind. 

Gas, 1806. — It is claimed that lighting by "hydrogeneous 
gas or inflammable air, produced from pit coal," was first in- 
troduced into the United States by David Melville at Newport, 
Avhere he was then residing, in I806. He had a street gas light 
in Pelham street, and his residence was lighted in a similar 
manner. In 1813 he obtained a patent for the invention, and 
in 1817 a contract from the United States for the Beaver Tail 
light house. It was finally introduced into Newport, and placed 
on the streets about 1852. 

In the month of April, 1888, the committee of the common 
council unanimously recommended to the board to adopt the 
proposition of the Newport Incandescent Electric Lighting 
Company to light the streets. Seventeen hundred and fifty 
lights will be j^ut in operation, and the cost will not exceed 
$16,000 a year. 

Public FA^KS. — TottroPark. JudahTouro, the most honored 
of the Jewish natives of Newport, died in New Orleans, where 
he was then residing, in 1854 ; it is said witliout surviving kin- 
dred. By his will he "bequeathed to the City of Newport the 
sum of ten thousand dollars, on condition that the said sum be 
expended in the purchase and improvement of the property 
in said city known as the 'Old Stone Mill,' to be kept as a 
public park or promenade ground." The bequest was accepted 
by the city authorities, and the sum being increased by subscrip- 
tion from those holding estates contiguous thereto and other 
generous individuals, of five thousand dollars additional, the 
entire property known as the " Old Stone Mill" lot was pur- 
chased and suitably laid out for the purpose indicated by Mr. 
Touro. The selection of this site was most hapjiy. 

There is, perhaps, no subject of American arch;eologic inter- 
est which has excited so much curiosity as to its origin as 
this circular structure, once romantic with its close fitting garb 



496 HISTORY OF NE\VPOKT COUNTY. 

of ivy, of which it has been since stripped for better preserva- 
tion. The Scandinavians, who are nothing if not mythical, and 
whose descendants hardly consider it a wonderful feat to cross 
the Atlantic in a row boat, sturdily maintain that it is one of 
the "Round Towers" of their Norse ancestors, who sailed 
across the sea in the days when the Vikings ruled the waves. 
Otliers, as well informed, as stoutly insist that the quaint 
structure was set up on the hill as a "coign of vantage," 
stronghold of defense, place of refuge if needed, by the early 
settlers of the island. 

The controversy was finally settled in 1878 by the able and 
conclusive paper of Mr. George C. Mason, Jr., a Newport gen- 
tleman, well known not only as a practical architect but for his 
historical research. Analyzing its construction and material 
he shows it to be an almost exact copy of an old mill of the sev- 
enteenth century still standing in Leamington, Warwickshire, 
England, where Governor Benedict Arnold of Rhode Island had 
a farm. This effectually disposes of the idea that the Newport 
structure was a Round Tower or Norman Baptistery. To this 
we add that the story of the settlement of the island as shown 
in the colonial records as clearly shows that it was not set up as 
a work of defense against the peaceful, friendly Narragansetts. 
And to add one more stone to Mr. Mason's cairn of evidence, 
we add the suggestion that the astronomic intention in the 
exact distribution of the eight piers on the true cardinal points 
of the comjiass is not an unnatural expression of the astrologic 
superstition of the seventeenth and even the eighteenth 
centuries. 

It is not a matter of tradition only, but of history, that many, 
if not all Newport vessels, had their horoscopes cast, by which 
their days and hours of sailing were determined. Of this in- 
numerable evidences remain in the log books of the vessels, 
many a one of which has its horoscope on the initial page. How 
common the practice of casting horoscopes was appears from 
the manner in which the "Wizard of the North" makes his 
famous story of manners of the eighteenth century to hinge 
upon the horoscope cast by Guy Mannering at the birth of the 
son of the Laird of Ellangowan. It is reasonable to sup- 
pose that from the top of the Round Tower Benedict Arnold 
and some familiar, learned in I he ocult science, questioned the 
stars as Catherine de Medicis and her astrologer Ruggiera, a cen- 




ROUGH POINT. 

RESIDENCE OF FREDERICK W. VANDERBILT. 
Nevvpoi'l. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 



499 



fury before, from tlie top of the Paris tower, constructed by lier 
order for (lie study of similar mysteries. vVmid all this fog of 
conjecture the simple fact renuiins that tlie fust mention of the 
structure is found in the will of Governor Arnold of 1677, where 
he calls it "my stone built wind-mill." The stone mill lot was 
a part of the governor's farm. The mill stands near the center 
of the rear half of the lot. 

Mr. August Belmont, who married a daughter of Commo- 
dore Matthew Calbraith Perry (a younger brother of the hero 
of Lake Erie), offered to the city of Newport on behalf of his 
wife and himself a fine bronze statue of the celebi'ated officer 
whose peaceful victory opened the ports of Japan to the outer 
world. The city accepted the gift 
and assigned for it the center of the 
upper half of Touro Park, where it 
is a-conspicuous object from Bellevue 
avenue; a most suitable selection, 
when it is remembered that the Bel- 
mont family have long occupied one 
of the most elegant of the villas on 
this celebrated highway. 

The statue is in bronze, of heroic 
size, and stands upon a circular ped- 
estal in which is set an emblematic 
bronze on which are displayed iir 
separate compartments scenes from 
the chief events of the gallant sailor's 
life in Japan, Mexico and Africa. 
The artist, John Q. A. Ward, stands 
at the head of American sculptors, and this admirable work, 
in its dignity and repose of treatment, is worthy of his great 
fame. The cost of the entire monument was not less than 
twenty-five thousand dollars. The statue was presented with 
appropriate ceremonies in October, 1808, and accepted by 
Mayor Atkinson. Mrs. Belmont unveiled the statue. The 
l^rocession which formed on Washington square opposite the 
old Perry residence was marshaled by Colonel John Hare 
Powel. The navy was represented by Commodore John Rogers 
and several officers. The address was delivered by the Rever- 
end Francis Vinton of New York. 

Washhif/loii Square, as the triangular plot of land or park 

3*2 




STATUE OF (_(.l.M. MATT^E^V 
PBRRY. 



500 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 



in front of the state house is termed, was originally an open 
space and known as the Mall or Parade. In 1800 Messrs. 
Creorge Gibbs, Caleb Gardner and Samuel Vernon, Jr., were 
appointed a committee to superintend a Parade lottery voted 
to raise money to lay out and beautifj^ the Mall and the ap- 
proach to the state house. The Mall, as appears by a sitetch 
of the ground at this period, was laid out in a series of circu- 
lar walks, the largest being at the east end of a diameter 
covering nearly the whole width of the ground, followed by 

smaller circles down to the taper- 
ing point where now stands the 
fountain. There was a row of 
trees on the outer edge of the Mall 
on each side, another row on the 
outer edge of the sidewalk, a line 
on the north end of Washington 
square, and a line on the north 
side of the Parade. The lottery 
scheme was only partially success- 
ful, but sul)scriptions were made 
sufficient to cari-y out the original 
plan. Two of the guns taken from 
the colony's sloop "Tartar," on 
her return from the capture of 
Louisburg in 1745, are set at the 
foot of the triangle, partly sunken 
in the ground, and a Parrott gun, 
l^resented to the city in 1861 by 
the late Samuel Powell, stands in 
the upper plot. 

In 1885 the square was appro- 
priately ornamented by the erec- 
tion at its lower angle of a stat- 
ue of Commodore Oliver Hazard 
Perry, the hero of Lake Erie, an adopted son of Newport. The 
expense of the statue was defrayed by sums voted by the state 
and city governments and the voluntary contributions of indi- 
viduals, and the erection was inaugurated with appropriate cere- 
monies by the citizens' committee; participated in by Gov- 
ernor Wetraore and members of the assembly. Mayor Franklin 
and the city council, Mr. Bancroft the historian, numerous dis- 




STATUE OF COM. O. H. PERRY. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 501 

tinguished g-iiests and members of the Perry family. The Hon. 
William P. Sheffield made the historical address. Mr. William 
G. Turner, a native of Newport, made the statue. Tiie attitude 
is that of inspiring command at the crisis of the tiual attack. 
The statue stands directly in front of the huikling once the 
residence of the commodore. 

Morton Park. — In September, 1885, the Hon. Levi P. Morton, 
for many j^ears a summer resident of Newport, presented to 
the city "a plot of land" of twelve and one-half acres on 
Coggeshall and Brenton avenues for a public i^ark. The land 
is well adapted for the purpose, and when laid out by the city 
in accordance with the provisions of the gift, will be an attrac- 
tion to this section of Newport. 

Liberty Park, on Broadway, and Equality Park, on Farewell 
street, are both very small but desirable in their respective 
localities. 

Public Buildings, — The old colony house or court house, 
as it is indifferently called in the records, was a wooden build- 
ing. In 1739 the general assembly appointed a committee 
"to erect a new colony house built of brick in Newport 
where tlie old one now stands consisting of eighty feet in 
length and fortj^ in breadth and thirty feet stud, the length 
whereof to stand near or quite north and south." The work 
was placed in the hands of Richard Munday. 

The structure is a monument to the good taste and true 
architectural sentiment of the time. Its style is thoroughly 
appropriate. Massive and imposing, it is the fit seat of 
authority, and in all its details is one of the finest examples of 
colonial structure. The body of the building is of brick, the 
trimmings of stone. There is a balcony over the west front 
from which proclamations were made after ancient custom. 
In the senate chamber there is a line full length portrait of 
Washington, painted by Stuart for the state of Rhode Island. 
A clock, the work of Benjamin Dudley, a Newport artisan, 
was set up on the gable in front of the building in 1783. After 
seventy years' service it was replaced by the present illumin- 
ated face. 

The City Hall, or Toion Hall, as it was called in the older 
days, was built in 1763, the architect Peter Harrison. Its con- 
struction was in the Ionic order. Its historj^ is curious. In 
1760 the proprietors of the Long Wharf in Newport granted a 



602 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

lot of land to the town for erecting a mai'ket house and sun- 
dry kindred purposes. A building was erected, the upper 
part of which was let for stores for dry goods, the rents fiom 
which to be lodged in the town treasury toward a stock for 
purchasing grain for supplying a public granary forever; the 
cost of the building on the plan of the proprietors to be twenty- 
four thousand pounds old tenor, to be raised by lottery. The 
lower part of the building to be for a market house and no 
other purjjose unless as a watch house. The building to be of 
brick thirty-three feet in front or in width and about sixty-six 
feet in length. The upper story of this building was for many 
years used as a theatre. It was first let for this purj^ose to Har- 
per and Placide of the Boston theatre. They opened with the 
tragedy of "Jane Shore" in 1793. Monsieur Adincourt, 
the keeper of the box book of the Newport theatre, " teacher 
of the French language at his coffee house near the theatre at 
the entrance of the Long AVharf" advertised the opera of 
"Love in a Village" in October of that year. 

Later the upper story was altered into a town hall. The 
lower is now occupied for the city offices. The structure is 
not dissimilar from the old merchants' exchange which stood 
at the foot of Broad street in New York, the ground floor of 
which was for a long time a market, or rather mart in the more 
general sense of the word. The English colonial style pre- 
vailed from Faneuil Hall to the James river, and had a quiet 
repose and unpretending dignity which modern ])ublic build- 
ings usually lack. 

The Bedioood Library Building. — This beautiful building 
stands at the head of Bellevue avenue on a broad open plot of 
ground separated by roadways from neighboring structures. 
The lot of land, then called the Bowling Green, was presented 
to the library company in 1748 by Mr. Henry Collins, a New- 
jjort merchant of education and artistic taste. The building, 
which is in the Doric order, was begun in 1748 and completed 
in 1750. The plans were made and the erection superintended 
by Mr. Peter Harrison, assistant architect of Blenheim house, 
the seat of the Marlboroughs. The subscrii^tion was five 
thousand pounds. To complete the work the company taxed 
themselves equally to the sum of twelve hundred pounds 
additional. The original building was enlarged by an exten- 
sion of the north and south wings and a new structure added 




ANGLESEA. 

RESIDENCE OF WAL-TER H. LE>A^1S. 
Newport. 



V%-\1'\>!^, V- ^W<.'»\VM\^ ' 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 503 

at the east end in 1839. In 1844 a bequest was made to the 
library of one thousand dollars by Mr. Judah Touro for the 
repair of the portico and the laying of a sidewalk to East Touro 
street at the corner of Kay street, where the cemetery fronts. 
Bellevue avenue in front of the library is shaded by beautiful 
trees, one of which, a fine beech, is famed as the most perfect 
specimen of its kind in America. It was planted by Mr. John- 
ston about half a century ago. 

The Jeiolsli Si/nccffOfjue.— This building, as well as the street 
on which it fronts, which, thanks to the generous bequests 
of Abraham and Judah Touro, is kept in perfect repair, was of 
contemporaneous structure with the Redwood Library and the 
town hall, and was the work of the same classic architect, Peter 
Harrison. It is a small brick building, the entrance to which, 
according to the rules of temple architecture, is at the western 
end. As the street does not run in cardinal lines this gives 
to the little sti-ucture a curious air of individuality which 
arrests attention, built as it is at an angle not only with the 
surrounding buildings but even with the stone walls of its own 
enclosure. The interior is of the utmost simplicity but in 
scrupulous neatness and repair. 

Newport Artillery Armory. — This ancient organization, though 
chartered in 1741, can hardly be said to have had a home of its 
own until 1836 when its members had their tirst drill under 
their own roof in the armory building constructed for them in 
Clarke street. The building is a solid low structure of rough 
stone and looks as though it might be cotemporarj^ with the 
charter of the corps, granted in the days of " George the Vic- 
torious." 

The Boat House. — The original boat house stood at the head 
of what is now called boal house galley, at the end of Bellevue 
avenue. It was a wooden building and destroyed by a gale 
before the present century. It is of tradition that the land and 
ledge adjoining, on which the house stood, was given to the 
gunners and iishermen of Newport in perpetuity. It was fol- 
lowed by a stone structure which stood a little west of the site 
of the first wooden building. It was badly damaged, the sea 
breaking comi)letely over it in tlie September gale of 1815, that 
memorable blow when the watei's of the sea and harbor nearly 
met across the neck. It was rebuilt bj' the gunners and Iisher- 
men, and was for many years kept in reiwir by the si)ortsraen 
craft. It was taken down a few vears since. 



504 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 



The Casino. — The need of a place of rendezvous for the enter- 
tainment of the throng of summer visitors led to the building 
of a charming and commodious Casino on Bellevue avenue in 
1880. Here, encircling a large court laid out for tennis courts, 
is an extensive and extremely picturesque structure with nu- 
merous piazzas, verandalis, reading and restaurant rooms, and at- 
tached to it a fine ball room and a pretty theatre. It is occa- 
sionally open in the winter season. In the summer season it is 
the daily resort of a gay and brilliant assemlsjage of pleasure 




THE CASIXO, BELLEVUE AVENUE. 

seekers. The Casino is governed by a board of trustees and is 
only open to subscribers and by card of entrance. The rates 
are reasonable and graduated to the time of use. 

Easton^ s Beach Pavilion. — From the earliest days of the set- 
tlement, the charms of the lovely beach, with its smooth, hard 
surface and gradual skjpe, has been recognized, and during the 
first half of this century it was the favorite bathing resort of 
the northern states; but of late j^ears rivals have sprung up, 
Narraganseti Pier drawing even Newport visitors to its bathing 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 505 

establishment. In 1S8G some enterprising Newport gentlemen, 
with the promise of city assistance, erected a large pavilion, to 
which over five hundred bath houses ai-e attached. The i%a- 
vilion is 648 feet long, has a broad verandah, drawing rooms, a 
cafe, two stands for bands, and the baths are provided with hot, 
cold and sea water. The sea wall has been extended to the west 
end of the bathing rooms, and the roadway has been widened 
and improved. His honor, the mayor, in his recent message, 
notices the throngs which flocked to the beach last summer, 
the unexceptional good order which prevailed without police 
interference, and pronounces the improvement a great success. 
In a word, it was only necessary for Newport to make one effort 
to regain her place at the head of the bathing stations, as she is, 
and must always remain, peerless among the watering places of 
America. 

These improvements in the beach will be naturally followed 
by a growth of settlement on Easton's point, which lies contig- 
uous to it to the eastward, and is bordered by a cliff line as 
fine as that which faces it from the Newport side. 

Neioport Beading Room. — This is essentially a club with- 
out a restaurant. It is managed like the Casino by a board of 
trustees, and is open on easy terms to the army and navy and 
acceptable visitors on payment of weekly or monthly dues. It 
stands on the corner of Bellevue avenue and Church street and 
is open winter and summer. 

The Liberty Tree. — The lot on which this tree stands was 
deeded (1765) by Captain William Read, and is at the junction 
of Thames and Farewell streets. The tree was cut down by the 
British during the time of their occupation of the city during 
the revolution. On the S.^Jth of April, 1783, thirteen citizen^ 
(John Williams, Walter Johnson, Thomas Mumford, Thomas 
Stevens, John Stevens, Samuel Simpson, Job Tovvnsend, Ben- 
jamin Lawton, John Henshaw, George Perry, Noah Barker, 
Robert Taylor, William Dodericli) brought a tree on their 
shoulders from Portsmouth and planted it on the old site, in 
1823 an oval plate of copper nearly two feet long was engraved 
by William S. Nichols and nailed on the tree. This plate was 
renovated for the re-union of 1859. 

Libraries. — It has already been noticed in the sketch of 
Trinity church that the first lil)rary in Newport consisted of 
the seventy volumes, mostly in folio, sent over from England 



506 HISTORY OF NEWPORT OOXTNTY. 

by the "Societj' foi' the Propagation of tlie Gospel in Foreign 
Parts" to that, the tirst Episcopal parish in Rhode Ishind. 

In the year 1730, under tlie inspiration of the celebrated 
Bishop Berkeley, who was tlien residing on the island, a liter- 
ary and philosophic society was established in Newport. The 
intellectual tone of Rhode Island was at that period high, and 
literature and the arts found many and generous patrons among 
the commercial magnates of the trading colony, while the jiro- 
fessions were amply recruited from the English, and especially 
the Scotch, universities. This institution, of which Berkelej' 
was no doubt a familiar, though from his temporary residence 
not a member, was the forerunner and cause of the library. To 
promote the objects of the society Mr. Abraham Redwood, a 
Avealthy resident of Newport, to which he had removed from 
Antigua, in 1747 placed at its disposal a sum of five hundred 
pounds sterling for the purchase of standard books in London, 
on the condition that a suitable edifice were erected to receive 
the gift and any others that might follow it. 

The society at once obtained a charter and incorporated 
themselves under the name of the Redwood Library Company. 
Mr. Henry Collins, a Newport merchant, supplemented the gift 
of Mr. Redwood by that of a suitable lot of land, and a build- 
ing was erected in 1748. 

At the first meeting of the company, held in the council 
chamber at Newport in September, 1747, officers were chosen: 
Directors, Abraham Redwood, Esq., Rev. James Honeyman, 
Rev. John Callender, Henry Collins, Edward Scott, Samuel 
Wickham, John Tillinghast, Peter Bours; treasurer, Joseph 
Jacobs; librarian, Edward Scott; secretary, Thomas Ward. 
Books were imported, of which many were classics. The library 
escaped the disaster of army occupation without serious 
damage. 

The company was reorganized in 1785, when officers were 
chosen : Directors, Hon. Abraham Redwood, Stephen Ayrault, 
William Vernon, John Malbone, Jonathan Easton, Nicholas P. 
Tillinghast, Jacob Richardson, Robert Stevens ; secretary, Wil- 
liam Channing ; librarian, Christo2)her Ellery ; treasurer, 
Stej)hen Ayrault. Mr. Redwood died in March, 1788. With 
him the interest in the library is said to have ceased. Indeed, 
it is said that from 1750 to 1810 no books were added to the 
library by purchase, and but few by gift. The institution was 





THE MOORINGS. 

RESIDENCE OF SCHUYLER HAMILTON, Jr. 
Newport. 



*.»^W\»l, \. WtlkMVQI *. ^ . 



HISTORY OF NliWPORT COUNTY. 507 

in 1810 revived by tlie adflition of sixty-five new members. 
In ]8,').'5 a radical change was made in the rules of the library, 
and its usefulness was extended, and it has since gradually, if 
slowly progressed. The librarj' has gTeatly increased both by 
l)urchase and gift, and while the selection of standard and even 
rare volumes has been admirable, the lighter current literature 
is in sufficient supply to attract the reader for amusement only. 

By the last report of the librarian there were in the libraiy 
August 17th, 1887, a total of 32,488 volumes, and under the 
liberal policy of the directors, a circulation of 9,534 against 
6,833 the previous year. The present librarian, Mr. Richard 
Bliss, is admirablj^ fitted for his position, both by training 
and inclination. There is a fine collection of paintings, statuary, 
antique furniture and rai'e curiosities, which it will be soon 
policy to remove to a more suitable place and relieve the build- 
ing and the gentlemen in charge from tlie numberless annoy- 
ances which their care and exhibition demand. A fireproof 
museum building, under proper securities is what Newport 
now most needs in the way of a public building. 

The People s Library. — This admirable institution, equally 
dear to the rich people on the hill and the poor classes be- 
low, and alike used by both, was founded by Mr. Christopher 
Townsend, a native of Newport. About the time of its incep- 
tion, some other citizens, moved by the same desire, procured 
about three thousand volumes, and obtained a charter of incor- 
poration for a free library. 

Meanwhile Mr. Townsend, determined to exercise a direct 
supervision over his own benefaction, purchased with admir- 
able judgment a choice collection of standard works of about 
seven tliousand volumes. Selected abroad, chiefiy in England, 
this firsi beginning contains numy volumes, earl}^ guide books, 
county histories, which are rarely, if ever, met with in our great 
American libraries. On the other hand, the standard literature 
is almost without exception of the best editions and bound in a 
manner worthy of a private collection. When Mr. Townsend's 
lil)rary had reached the number above named, the managers of 
the Free Library generously turned over to him their collection. 
This was the beginning of the People's Library. It was dedi- 
cated in 1870, Mr. Townsend having, by endowment, secured 
the i)ayment of salaries and running expenses. 

Mr. Townsend lived to see the practical working of his noble 



508 IIISTOUY OF JfEWPOET COUNTY. 

gift. At the time of his death, in 1881, under his advice and 
guidance, the collection had increased to 25,(i00 volnmes of good 
boolvs. Their free circulation among the peojile of Newport 
and its vicinity aggregated 40,000 volumes, and it was stated 
at that time that he had expended upon it the sum of $80,000. 
It was the choice of this modest gentleman that his name should 
not be given to the collection, but that it should stand as an 
example which others might follow in tlie same siiirit of self- 
sacriiice, without fear that their modest additions should inure 
to his personal credit. But his name shall be remembered so 
long as Newport remains an intellectual center in this practical, 
busy country. 

The library building is in Thames street between Pelham and 
Mill streets. The present librarian, Mr. David Stevens, is just 
the man for an institution of this mixed character. Courteous 
to all, patient with the less intelligent class for whom the 
library Avas created, he is at the same time thoroughly ac- 
quainted with the merits and the wants of the collection. 

Fine Arts. — It is impossible in the limits of a chapter to 
give a reasonably full account of the abundant works of art 
in modern Newport. The line arts have always had full repre- 
sentation here — both in the persons of sculptors and painters 
and in the work of their hands. Greenough's studio on Corne 
street is now worthily occui)ied by a rising young artist, Wil- 
liam Clarke Noble, whose heroic bust of the actor McCuUough 
as Virginius has already placed him in the foremost ranks of 
American sculptors. Mr. Noble was boi-n in Gardiner, Maine, 
in February, 1858. He studied in Boston, commencing at the 
age of fourteen, and worked for a number of years in architect- 
ural sculpture in wood and clay. He came to Newport in 1882, 
being engaged to decorate the interior and exterior of the 
Casino. Since 1884 he has devoted himself wholly to portrai- 
ture in sculpture. Among his works may be mentioned Rev. 
Charles T. Brooks, John Hare Powel and the late Thomas 
Doyle, ex-mayor of Providence. This brief notice of art in 
Newport must of necessity be confined to the colonial period 
and of the works which are of Newport projier. 

Mr. Henry Collins, a merchant of wealth and a man of taste, 
formed a gallery of pictures about the middle of the last 
century, many of which were painted to his order. There 
were in this collection portraits of eminent divines — Berkeley, 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 509 

Callender, Hitchcock and Clapp. According to tradition most 
of these pictures were painted by Smibert, who came to Amer- 
ica with Dean Berkeley. The only collection of any moment is 
that of the Redwood Library and Athenfenm. Here may be 
found quite a number of portraits of old Newport governors 
and worthies— Coddington, Wanton, and some of the Collins 
collection. These are of various merit and of uncertain authen- 
ticity. Some are good copies. Of undoubted oi'iginals by 
master hands there are few. These are a portrait of William 
Redwood, a son of the founder, by Sir Thomas Lawrence; of 
Gilbert Stuart, by himself; and of Mr. and Mrs. Bannister, by 
the same artist when only fourteen years of age, which reveal 
the touch and color of the later master; and one of Polly Law- 
ton, the Newport belle of the revolutionary period, by an un- 
known hand. In the state house is a grand full length of Pres- 
ident Washington, by Stuart. 

But it is in miniatures that Newport is especially rich. For 
this was the home of Malbone. Among these a profile likeness 
of Mary Lyman, later Mrs. Benjamin Hazard; of Mrs. Amory 
at the age of eighteen; of Mr. Preble, a brother of the commo- 
dore; of Major John Handy of the continental army; of Rich- 
ard Kidder Randolph; of Charles De Wolf. Mr.' George C. 
Mason, Sr., from whose Reminiscences of Newport the list is 
taken, and who gives the ownership of the portraits at the date 
of his publication (1884), considers the "finest Malbone" then 
in Newport to be a miniature of Ray Greene, attorney general 
of Rhode Island. Two beautiful miniatures, one of a daughter 
of Gen. Nathaniel Greene, and one of a Mrs. Turner, painted 
at the south when the artist was at the apogee of his talent, are 
now owned by a New York lady, and make part of the interest- 
ing collection she is forming in memory of her late father. 
They may be seen at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. 
Ther^ is also in Newport a locket miniature of John Bannister, 
by the same artist. 

There is a miniature of Mrs. John Brown, a daughter of 
Augustus Lucas, who was born in 1697 and married to Captain 
Brown in 1717; one of Miss ^fontaudevert, later the wife of the 
famous Captain Lawrence, one of Washington bearing the in- 
itials A. R., and one of Colonel Lear, AVashington's secretary; 
miniature likenesses of Lieutenant Cox, later Purser Cox, and 
his wife; of Miss Verplanck, of Verplanck Point, New York, 



510 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

later the wife of Colonel de Yaiix, of Charleston; a nameless 
miniature of a Quaker lady, by Trott. There is still another 
fine miniature, bj^ the same delicate hand, of Mrs. Samuel Powel, 
of Philadelphia. In the Powel family of Newport there is a 
store of miniatures, some of foreign artists. Mr. Mason names 
miniatures of Cornelius Low, of New York; of Colonel Richard 
Gary, an aid of Washington; of Eliza Hunter, a clasp miniature 
by Copley, and one of her sister Katharine, wife of the Comte 
de Cardigan (these were two of the three charming young 
girls whom Lauzun mentions in his memoirs); miniatures of Mr. 
and Mrs. Field, of Princeton, the lady a daughter of Richard 
Stockton, of New Jersey, signer of the declaration of independ- 
ence. These (by an unknown hand) were taken to England by 
John Paul Jones to be mounted, and were brought home in 
their peculiar setting. Mr. Mason mentions one of his grand- 
mother, Margaret Mason, whose maiden name was Chaniplin. 
Finally, in the writer's family, a miniature of Colonel El^enezer 
Stevens, of the Second continental artillery, in uniform, painted 
during the revolution by a French officer; and a pair of minia- 
tures of the Misses Babcock, of New York, by Ingham. Be- 
sides miniatures there are numerous silhouettes and some of 
the characteristic works of St. Memin. 

Newspapers. — The first newspaper published in New Eng- 
land was the Boston Neios Letter, 1704; the second was the 
Boston Gazette, 1709; the third, the Boston Courant, 1721. The 
fourth was established at Newport by James Franklin, elder 
brother of Benjamin, who had been one of the printers of the 
Boston Courant. It was a single sheet and bore the title of the 
Rhode Island Gazette. The first number bears date September 
27th, 1732. It was discontinued in 1733. The Newjmrt Mer- 
cury, the first issue of which was June 20th, 1758, was also es- 
tablished by James Franklin, the younger. Franklin dying in 
1762, it was continued by his mother and her son-in-law, Sam- 
uel Hall. Mrs. Franklin died in 1763, after which Hall pub- 
lished the paper until Solomon Southwick became its proprietor 
in 1768. Southwick was a thorough whig and patriot. On the 
coming of the British he buried his press and went to Albany. 
In 1779, the Biitish having evacuated the town, he returned and 
on January oth, 1780, the Mercury again appeared as printed 
by Southwick and Barber, and its publication has never since 
been discontinued or intermitted. It is now owned and pub- 




^^ 




..'::t'.\ 



f\'^ 






-^ 






^\\\l^ '~" ['~~ 








J 




z 
w 
J 
< 

< 
> 





u 
u 

Q 
U 



o 

a 

Z 



HISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 511 

lished by the Hon. John P. Sanborn, whose first number ap- 
peared November IGth, 1S72. It has a wide circulation 
among the sons of Newport and appears weekly in a double 
sheet. Its politics are republican. During the Britisli occupa- 
tion in 1777-79 the Newport Gazette was published by John 
Howe in Thames street, near the Parade. The Newport Herald 
made its appearance in 1787-88-90, printed by Peter Edes on 
Thames street; an intermittent publication, the object of which 
was to oppose paper money. The United States Chronicle ap- 
peared at Newport and Providence in 1791, the Rhode Island 
Museum in 1794, the Weekly Companion and Commercial -Sfeft- 
^/^eZin 1798 and 1799. This closes Hanmett's list of publica- 
tions in the last century. 

The Rhode Island Republican began September 25th, 1800, 
published by Oliver Farnsworth, near the Coffee House in 
Thames street, and continued till 1841. 

There are to- day printed and published in Newport one daily 
newspaper, the Daily News, and three weeklys, the Mercury, 
Journal and Newport Enterprise. 

The first almanac published in Newport was tlie Rhode Is- 
land or '"Poor Kobin almanac," printed in 1728, by James 
Franklin, by him continued till 1735 and printed by his son in 
1741. 

The first printed book was " Hammett's Vindication." — It 
came from the press of James Franklin in 1727. 

NoTAiiLK Y^\Y.'S,-\:^.— Execution of Pirates, 1723. — The extent 
and boldness of pirates and freebooters during the earl}^ days 
of the eighteenth century has been related. The wholesale ex- 
ecution of twenty-six, taken in the very act, while the black 
flag was flying from the masthead of their sloops, brought to an 
end this atrocious practice. The capture of their vessels> 
the "Ranger" and "Fortune," in June, soon after their 
plunder and destruction of the ship "Amsterdam Merchant," 
and while attacking H. M. ship " Greyhound," off the east end 
of Long Island, under the misapprehension that she was a mer- 
chantman, was quickly followed by the trial at Newport of the 
X)irate crews, thirty-six in number. Twenty-six were hanged 
on Gravelly point, opposite the town, on the 19th of July, 1723. 
Their bodies were taken to Goat island and buried between high 
and low water mai-k. One of these men only belonged to Rhode 
island. 



512 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

The last execution in Newport county was of a sailor, wlio 
had committed several burglaries. He was hanged on Easton's 
beach, in November, 1764. 

The Great Storm, 1740. — According to the diary of William 
Greene of Warwick, who sat in the assemblyduring this season, 
" the winter of 1740 was the coldest known in New England 
since the memory of man." At Warwick, where the assembly 
was sitting, there fell on the 28th, 29th and 30th of .January full 
three feet of snow, in addition to what lay on the ground be- 
fore. The tops of the stone walls and fences were so crushed 
that cattle passed over them. "During the great snow storm 
the last of January there was a great loss both of cattle and 
sheep ; some were smothered, and great numbers of sheep were 
driven into the sea by the wind." The snow in the woods was 
three feet deep on the 15th of March. " In the midst of the 
winter it was frozen from the mainland to Block island, and 
thence southward out to sea." 

T?ie Hessian Storm, 177S. — This, which is remembered as tlie 
great snow storm, though not of as long duration as that of 
1740, was quite as severe. It commenced on the night of the 
22d of December. The snow fell in great quantities and the 
cold was intense. The sentinels of the British army (then oc- 
cupying the town) of the outer lines were found after the storm 
frozen to death at their posts. The storm received the name of 
the "Hessian Storm" from the large number of the mercenary 
troops of that country who perished. The French fleet of 
d'Estaing, whicii had stood out to sea, was so much disabled by 
it that the officers unanimously signed a protest against enter- 
ing the harbor. 

TJie Dark Day, 1780.— The winter of 1779-80 had been re- 
markable for its atmospheric phenomena ; spots on the face of 
the sun, auroral displays of unusual brilliancy and duration, 
the severity of the weather, and the continuance of snow on the 
ground from November till April. The spring opened late and 
even May was dry and cold. Such were the conditions pre- 
cedent to the 19th of May, 1780. The day dawned as usual. 
Clouds soon gathered thick to the southward. The wind blew 
in gusts, with occasional thunder. Darkness began to creep 
over the earth. '■ By the middle of 'the forenoon the darkness 
was as of night. The day birds took to their roosts, the night 
birds came out from their cover; the occupations of life were 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 513 

impossible without candle lipjlit. There was a general dread of 
approaching calamity, and the superstitious thought that the last 
day had come and awaited the trumpet call. There had been 
analogous phenomena in America since the English settlement : 
in October, 1716 : August 9th, 17:32 ; October 19th, 17G2 (all old 
style). Not dissimilar in cause was the recent YeUow Day, 
September 6th, 1881. Tiie causes of all tliese phenomena were 
the gathering of the smoke of burning forests, blown by north- 
erly and westerly winds to the sea coast, and backed ujj against 
dense, imiiermeable sea fogs. 

T7ie VeUoiD Fevei\ 1799. — A malignant disorder thus desig- 
nated was brought to Newport by the U. S. Frigate " General 
Greene," which arrived from the West India station on the 
27th of July, 1799. Tlie disease broke out on the voyage, and 
a large number went into hospital on arrival. The contagion 
spread, and in its course carried off many persons. 

The September Gale, 1815.— The 23d of September, 1815, is 
rendered memorable hv a most awful and destructive storm. 
Tile gale commenced in the morning at the N. E., and continued 
increasing in violence, the wind varying from N. E. to S. E. 
and S. AV., until 11 o'clock, wlien it began to abate, and by 1 
o'clock the danger from wind and tide was over. The tide rose 
three feet higiier than it had ever been known before. Two 
dwelling houses and nine stores and workshops on the long 
wharf were swept away by the violence of tlie wind and waves. 
In one of the houses five persons perished. Many of the 
wharves on the jioint were carried away. The steeples of the 
First and Second Congregational churches were partly blown 
down and the roofs of the Episcopal and First Congregational 
churches were partly carried away. The shipping in the har- 
bor wei-e driven from their anchorage and went ashore. The 
damage to pioperty was great. 

Tlie Asiatic Cholera, 1832-1849.— This terrible scourge made 
its first appearance in the neighborhood of Calcutta. Crossing 
the eastern hemisphere it ravaged France and England and, 
unstayed by the Atlantic barrier, was wafted to the American 
continent. First striking Canada, the shortest sea line, it 
passed to Albany and New York, where it r.fged througiiout 
the summer of 1832. At the June session the Rhode Island 
assembly recommended a public fast. But prayer has no avail 
against the order of nature, which is the higher law; the only 



514 IIISTORT OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

visible expression of a supreme power. In July the island was 
visited. Newport was favored, indeed almost exempt. In 1849, 
Avhen the cholera reappeared, not a single death from the dis- 
ease occurred in Newport. In 1854, when it again appeared, 
the exemption of Newport was not so complete. A special hos- 
pital was early established by the city council, and the total 
number of deaths by the disease and by cholera infantum, 
which were ignorantly classed together in the reports, was fifty- 
nine, of whom forty were adults, this latter number being 
probably the true number of victims to cholera proper. 

YisiTS. — Washington entered Newport for the first tim^ 
in the spring of 1781 for a conference with Rochambeau pre- 
vious to the summer campaign. The details of this interesting 
occasion api>ear in a previous chapter. His second and last 
visit was as president of ohe United States in August, 1790. 
An account of this visit, written by William Smith, member 
of the first congress of the United States, recently made public, 
gives some interesting details of this second and last visit of 
Washington. The object of his visit was to show his appreci- 
ation of the accession of Rhode Island, the only outstanding 
state, to the Union. Congress adjourned at New York on the 
13th of August. The president and his party left the seat of 
government on Sunday, the 15th, on board a Rhode Island 
packet, and arrived at Newport, after a pleasant passage, on 
Tuesday morning. Salutes were fired as the vessel entered the 
harbor. The principal inhabitants were in waiting at Long 
Wharf. The jtresident was escorted to the Brenton house, then 
the principal house of entertainment, and kept by Mrs. Almy. 
This historic building is still standing, graced by stately linden 
trees, on the easterly side of Thames street. Thence he was 
escorted to the state house where he held a public reception in 
the council chamber, and at five in the afternoon sat down to 
dinner in the representatives' chamber; the table being set with 
services of silver contributed for the occasion by the principal 
gentlemen of the town. The thirteen regular toasts were drank, 
Washington giving the "town of Newport," and Judge Mar- 
cliant, immediately on his withdrawal, " the man we love." In 
the presidential party were Governor Clinton, of New York, 
Jefferson, then secretary of state. Judge Blair of the supreme 
court, and three gentlemen of tlie "president's family," Colonel 
Humphreys, Major Jackson and Mr. Nelson. The next morn- 





XH-^..^ 





CO 

> 

X 

u 



Z 



HISTORY OF NKWPORT COUKTY. 515 

ing, Wednesday, the ]8tli. tlie president and liis wife embarked 
for Providence. 

It was on this occasion tliat the Hebrew congregation in New- 
port, through Moses Seixas, warden, "the children of the 
stock of Abraham," asthej^ stj^led tliemselves, delivered to the 
president an address of welcome, a noble and touching ac- 
knowledgment of their gratitude for the liberty the Union 
promised. The president replied at a length not less than their 
own and in full appreciation of the sentiments of the address. 

Andrew Jackson, president of the United States, visited New- 
port on his northern tour on the 19th of June, 1833. He was 
received on his arrival by the Newport artillery company. 

General Grant, president of the United States, visited New- 
port and exchanged courtesies with the city authoriiies on 
Saturday, August 21st, 1869. He was received by Mayor At- 
kinson and a committee of the city council and conducted to 
the state house, where he formally welcomed the citizens, after 
which the president returned to the residence of Governor E. D. 
Morgan, where he held a brilliant reception in the afternoon, 
and in the evening attended a gay hop at the Ocean House. 
Other entertainments followed. The president quietly left the 
city on Wednesday, in a light carriage, driving to the railroad 
station and himself holding the reins. 

The Ctold Pkver, 1849. — The excitement which spread over 
the entire country east of the Rocky mountains on the news 
of the discoveiy of gold in placers in California, ran high in New 
England and reached fever heat in Newport, whose people from 
earliest days were alwaj's keen for adventure. Toward the 
close of the year 1848 a company, promoted l)y Captain Charles 
Cozzens and others, was organized, and the whaling ship " Aud- 
ley Clarke'' purchased and fitted out. A company of seventy- 
four persons, in which nearly every one of the old Newport 
families was represented, enrolled their names, and the good 
ship sailed for the "land of gold" under the command of Cap- 
tain Ayrault Wanton Dennis, on the afternoon of February 
15th, 1849. She doubled Cape Horn and dropped anchor with- 
in the Golden Gate on the 1st day of September, after a voyage 
of one hundred and niuety-eight days. The enterprising com 
pany found San Francisco in full activity, the passengers by 
the Aspinwall steamers having long preceded them and taken 
the lirst cream of the extraordinary profits of this unexampled 
33 



516 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

movement. Nevertheless many of the companjMvere fortnnate, 
and the credit of Newport stood high on the Pacific coast. 
That their old home was not forgotten in the struggle for riches 
appeared in the interest shown by the colors sent by them to 
the First Rhode Island regiment in the war of the rebellion, 
and by their active co-operation in the reunions of the sons of 
Newport in 1859 and 1884. 

Re-union of the Sons and Daughters of Newport. 1859, 
1884. — In the autumn of 1858 a call appeared in the Newport Mer- 
cury inviting the "Exiles from Eden" to visit Newport in August 
of the next year. The attention of the city council was called 
to the subject by William H. Cranston, mayor of the city, in 
June, and the snm of one thousand dollars was voted to the ex- 
penses of the celebration, wliich had assumed form and name. 
A convention of the incorporated bodies in the city was called, 
to which delegates were sent: the Artillery Company, Colonel 
Turner; St. John's Lodge, No. 1, Gilbert Chase, Esq.; R. I. . 
Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, William B. Sher- 
man, Esq. ; Newport Historical Society, Hon. Thomas R. Hun- 
ter; Redwood Library, George C. Mason, Esq.; Atlantic Di- 
vision, Sons of Temperance, S. T. Hoj^kins, Esq.; Board of B^ire 
Wards, ex-mayor William J. Swinburne; Musicallnstitute, Ira 
N. Stanley, Esq.; Philharmonic Society, J. W. Wood, Esq.;, 
Hook and Ladder Co., William H. Greene, Esq.; Engine Com- 
panies: No. 3, Captains Julius Sayer, No. 4, George S. Ward, 
No. 5, Lewis Lawton Simmons, Esq., No. 7, Henry B. Burdick, 
Esq. The convention elected Thomas Coggeshall secretary and 
treasurer, appointed committees of detail and placed the gener- 
al management undercharge of the Hon. William J. Swinburne 
as chief marshal. On the 23d of August there was a large gath- 
ering in the tastefully decorated city, which wasgayly illumin- 
ated on the eve of the celebration. The register of names opened 
at the mayor's office received over, eleven hundred signatures. 
The returning sons and daughters came in from every section 
of the country. An account of this interesting celebration, with 
an appendix giving the registered names, was prepared by Mr. 
George C. Mason and printed by the committee of arrange- 
ments. On this occasion the United States and the service was 
represented by John Magruder of Viiginia and his staff. Bu- 
chanan was then president, and the southern officers of the reg- 
ular army had all the choice posts. Magruder commanded at 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 517 

Fort Adams and it is but just to say, did his full share in the 
hospitalities of the city during the period of his command. 

In the winter of 1883 the project was broached of a repetition 
of the celebration of 1859, on its twenty-fifth anniversary, but 
piactical form was not assumed until the 6th of May, 1884, 
when Robert S. Franklin, mayor of the city, brought tlie sub- 
ject before the city council who, the same day, named a special 
committee to carry out the plan. A jiublic meeting was held 
at the ojiera house on the 16th of May, and an organization 
completed : Chairman, John Waters ; secretary, Frank G. 
Harris ; treasurer, Charles T. Hopkins, and chief marshal, Wil- 
liam J. Swinburne. Preparations were begun and fornuil meet- 
ings of the Sons of Newport were held at the four centers of 
Newport emigration — Providence, New York, New Bedford 
and Boston. The legislature passed an act authorizing the city 
council to expend the sum of three thousand dollars for the 
Fourth of July celebration, and it was directed to hold the re- 
union on this day. The summer residents of Newport came 
forward in a most generous manner. The Izard lot was selected 
for the erection of the mammoth tent, and Mr. George Wash- 
ington, the colored caterer, was charged with the entertainment 
of the concourse of people. The procession moved from Wash- 
ington square, starting from in front of the state house, the 
marshal leading, at eleven o'clock. Nearly four thousand i)er- 
sons were in line, while the streets were thronged along the 
route of march through Broadway, Marlborough, Thames, 
Franklin, Spring to Broadway again ; thence by Mann avenue, 
Kay street, Bellevue avenue to Bowery, Spring to the Izard lot. 
A history of the celebration was pi-epared and published by the 
secretary, Mr. Frank G. Harris, in 1885. One of the most val- 
uable of its chapters is a retrospective glance over the quarter 
of a century elapsed since the first re-union. The taxable 
property of the city had risen from $10,484,400 in 1859, to $27,- 
543,600 in 1884. Whole sections, then only field land, had 
been converted into summer residences, and the part of tlie<;ity 
about Broadway and the contiguous streets filled with comfort- 
able homes for the permanent population. The manufacturing 
interest had died out, or lather been burned out bj'^ re])eated 
fires, and the mills and factories had not been rebuilt, yet the 
amount of deposits in the savings banks had shown a constant 
increase; indicating a change but not a decline in the industries 



518 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

of the city. Tlie war of the rebellion had come and gone and 
was already almost forgotten. The genial Colonel Magrnder 
had seceded with his state, and a young U. S. officer, with an 
old Rhode Island name, Lieutenant Dyer, of Light Battery F, 
Fourth United States Artillery, the original company raised by 
Alexander Hamilton in New York in 1776, responded to the 
toast to the army. The union that Hamilton welded, the guns 
of his battery had protected and helped to preserve. 

Trade and Commerce. — In the very beginnings of Pilgrim 
settlement there is record of one English skipper who had the 
daring to sail his sloop on trading trips, coasting from Boston 
around Cape Cod to the Connecticut river. Before the coming 
of Coddington to Aquidneck, before even the solitary landing 
of Roger Williams at Seekonk, John Oldiiam had put into the 
harbor of the Narragansett and been the guest of Canonicus at 
his home on Conanicut island. The Indian chief, either from 
friendship for the man or desiring to extend the trade of his 
tribe, had before 1686 given to the captain an island in the Nar- 
ragansett bay, Chibachuwesa (later Prudence) in the Indian 
tongue, famous for its store of fish, on condition that he should 
settle upon it and dwell near to him and his son. Oldham was 
murdered by the Pequots at Block Island in 1636. That the 
trade was active and more than one vessel engaged appears 
from the fact that still another captain, John Gallup, returning 
also from the Connecticut river, and seeing Oldham's vessel near 
the island and full of Indians, bore up for it, boarded and drove 
the savages into the sea, and found the mangled body of Old- 
ham. But there is no mention of any other white man trading 
at or near this time within the bay. Such is the meagerness of 
this class of information that we have not fallen on any mention 
of this coastwise trade between the eastern settlements of New 
England and Connecticut and New York until the time of Phil- 
ip's war. Captain Church, in his narrative, mentions his en- 
gagement of Mr. Anthony Low, who put into the harbor of 
Newport with a loaded vessel bound to the westward, to take 
him to Plymouth. This was about the close of June, 1676. In 
August of the same year the records of a court martial held in 
Newport show that Captain Anthony Low was then engaged by 
the court to transi)ort seven Indians, found guilty of being en- 
gaged in Philip's designs, out of the colony. The inference is 
natural that the vessel was engaged in a regular coasting trade. 



HISTORY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 519 

He is known to have gone as far as New York on these trips. 

The first trading houses in the Narragansett country were on 
the nuiinland, in tlie neighbi)ihood of wliat is now Ivnown as 
Wickford. The pioneer in this enterprise, according to tlie 
testimony of Roger Williams (concerning the Narragansett 
country, 1670), was Richard Smith, a man of estate in Glocester- 
shire, England, who, selling his property in the mother country, 
came over to New England about 1637, and first settled at Taun- 
ton, in the colony of New England; but disagreeing with the 
authorities in religious matters came intoNarragansett, and ob- 
taining the favor of the sachems " he broke the ice (at his great 
charges and hazards) and put up in the thickest of the barbari- 
ans the first house among them." 

Shortly after, Roger Williams, and with him a Mr. Wilcox 
(whom we suppose to be either the Edward Wilcocks admitted 
inhabitant of Newport in 1638, or Daniel Wilcox appointed on 
the grand inquest of Newport in 1G43), built a second trading 
house near U) the first. Both were in operation in 1642-3, soon 
after which Williams sold his home and settlement to " Richard 
Sill i til, who lived there alone for many years, his house being 
the resting place and rendezvous for all travellers passing that 
way, which was of great use and benefit to the country." In 
the beginning these men were only permitted to live upon the 
land by sufi^^erance and favor, but about 1649 the Narragansett 
princes together assembled, and many hundred Indians present 
granted by "livery and seizing a tract of several hundred acres 
about a mile in length and so down to the sea." Here in this 
first trading house Richard Smith and Captain Richard Smith, 
Jr., his son, lived together, industrious and thriving, for over 
forty years. In it the father died. This house, fortified and 
garrisoned, was the headquarters of General Josiah Winslow 
and the rendezvous of the troops of the Massachusetts and 
Plymouth colonies on the famous expedition of 1675 in Philiiys 
war. Here, from its abundant store of corn, provisions and 
cattle. Captain Church prepared for the coming of the main 
forces. The garrison is known in the histories as Major Smith's 
garrison, and the ferry, the principal in that neighborhood, as 
Smith's ferry (now Wickford). In the grant of land by Conia- 
qnon, sachem (.son of Miantonomi), of the northern tract to 
Governor Winthrop, Major Atherlon and others, Richard 
Smith, Sr., and Ricliard Smith, Jr., are named as of Cocumco- 



520 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

suck traders. This is the brook which gives the name (Stoney 
Brook) to the liarbor of Wickford. It was the chief mart of 
Indian trade on the Narragansett waters. 

Roger Williams was a frequent visitor here. His letters to 
John Winthrop, Jr., governor of Connecticut, of June, 1675, 
are dated from '' Mr. Richard Smith's " and from " Mr. Smith's 
at Nahigonsik." And the records of the colony show that the 
apijointed place of meeting of the authorities of Rhode Island 
and New Hampshire to settle the claims to territory in 1683 
was "Mr. Richard Smith's at Narragansett." 

About 10.57, says Callender, several gentlemen on the island 
(Rhode Island) and elsewhere made a considerable purchase, 
called the Petaquamscot purchase. This tract is a strip of 
land running east from Narragansett Pier in South Kingstown 
due west to Charlestown. It is known that Rhode Island men 
settled here before 1661, at which time there was a hot dispute 
as to the ownership of the land between the governments of 
Plymouth and the Providence Plantations. It was at the 
Petaquamscot settlement, at the mouth of the river, that the 
Connecticut detachment of General Winslow's expedition ex- 
pected to find shelter on their march to join the main body 
moving from Smith's garrison house to the northward. The 
Petaquamscot settlement was incorporated as Kingstown in 
1674. . 

In 1660 William Vaughan and other Newport men purchased 
of Socho, a Niantic chief, the tract of Misquamicut, the 
neck of land on the east side of Pawcatuck river, and a set- 
tlement was made here which took the name of Westerly on 
its incorporation, in 1669. About this tract there was trouble 
between the Connecticut government and the King's Province 
(as the Narragansett country was called after their submission), 
Connecticut claiming it as her share of the Pequot conquest, 
careless alike of the fact that the Narragansetts claimed juris- 
diction to the river, and that her warriors had aided in the 
Pequot defeat. 

In addition to these three chief trading stations, in which 
Indian products were the chief articles of barter and Indian 
wampum peage the sole cui-rency, the island of Manisses or 
Block island, which fronts the roadstead of Narragansett bay, 
must be named, for though not as important as the other 
ports, it lay in the way of traffic between the inhabitants of 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COTTNTT. 521 

Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth coast with the New Haven 
colony and the settlements on Long Island, both English and 
Dutch. It was here that Oldham was wounded in 1633 by 
the savage Pequots, who then held the island. In 1G72 this is- 
land was incorporated as New Shorehani. 

The English found the Narragansetts a thriving, industrious 
people, combining agriculture and manufactures, fishing, hunt- 
ing and fowling, witli a certain address in the arts of ornament. 
Prom the prolific soil they raised Indian corn, their staple food, 
in great abundance and used in various forms of preparation, 
fresh, pounded and dried. Beans and squash were plentiful; 
acorns and chestnuts they dried; froni walnuts they took oi); 
fruits grew in profusion: strawberries, whortleberries and cur- 
rants. The sea swarmed with fish, large and small, the rocks 
on the shore with cormorants, the beaches were thick with 
clams and other shell fish. The ponds were at seasons covered 
with geese, ducks and innumerable wild fowl, the woods were full 
of turkeys, pigeons and smaller birds, all of which the Indians 
snared or killed with bow and arrow. The de«r they drove in 
great parties, encircling and gathering them to a place of 
slaughter. Their manufactures were rude but well adapted to 
their purposes. Their earthen vessels were shapely, their tools 
convenient, and their stone pipes and bracelets not without 
grace of form. The recent discovery (1878) of an Indian pottery 
factory shows the extent of this industry. It was found in a 
large cave of soft limestone in the town of Cranston on the west 
of the bay— unfinished and broken plates were scattered about 
the ground. Their tools were chisels and hammers made of a 
hard stone found in the hills near by. There had previously 
been found a factory near Providence, in a ledge of steatite or 
soapstone rocli, the only formation of this character, it is said, 
east of the Alleghanies, unless there be one as stated near Rich- 
mond. The Indians dug around the pots and hollowed them 
out. 

Abundantly supplied themselves, the Indians carried their 
surplus wherever they might hope for a market, sometimes to a 
distance of forty to fifty miles. They were keen at a bargain, 
suspicious of deceit and true themselves. In addition to these 
various industries they were the chief makers or coiners of 
wampum-peage, the currency of the country when the English 
arrived and for a long period after the first settlement. Warn- 



522 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

pum-peage was of two kinds; the vvliite made of the stock of the 
periwinkle shell and the black from the shell of the quahawg 
or round clam, about twice the value of the white. The eye of 
this shell was ground smooth, polished and drilled. Strung to- 
gether, they were worn as necklaces, armlets or bracelets, or 
blended into figures as ornaments. When used as money they 
were strung in fathoms. A string of three hundred and sixty 
white beads made a fathom. A fathom of black was worth 
twice that of the white. There was no limitation in its nuike 
nor any license required from the prince or local sachem. This 
cun-ency was current among the Indian tribes for six hundred 
miles in the interior and also with the English, French and 
Dutch, who made it a legal tender. Defective pieces injured 
the value of the fathom and were not taken by the Indians. 
That there was counterfeit peage appears by the order of the 
assembly in 1647 that any false peage offered for goods by In- 
dians and warranted so should be confiscated. The value at the 
first coming of the English was for the white six for a penny; 
the black three for a penny. A string of white beads or fathom 
was worth five shillings sterling; of black ten shillings sterling. 
With the fall in the value of beaver skins* in England caused by 
the spread of tlie fur trade, the value of wampum was ten shil- 
lings the fathom. The cause of the decline was beyond the 
financial understanding of the natives. These values changed, 
for in 1649 the Rhode Island colony passed a law that no person 
should take any black peage of tlie Indians but at four a penny: 
under j^ain of forfeiture, half to the informer, half to the state, 
and in 1658, "seeing that peage is fallen to so low a rate it is 
ordered that all fines shall be accounted and paid in peage at 
eight per penny white and in other pay equivalent thereto;" 
and in 1662 it is ordered that "upon the consideration that 
peage is fallen to so low a rate and it cannot be judged that it is 
but a commodity and that it is unreasonable that it should be 
forced upon any man, therefore all fines, &c., shall be accounted 
and paid in current pay according to merchants pay and all 
former laws stand repealed." Current pay was sterling or New 
England coin. Shillings and sixpences were coined in Massa- 
chusetts in 1652— thirty shillings equal to twenty-two shillings 
and sixpence sterling. Rhode Island was the last of the colo- 
nies to give up the use of wampum. The records are full of in- 
stances of the use of peage in matters of consequence. 



HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTV. 523 

In 1687 Caiionicus and Miantononii received forty fathoms of 
wampum from Coddiiigton and liis friends for Aquidneck is- 
land and other privileges and Wanamatrauemit, the sachem of 
the island, five fathoms for his consent thereto; and in ]6:^9, 
Wammenatoni, five fathoms in satisfaction of any and all other 
titles. In 1642 Miantonomi and Pumham, the local sachem, re- 
ceived one hundred and forty-four fathoms for the entire tract 
of Shawomet, or Warwick, and in 1645 the fine imposed on Pes- 
sicus by New England for making war on his enemies without 
their consent, amounted to two thousand fathoms, to secure 
which they mortgaged the entire Narragansett country. 

Of a true trading spirit, the Narragansetts were eager pur- 
chasers of the tools, little articles of ornament and especially 
of the fire arms, of which they quickly learned the use; and 
the wampum paid was the most convenient medium for the 
purchase of furs at any of tlie trading posts from the Atlantic 
to the St. Lawrence, and served to raise the nature of the trade 
to a higher plane than that of common barter; but it is to be 
observed that the transfers of title to land were generally ac- 
companied by gifts of some kind — clothing, tools or ornaments — 
in addition to or in lieu of wampum consideration. There is no 
means of ascertaining the value of this Indian trade, but it no 
doubt entered largely into the daily life of the colony. 

In 1638, the year of the Portsmouth settlement on Aquidneck 
island, three of the freemen, Mr. Coggeshall, Mr. Hutchinson 
and Mr. Dyre, the clerk of the company, were appointed for 
the venison trade with the Indians, and were forbidden to give 
them above three half pence a pound in waj' of trade, the same 
to be sold by the truck masters for two pence a pound. In 1640 
the trade with the Indians was made free by law at Newport to 
all men, and the same year also it was ordered that Indian corn 
should "goe at four shillings a bushel between man and man 
in all payments for debts from that day forward, provided it be 
merchantable." 

The same year it was ordered by the general asserpbly that 
" all the Sea Banks are free for fishing to the towne of New- 
port." The imjjortance of the fishing trade was early seen by 
Roger Williams, who liad from Canonicus a gift of Chibachii- 
wesa or Prudence island in the bay " because of the store of 
fish." This island he divided with Governor Winthrop of 
Massachusetts. It was suited for double occupation, being in 



524 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

shape, as Williams queerly describes, "spectacle-wise." Fish 
were no doubt dried here for winter use and export. 

That the Narragansett Indians pushed their trade amon^ the 
Dutch and French appears from the ordinance in 1647 forbid- 
ding any trade by the Dutch, PVench or other alliants or even 
any Englishman to trade or barter with the Indians within the 
jurisdiction of the colony on pain of forfeiture of ship and 
goods. The Dutch governor was to be notified, and to secure 
obedience Newport was ordered to take into their custody the 
trading house or houses of the Narragansett bay; Portsmouth 
to take in Prudence island, and Pawtuxet to make its choice be- 
tween Providence, Portsmouth or Newport. 

Arnold in his history of Rhode Island gives some idea of the 
prices which ruled in the colony at different times. Those of 
1664 are taken from the i-ates at which the several articles 
were valued in the collection of the tax upon the towns to 
provide money to pay the expenses of their London agent: 
in colonial currency wheat at four and six pence per bushel, 
peas at three and six pence, pork at three pounds ten shil- 
lings the barrel. In 1670, summary means being again taken 
to send agents to England, a compulsory tax was laid on the 
following scale of market values : Pork three pence ; butter 
six pence ; wool one shilling ; peas three shillings and six 
pence a bushel ; wheat live shillings ; Indian corn three shil- 
lings ; oats two shillings and three pence. Forty shillings of 
New England cun-ency was then equal to thirty shillings ster- 
ling. New England shillings silver were taken for two shil- 
lings value in produce. This was before Philip's war, which 
was by far the most disturbing incident in Rhode Island 
history ; after its close, in 1678, a tax was laid which showed 
the effects. Fresh pork was valued at two pence a pound, 
salted pork tifty shillings the barrel, fresh beef twelve shillings 
the hundred weight, packed beef in barrels thirty shillings a 
hundred, peas and barley malt two shillings and si.\ pence a 
bushel, corn and barley two shillings, washed wool six pence a 
pound, and good firkin butter hve pence. "Most of the tax 
was paid in wool, the price of which was reduced to five cents." 
While this great change in the price of staples occurred, the 
relative value of English and colonial money remained un- 
changed. 

An insufficiency of information is found when search is made 



IITSTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 525 

into the foreign trade of Newport before 1700; indeed until 
the issue of the first newspaper. We know that when Roger 
Williams and John Clarke went to England on the matter 
of the charter that they sailed from Boston in November, 
1661, and we have no doubt that when Coddington went tliither 
on his errand in 1C49 with his daughter, and sailed in January, 
that it was from the same port. That there was some direct 
trade with tlie Barbadoes is certain. Mr. William Coddington 
was engaged in shipping horses to that point from Newport in 
1658. Quakers came direct to Newport from that port the same 
year. George Fox arrived in 1672. In 1666 such trouble was 
found in obtaining exchange on England to remit to John 
Clarke, the colony's agent in London, that a committee was 
raised to send a venture to Barbadoes by which to procure the 
needed bills from that colony — sufficient proof that commerce 
was at a low ebb at this period. The answer of Rhode Island, 
May 8th, 1680, to thejboard of trade and plantations to the 
questions tonching commerce are selected and given in full: 

"To the eighth we ausw^er that with respect to other nations 
that the French being seated at Canada and up the Bay of 
Fundy are a very considerable number, as we judge about two 
thousand, but as for the Indians they are generally cut oif by 
the late war that were inhabiting our coUony. 

"To the ninth we answer, that as for foreigners and Indians 
we have no commerce with, but as for our neighboring English 
we have and shall endeavor to keep a good correspondency with 
them. 

"To the eleventh, we answer that our principal town for 
trade in our collony is the Towne of Newport, that the general- 
ity of our building is of timber, and generally small. 

"To the thirteenth, that we have several good harbors in the 
colony of verj^ good deptli and soundings, navigable for any 
shipping. 

"To the fourteenth, that the principal matters that are ex- 
ported amongst us is Horses and provisions, and the good.s 
chiefly imported is a small quantity of Barbadoes goods for 
supply of our families. 

" To the si.xteenth, we answer that we have several men that 
deal in buying and selling, although they can not properly be 
called merchants, and for planters that there are about five 
hundred, and about five hundred men besides. 



526 IIISTOKY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

"To the seventeenth, that we have had few or none either of 
English, Scots, Irish or foreigners, only a few blacks, imported. ' 

" To the eighteenth, that there may be of whites and blacks 
about two hundred born in a year. 

" To the nineteenth, that for marriages we haveabont tifty in 
a year. 

"To the twentieth, that for bnrials the seven years last past 
according to computation amounts to four hundred and tifty- 
five. 

"To the twenty-first, that as for merchants we have none, but 
the most of our colony live comfortably by improving the wil- 
derness. 

"To the twenty-second, that we have no shipping belonging 
to our country, b.ut only a few sloops. 

"To the twenty-third, that the great obstruction concerning 
trade is the want of Merchants and men of considerable Estates 
amongst us. 

"To the twenty-fourth, we answer that a fishing trade might 
prove very beneficial provided, according to the former article, 
there were men of considerable Estates amongst us, and willing 
to propagate it. 

"To the twenty-fifth, that as for goods exported and import- 
ed, which is very little, there is no customs imposed." 

The interference by travelling traders or peddlers with the set- 
tled business of the colony had so increased in 1698 that a law 
was passed for their government. It reads : " Whereas divers 
transient persons and trading strangers are continually coming 
into all parts of this colony with a quantity of sundry sorts of 
goods and commodities, retailing the same from house to house 
in chambers, warehouses and other places, for some time aiid 
then going away to another jilace, gathering up quantities of 
ready money and carrying it off, and who pay little or no ac- 
knowledgment to the government or scote or lote, nor are at 
those charges the freemen and inhabitants that trade are at, 
who also triist the inhabitants and yearly take off considerable 
quantities of the produce of the colony in i)art of pay, which 
the other transient traders do not; but carry off the ready 
money to the damage not only of the traders but of the govern- 
ment and inhabitants in general. And not only so, but some 
of the transient traders, taking up quantities of goods of the 
merchants of Boston, &c., come here and vend them at low rates 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 527 

and then run away and never pay said inei'chants, as several 
hath done; all which is and will be of very ill consequence to 
the government and inhabitants if not redressed. For the pre- 
vention of which inconvenience and in direct way of trade, 
and that the government may receive some proportional consid- 
eration from them as well as from the inhabitants and freemen, 
he it enacted that from and after the publication of this act no 
person whatsoever (not admitted an inhabitant or freeman ac- 
cording to the laws of this colony) shall be permitted to retail 
any commodity either in shop, warehouse, chamber, vessel or 
any other place in any town of this colony before said person 
has entered his name with an invoice of the particular species 
and value of said goods he intends to retail, with the clerk 
of said town, upon the penalty of forfeiture of all said goods 
and commodities that shall be found in his custody, one third 
to the informer, one third to the governor and one third to 
the town. And for every ten pounds value of said goods en- 
tered and sold he shall pay to the town clerk five shillings 
money which said money and invoice shall be produced at 
the next Town Council in order to pay said money into the 
Town Treasury for the use of the poor and mending of high- 
ways and bridges. And further that no merchant, factor or 
any person whatsoever that shall bring on shore any goods into 
any town of this colony, not admitted an inhabitant or freeman 
as aforesaid, he shall not have liberty to expose any of said 
goods by wholesale before he enter his name with an invoice of 
his goods with the Town Clerk upon the penalty aforesaid." 
Power was given to assess the same not exceeding twenty shil- 
lings on the hundred pounds. Some exceptions were made for 
the fairs allowed by act of assembly, but always under condi- 
tion tiiat articles l)ronght to fairs should not be transported to 
any other town or the trader be allowed to trade in the town 
itself where the fair is held after " the fairs are passed." 

For further protection of the home business it was enacted in 
1701 that " wherever there are several persons that are traders 
from foreign parts that doth come to trade in this colony with 
several sorts of merchandise to the great detriment of such 
merchants as live here and are settled and have their residence 
now here, all such merchants so coming or others whatsoever 
that doth reside in the Colony for the term of one month shall 
be liable to all such rates and duties that shall be raised on 



528 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

their persons and goods as others of his majesty's subjects of 
this Colony is or may be at, &c." Thus, while the liberal in- 
stitutions of the colonj^ opened wide its doors to attract the 
stranger, a contracted economic legislation stood at the gate to 
take toll from them or warn them away. 

While Rhode Island was thus engaged in regulating trade as 
among themselves, the British government was endeavoring to 
bring the entire commerce of all the colonies into harmonious 
relations with each other and subordination to itself. This was 
to be effected bj^ an enforcement of the provisions of the famous 
navigation act; an act the objects of which were to force the 
entire import and export trade of the colonies into English 
bottoms to the exclusion of the Dutch and to secure to England 
the monopoly of the American market. It was passed by the 
parliament of the commonwealth in 1651, and, with some 
changes in form, by the king's parliament (Charles II.) again 
in 1660. It was far reaching in its purpose and scope. Its author 
builded better than he knew. It crippled the maritime power 
of Holland in its rigid enforcement. It aroused a resistance 
which was the germ of American independence. An order to 
enforce its provisions and that of the plantation act, which was of 
kindred nature but special application, was issued from White- 
hall in November, 1680. In March,1681, the governor and council 
made ordinance which was published by beat of drum in New- 
port in April of the same year and contirmed in May, 1682, by 
the assembly, establishing " a public office to be known by the 
name of a naval office." Here masters of vessels were required 
to make entry and give bonds as required b\^ act of parliament. 
Fees were prescribed for entrance and discharge. The arrival 
and departure of vessels above twenty tons and the regulation 
of seamen while in port had been the subject of legislation in 
1679. The governor was to have a "just knowledge of their 
designe " when sailing. 

The colonies chafed under other restrictive provisions and 
even under this necessary regulation. To the complaints of the 
board of trade Governor Easton replied, in 1694, that it was the 
want of forts in the bay that made the enforcement of the navi- 
gation laws difficult — an answer which these gentlemen probably 
valued at its worth. Disregard and breach of the law had so 
exasperated the government in England that a royal letter was 
issued in 1697 threatening the colonies with a withdrawal of 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 529 

their charters if they were continued. The establishment of 
courts of admiralty under Englisli rule was an effective measure 
to reach one class of offense — that against the law of nations. 

Slave Trade. — Little or nothing more tlmii lias been related 
regarding the commerce of Newport until tlie close of the sev- 
enteenth century is to be found exce[)t the arrival in 1696 of a 
vessel direct from the coast of Africa, with a cargo of slaves. 
She brought forty-seven negroes, fourteen of whom were sold 
in the colony at thirty to thirty-five pounds each, and the re- 
mainder sent overland to Boston where the vessel was owned. 
There had existed in England three trading companies to Af- 
rica. The first, incorporated in the reign of Elizabeth, was suc- 
ceeded by the Company of lloyal Adventurers, chartered in 
1662, which in turn sold out to the Royal African company, 
chartered in 1672. 

Parliament opened the trade to all merchants June 24th. 1698, 
for a term of fourteen years. The act of parliament opening 
the trade stated that it was "for tlie well supplying of the 
plantations and colonies witli suthcient numbers of negroes at 
reasonable prices," and was followed b\' a circular from the 
board of trade and plantations to all the English colonies in 
America to ascertain the condition of the trade. The reply of 
Rhode Island stated that only one vessel (as above stated) had 
ever arrived direct and that two years before the passage of. the 
act. In 1700 three slavers, owned in the Barbadoes, sailed from 
Newport for the coast of Africa. Before that time the supply 
had come from Barbadoes. From twenty to thirty slaves was the 
average annual supply and from twenty to thirty pounds their 
average price. The rej^ort said further that the trade was lim- 
ited by the dislike of the Rhode Island planters for these 
negroes by reason of their turbulent and unruly tempers "and 
to tile inclination of the people in general to employ white per- 
sons before negroes;" yet in 1708 the census of the colony 
showed that the " few bhudvs " reported in 1680 had increased 
by birth and importation to 426 black servants, while tlie total 
number of freemen was hardly over a thousand and the num- 
ber of white servants only forty-six ; and already in 1703 
negroes and Indians alike were forbidden to walk the streets of 
Newport after nine o'clock at night without a certificate that 
they were on their master's business. 

With the opening of the eighteenth century began the history 



530 HISTOItY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

of Rhode Island commerce and commercial prosperity. It is 
very common to theorize on the charms of the sea and the de- 
lights of seafaring men, but if history be searched it will be 
fonnd that the proportion of those who have gone upon the 
Atlantic willingly is a small one in the large number, and that it 
increases in ratio to the difficulties of obtaining a living on 
shore. So long as there was land in the island of Rhode Island 
not already taken np in small farms the youth preferred to set- 
tle upon and cultivate it and become freemen like their fathers. 

A letter from Governor Cranston, in reply to a further circu- 
lar from the board of trade to the colonies, gives the commei- 
cial statistics of Rhode Island at the close of 1708 and shows 
the wonderful progress whi(;h had been made in a few years. In 
twenty years the shipping had increased sixfold owing " to the 
inclination the youth on Rhode Island have for the sea," be- 
cause of want of opportunity on land, Within eleven years 
eighty-four vessels, ships, brigantines and sloops had been built 
in the colony, twenty-nine were then owned in it, all but two or 
three in Newport, and the number of native seamen was one 
hundred and forty. The vessels are described by the governor 
as "being light and sharp for runners so that very few of the 
enemy's privateers in a gale of wind will run or outsail one of 
our loaded vessels." Tliese qualities had not only proved of 
safety to themselves but of danger to their enemies. 

War had taxed the resources of the colony, but the chief ex- 
penditure for it was in a way that proved of benefit. The colony 
giving up control over the shores to the towns, each set to work 
to build wharves and warehouses. Up to the close of the pre- 
ceding century it has been seen that the little foreign trade of 
Rhode Island was with Barbadoes, and the direct trade still 
continued to take that direction, but by Cranston's statistics it 
appears that the amount of annual exports to England by way 
of Boston was estimated at twenty thousand pounds. But al- 
ready parliament was jealous of the evasion of the clause of 
the navigation laws which required that all plantation produce 
should go to the United Kingdom before being sent to foreign 
countries. The extraordinary expenses of the war were such 
that a resort to bills of credit was necessary to supply a suffi- 
cient circulating medium. 

In 1721 the shipping of the colony consisted of sixty small 
vessels, aggregating tiiirty-tive tons. In 1723 the records state 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 531 

that there were one hnndrecl and eighty-four sail foreign ancT 
three linndred and fifty-two coastwise vessels engaged. There 
were thirty distilleries and tlie molasses imported reached 
eighteen hundred hogsheads. In 1731 it had increased to five 
thousand tons, and included two ships, several brigs and many 
sloops, and employed four hundred sailors. Two vessels arrived 
each year from England, two from Holland and the Mediter- 
ranean, ten or twelve from the West Indies. A large number 
of small craft brought supplies from Boston, and under the act 
of 1731, giving a bounty to vessels engaged in the whale and 
cod fisheries, these industries began to assume some importance. 
At this time also an effort was made by the conservative mem- 
bers of the colony to check the issue of paper money. There were 
already outstanding one hundred and twenty thousand pounds 
of the one hundred and ninety-live thousand pounds of bills of 
credit emitted, and the value of silver had risen from eight to 
twenty shillings the ounce. In 1732 a tonnage duty of six pence 
jier ton was levied on all except fishing vessels for purposes of 
defense. In 1733 the lottery system made its first appearanc^e, 
but was suppressed by a severe penalty. In 1735 Governor 
Wanton informed the board of trade that the import on slaves 
bronght in from the West Indies having been removed, there 
were no duties levied on English trade. The streets of New- 
port were originally paved from the proceeds of duties on im- 
ported slaves. 

The Spanish and French wars of this period, which included 
the expedition against Louisburg, Cape Breton, in which the 
citizens of Newport had an active part, had cost the colony over 
sixteen thousand pounds sterling, the repayment of which by 
Great Britain was long disputed, but finallj' adjusted. The de- 
lay increased the many difficulties. In Newport especially there 
was bitter antagonism to the paper money system, and an able 
petition to the king from the merchants there had the effect to 
aid the passage of law " regulating and restraining paper bills 
of credit " in the New England colonies, of 1751. 

A census taken in 1748 showed the population of the colony 
to be 34.128, of whom 29,750 were whites: the remainder blacks 
and Indians. Newpoi't contained 4,640 and Providence 3,452. 
The early feeling against lotteries has been noticed; but legalized 
in 1744, it was applied to public works as well as private chari- 
ties, and in 17.'>2 a scheme was granted for paving the streets, 

34 



532 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

the import duty on slaves being abolished; the Parade, then 
called Queen street, and Thames street to be first finished. 

The Reverend James McSparran, an English clergyman of 
Scotch-Irish descent, settled at Narragansett by the Society for 
the Propagation of the Gospel, gives an interesting account of 
the state of the colony in 1752: "The pi'oduce of this colony 
is principally butter and cheese, fat cattle, wool and fine horses 
that are exported to all parts of the English America. They 
are remarkable for ileetness and swift pacing, and I have seen 
some of them pace a mile in little more than two minutes, a 
good deal less tlian three. There are above three hundred 
vessels, such as sloops, schooners, snows, brigantines and ships 
from sixty tons and upwards that belong to this colony; but 
as they are rather cari-iers for other colonies than furnished 
here with their cargoes you will go near to conclude that we 
are lazy and greedy of gain, since instead of cultivating the 
lands we improve too many hands in trade. ■>**-* i men- 
tioned wool as one of the productions of this colony, but al- 
though it is pretty plenty where I live, yet if you throw the 
English America into one point of view there is not half enough 
to make stockings for the inhabitants. We are a vast advantage 
to England in the consumption of her manufactures for which 
we make returns in new ships, whale oil and bone (which grows 
in the whale's mouth), and dry fish to the ports of Portugal, 
Spain and Italy, which are paid for by draughts. I wish Ireland 
were at liberty to ship us their woolens which we shall always 
want instead of her linens which will soon cease to be in demand 
here." In this year (1752), a marine society was formed for 
the relief of distressed widows and orphans of seamen. 

In 1755, at the request of the board of trade, a census of the 
colony was again taken, and the population found to be close 
upon forty thousand, of whom thirty-six thousand were whites, 
the number capable of bearing arms over eight thousand, of 
whom fifteen hundred were soon engaged in the active priva- 
teering of the old French war, which resulted in the conquest 
of Canada. The first line of packets between England and the 
colonies was at this time established by the post office depart- 
was estimated between Falmouth and New York. In 1753 it 
ment monthly that three hundred sail of vessels of si.xty tons 
and upward arrived at Newport. 

In 1758 the establishment of the Newport Mercury gave co- 



IIISTOKY OF NEWPOUT COUNTY. 533 

herence and character to tlie trade of the colony. Newport, far 
from siiflfering by the war, was thriving nnder it. This year the 
comity paid one-fil'th of the entire tax of the colony, over forty- 
two thousand pounds, to twenty-six thousand pounds paid by 
Providence. In 1761 it is interesting to note that there was 
a regular packet between Providence and New York, which 
took Boston passengers, and stopped regularly at Newport on her 
way. During the two years from the peace of Paris, 1703, to the 
political agitation about the stamp act in 17G;'), Newport was at 
the height of prosperity. Nor was there much decline until 
the l)reaking of the storm of revolution. A view of the indus- 
tries of the town in 1769 will show the nature and extent of 
this activity. In this year there were live rope-walks in the 
town, those of Malbone, Brinley, Hays, Tilley and Buloid 
which gives an idea of the extent of the shipping interests. 
There were twenty-two rum distilleries, which shows the ex- 
tent of the slave traffic, in which rum has always been the chief 
factor. These were owned by theCookes, Overing, the Browns, 
Beers, Cranstons, Coggeshalls, Malbones, Ayraults, Scots, 
Thurstons, Marsh, Wyatts, Richardsons, Tillinghasts. There 
were four sugar refineries — Overing's, Mumford's, Gibbs' and 
Greens'. In 1769 the importations of molasses for these pur- 
poses reached three thousand hogsheads, brought in sixteen 
vessels from the West Indies. There was one great brewery 
belonging to George Roome, south of the First Baptist meeting 
house, the product of which was carried by an aqueduct to the 
court house cellar, where it was fermented and sold. 

The Jewish colony was then at the height of its activity, rein- 
forced no doubt by the Jews driven from Portugal after the fail- 
ure of the great conspiracy of 1759, in whi(-h they were said to 
have been the chief instruments, and for which, though it was a 
national and not a religious conspiracy, they were by the Holj'^ 
Inquisition made the chief sufl'erers in the terrible public exe- 
cutions at Li.sbon. The head of the Newport Jews was Aaron 
Lopez, a native of Portugal, one of the first merchants in the 
colonies. The Jews introduced the art, which they kept secret, 
of preparing sperm for candles, and before 1775 there were six- 
teen manufactories of sperm oil and candles inactive operation, 
owned by Lopez, Riviera, Pollock, Seixas, all Jews and bj' 
Robinson, Handy, Maudsley, Still. Carpenter and Pease. Dur- 
ing the period of British restriction which intervened from 1703 



534 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

to 1775, the Rhode Island merchants openly disregarded the 
navigation a('t, and smuggling was the rule rather than the ex- 
ception of its trade, which was essentially with the West Indies, 
forbidden by the act. 

The breaking out of the revolution struck this prosperity with 
a sudden blight. Many of the chief merchants, sympathiz- 
ing with the English cause, left the city, the Jewish colony dis- 
persed and disappeared as the swallows at approach of frost. 
In 1782, the population of the state had fallen from nearly six- 
t3r thousand as by the census of 177-1: to a little short of tiftytwo 
thousand; that of Newport from 9,20'J in 1774 to 5,531 in 1782, 
a still larger ratio of decrease. The commerce of Newport was 
annihilated. It has never been recovered. Its incorporation as 
a city in 1784 did not mend matters. A tariff act for raising a 
revenue for the support of the government of the state was 
passed in 1783. It incliided a foreign import, an internal rev- 
enue and some sumptuary provisions. This act was amended 
by an increase early in 1785 and again in the summer of the 
same year when ad valorem duties were added to the spe- 
cific duties on sundry articles, expressly "for encouraging the 
manufacture thereof within this state and the United States." 
The wise men seem to have foreseen that manufacturing and 
not commerce was to be the future industry of the state; al- 
though Providence was quick to follow New York, which in the 
winter of 1784 had opened the trade with China by the 'dispatch 
of the first American vessel to the imperial kingdom, the " Em- 
press of China," which sailed from New York February 22d, 
1784, and reached Canton August 20th, 1784, and New Y'ork on 
her return voyage May 11th, 1785. 

Doctor Morse, describing Newport in his "American Gazeteer" 
of 1797, makes no mention of any foreign commerce of conse- 
quence. He says "it is probable this may in some future per- 
iod become one of the man-of-war ports of the American Em- 
pire." He adds: "the excellent accommodations and reputa- 
tion of the numerous packets which belong to this port and 
which ply thence to Providence and New York are worthy of 
notice. They are said by European travelers to be superior to 
anything of the kind in Europe. This town, although greatly 
injured by the late war and its consequences, has a considera- 
ble trade. A cotton and duck manufactory have been lately 
established. The export for a year ending September 30th, 




Residence of LOUIS L. LORILLARO, 

NEWPORT, R. I. 



HISTORY OF NKWl'OKT COUNTY. 535 

1794, iimniinted to :!1 1,200 dollars." The desirabiliry of estab- 
lishinsr a navy yard at tliis i)ort was already a subject of a re- 
port by one of the Britisli officers to the Biitish admiralty in 
1764. 

John Harriott, who visited Newport and Providence in this 
year, draws a comparison between the two cities favorable to 
the foi'mer as a site for residence and a harbor for commerce. 
Yet Providence, with a "long river to navigate, far from a com- 
modious harbor, yet it is crowded with shipping. Newport 
has the best tish market in Anmrica and Providence one of the 
worst. Notwithstanding so many natural advantages in favor 
of Newport, yet, from the decay of trade, wharves out of repair 
and going to ruin, houses falling for want of tenants, with the 
small number of shipping and stillness of its streets, Newport, 
compared with its former flourishing state, brings to remem- 
brance the idea of Goldsmith's "Deserted Village;" while 
Providence, from the spirited exertion of many of its inhab- 
itants, seems like a thriving, crowded beehive. " * * Yet I 
am i)ersuaded it only requires the spirited e.Kertion of a few 
more merchants, as Messrs. Gibbs and Clianning, to become 
again a flourishing seaport." 

Tliis celebrated him, to which the traveller here refers, were 
among the most enterprising merchants of that day. Mr. George 
Gibbs, the senior partner, was already at the head of his profes- 
sion when he associated with himself Mr. Walter Channing. 
His business extended over Rhode Island, Massachusetts and 
Connecticut, and he had correspondents in New York and the 
southern cities. He constructed the frigate "General Gi't^ene" 
for the United States government, and it is of interest to note 
that it was to the house of Gibbs & Cimniiing tiuit the "En- 
deavor," tiie ship of Cook, the famous navigator, was consigned 
when cha.sed into New[)ort l)y a British frigate in 1792 or 1793. 
Slie was then in French ownership and was called " La Liberte." 
Such at least is the accepted tradition. 

In 1798, the advisability of a naval station on the .southern 
coast of New England being mooted in congress, the cove at 
Newport was tendered to the United States government for a 
dock yard. The cove ct)nsisted of about twelve acres kiU)wn as 
the mill pond north of Long wharf. Gibbs & Channing made 
the offer on behalf of the town. George G. Channing, who was 
a clerk of this firm, in his earlj^ recollections of Newport gives 



536 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

the names of a large number of vessels owned by them which 
traded toBatavia, Sf. Louis, Isle of Bourbon, Havana, Surinam, 
Holland, London, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Trieste and France. 
He names also, as distino;uished merchants of the period of his 
clerkship, 1804 — 1811, the Champlins, Vernons, Stevens, De- 
blois. Of these the elder Charajilin was the head. 

In 1805 a line of packet ships was established from Newport 
to Charleston, between which cities the relations were always in- 
timate. The embargo act of 1808 interrupted the business of 
Newport, and again checked the prosperity which her active 
merchants were seeking to regain. 

In May, 1817, the arrival of the steamboat " Fire Fly," from 
New York, opened the era of steam navigation for Nevvj)ort. 
She was twenty-eight hours making the passage, and hardly a 
competitor in a fair wind for one of Newport's fast sailing 
sloops; but from this small beginning has developed one of the 
most valuable of the industries of the state. Naturally the 
travel between New York and Boston would seek this mode of 
communication as it had before sought the sloop packet line. In 
1822 the steamboats which connected with the overland stages at 
New Haven were drawn off, and on the organization of the Rhode 
Island and New York Steamboat Company the divergence of 
travel to it was permanently assured. The history of the 
growth of this passenger travel and freight traffic cannot be en- 
tered upon. It is only necessary to name the famous " Pil- 
grim," and the promise of the still more enormous steamer 
"Puritan," which is to be put on the Old Colony line next 
season — the steamboat marvel of our time. 

The railroad system was begun by a vote of the city council 
of Newport in October, 1861, conveying lands for the construc- 
tion of a railroad from the city limits to the boundary line be- 
tween the states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts and Fall 
River ; the Old Colony & Fall River Railroad Company hav- 
ing announced their intention of immediately beginning the 
building of the road. The first train ran over the road in Feb- 
ruary, 1864. 

In 1869 the city council pledged the sum of fifty thousand 
dollars toward the constiaiction of a line of travel between 
Newport and New York, via Wickford, by steamboat and rail- 
road to connect New2)ort and the Stonington railroad at North 
Kingstown. The route was first opened to the public in 1871. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT OOTJNTY. 637 

The establishment of a cotton duck factory at Newport be- 
fore 1794 has been noted, but it was easy to foresee tliat this 
seaboard town couhl never compete witli the superior water 
power at Fall River. A society was formed in 1792 called the 
'' Newport Association of Meclianics and Manufacturers" for 
the promotion of industry and ingenuity, by the elforts of 
which, through lectures from 1848 to 1851, much was done to 
promote the progress of manufactures in the state, but no effort 
could divert the irresistible course of the industry in the town 
of Newport. The cotton and duck factory noticed by Morse 
as existing in 1794 was taken down early in the century, and 
the minor industries which were then in full operation did not 
long survive. The four large tanneries and five grain mills 
have disappeared. The central position of these factories and 
distilleries was in and about the cove and Long Wharf. 

There was some revival of enterprise in Newport about 1832, 
and a few years later (1837) the Coddington cotton mill, a sub- 
stantial structure, was erected. It changed hands several times 
and was in the ownership of Providence gentlemen when totally 
destroyed by fire in 1860. It then contained eleven thousand 
spindles and two hundred and seventy-five looms, producing 
about fifty thousand yards of printing cloth weekly and employ- 
ing two hundred and twenty hands. The same year a woolen 
mill, built about 1837, and employing fifty hands, was also 
burned, and in 1864 a similar fate befell the Point cotton mill 
erected early in the century. There still remains the Aquidneck 
mill, on Thames street, with ten thousand spindles and twenty 
looms and capacitj' of employment for one hundred and seventy- 
five operatives. It is the property of the Richmond Manufactur- 
ing Company, but stands idle. Still another cotton mill, erected 
in 1835 by the Perry Manufacturing Company, is now idle; the 
building being used for various meidianical purposes. The 
Newport Manufacturing Company erected a fine building in 
1871 on Marlborough street, but failing in the enterprise, the 
structure is now used by the Newport Water AVorks in the 
manufacture of water pipes. 

The Newport Gas Liglit Company, chartered in 1853, has its 
extensive works on Thames street near Lee avenue. The lead 
works, which included a large shot tower and were in full 
operation from 18G1 to 1865, the period of the war, are now idle 
also. Even hats are no longer made here. 



53S HISTORY OF KEWPOUT COUNTY. 

The annual re}K)it of the commissioner of industrial statistics 
made to the general assembly of Rhode Island at the January 
session of 1888, i^oints out the fact that considei-ably more than 
one-half of the inhabitants are enarao-ed in manufacturino" in its 
mills, and that the state is second only to Massachusetts in 
cotton manufacturing, while at the head of all in that of jewelry; 
but sensibly adds that "in the last analysis the farming in- 
terests sustain the whole." The inference is plain that legis- 
lation whicii does not open markets for the surplus products 
of the soil must in the end prove detrimental to the interests 
of the rest of the community. 

Banks. — To give even a summary of the history of the banks 
of the colony and the state, or mention the incidents of linan- 
cial history in the last and present century, would require a 
separate chapter. The term " bank" had a diltVrent signitioa 
tionin the eighteenth century from what it has now. The issue 
of forty thousand pounds in 171.'> by the colony for loans to the 
towns, in the form of bills from live pounds to one shilling, with 
provisions of redemj)tion, was known as the "first bank." A 
similar issue, of the same amount, in 1721, was the •' second 
bank." In 1728 a new loan, with an extension of time of redemp- 
tion, was "the third." Tiie "fourtli bank," in 1731, was not 
only a I'enewal of the third, but the loan was extended to sixty 
thousand pounds. The " fifth bank," created in 1733, amount- 
ed to one hundred tliousand pounds, issued at live per cent., 
the interest for the first year being appropriated for a harbor 
and jMer at Block Island for the tisliermen. Tiie "sixtii bank," 
also of one hundred thousand [)i)unds, was created on the same 
terms as tlie former loans, save that (lie interest as well as the 
principal was secured by mortgage on real estate. Further 
banks weie created, one for twenty tliousand pounds, for ten 
years, at four per cent., with an attempted stipulation of the 
precise amount of coin in which they should be redeemed. 
These bills were named new tenor bills, a terra which constantly 
occurs in the sequel of the history of the colony. In 1744 a 
new issue of forty thousand pounds was voted. In 17o0 a 
ninth bank of twenty-five thousand pounds was issued on new 
plates. 

It is needless to follow colonial legislation on this suliject 
further, nor yet to recite the struggles between the advocates 
of hard money and the paper money party, wliich resulted in 





i- H i 11. u n CL i ivi . 

RESIDENCE OF THEO. A. HAVEMEYER, 

NEWPORT, R. I. 



IIISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 539 

the triumpli of the hitter at the general election in 1786. The 
Bank of North America had already been established on a 
specie basis as a national bank by Robert Moi-ris, the financier 
of the United States in 1781, the headquarters at Philadelphia, 
and a movement was inaugurated at Providence to establi.sli a 
bank there on the same basis in 1784. The action of the Rhode 
Island assembly — the paper money assembly — of 1786 in at- 
tempting to maintain the credit of tlieir bills by a " forcing 
act," not only brought business in general to a standstill, but 
prevented the success of the Providence scheme until 1791. 

The founding of tlie Bank of Providence was followed by 
that of an institution, the Bank of Rliode Island, on similar 
])rinciijles, at Newport, in 1795. The original subscribers met 
at the slate house on the 21st of Octol)er, and the books having 
been opened the day previous for subscriptions to the stock in 
gold and silver, organized with tiie election of a board of direc- 
tors (Christopher Champlin, George Champlin, Greorge Gibbs, 
James Robinson, Peleg Clarke, Caleb Gardiner, Thomas Dennis, 
Simeon Martin, and Walter Channlng). Chistopher Ciiami)lin 
was chosen president, and Moses Seixas cashier. The bank 
opened for business at tlie residence of Mr. Sei.Kas, the cashier, 
in the Perry mansion on Touro street, where its l)usiness was 
conducted until 1820, when it was moved to its present location 
on Thames street. It entered into the national bank system 
September 22d, 1865. Capital, §10U,000. President, Freilerick 
Tompkins ; vice-president, Augustus P. Sherman ; cashier, 
Tliomas P. Peckham ; clerk, John P. Peckham ; directors, 
Frederick Tompkins, A. P. Sherman, J. D. Richaidson, T. P. 
Peckham, Henry A. Clarke. 

The Newport National Bank, 8 Washingt(jn square, was in- 
C(n-porated as a state bank in October, 1803, and reorganized as 
a national I)ank in 1865. Capital, $120,000. President, William 
Brownell ; casliier, Henry C. Stevens ; teller. Grant P. Taylor; 
assistant teller, Henry C. Stevens, Jr.; directors, William E. 
Dennis, William Bailey, Henrj' Bull, Jr., William Brownell, 
William Gili)in, .bilm C. Stoddard, Henry C. Stevens. The lirst 
president of the bank was Constant Tabor; the first cashier John 
P. Shernian. 

The Union National Baul\ 260 Thames street, was inctn-- 
porated in June, 1804. The first president was Samuel Elam, 
first cashier John L. Boss. Organized as a national baid< August 



.'540 iiisTOi;y of Newport counts. 

31st, 1881. Capita], $15.'5,25(). Present officers : President, 
Robert S. Barker; casliier, Jolin S. Coggesliall ; teller, William 

A. Coggeshall ; directors, R. S. Barker, Noah Redford, George 
F. Crandall, Thomas B.'Bnffnm, Michael Cottrell, Benjamin B. 
H. Sherman, John fl. Crosby, Jr. 

The Merchants' Bank, 223 Thames street, was incorporated 
in February, 1817. The hrst president was Samuel \\^hitehorne, 
first cashier Thomas H. Mumford. Capital, §10U,0(X). Officers: 

President, ; cashier. A. S. Sherman ; clerk. Charles 

Crandall, Jr.; directors, A. S. Sherman, George A. Richmond, 
William B. Sherman, Albert Sherman. 

The JVe'W England Commercial BanJc, 263 Thames street, was 
incorporated in February, 1818. The presidents of the bank 
have been : William Ennis, Doctor David King, J. Munroe, 
George Bowen, James Swan. Cajjital, §75,000. Present offi- 
cers: President, James Swan; cashier, Nicholas Underwood; 
directors, James Swan, Nicholas Underwood, Augustus Goffe, 
Howard Smith, Harwood E. Read. 

TJie National Exchange Bank, 38 Washington square, was 
incorporated in January, 1834. It became a national bank 
September 22d, 1865. Capital, $100,000. Officers : President, 
Samuel Carr; cashier, Stephen H. Norman; teller, Thomas A. 
Spencer ; clerk, George H. Proud ; directors, Samuel Carr, 
Perry G. Case, Augustus C. Titus, Stephen S. Albro, Stej^hen 
H. Norman, David Braman. 

The First National Bank, 231 Thames street, was incorpor- 
ated as " The Traders' Bank " in June, 1836, and reorganized 
as the First National Bank May 1st, 1865. Capital, $12t»,000. 
Officers : President, T. Mumford Seabury ; cashier, Nathaniel 
R. Swinburne; teller, E. I. Spencer; clerk, David E. Easter- 
brook ; directors, Benjamin Marsh, T. Mumford Seabury, J. E. 
Seabury, Philip Rider, Henry H. Pay, Robert S. Chase, Wil- 
liam S. Cranston, John S. Langley, Lewis Brown. 

TJte Aquidncck National Bank, 284 Thames street, was incor- 
porated as a state bank in May, 1854, and in 1865 became a 
national bank. Rufus B. Kinsley, E.sq., the founder of the 
Kinsley Express Company, was the first president, and Timothy 
Coggeshall first cashier. Capital, $200,000. Officers: President, 
Thomas Coggeshall; cashier, Charles T. Hopkins; teller,/niomas 

B. Congdon; clerk, E. P. Landers; directors, Thomas Coggeshall, 
W. H. Fludder, William P. Clarke, Samuel McAdam, Robert 
S. Franklin, Lewis L. Simmons, William O. Greene. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 541 

Tlie Savings Bank of Neioport, 282 Thames street, was incor- 
porated in June, 1819. President, Richard Cornell; vice-pres- 
ident, James C. Swan; directors, Benjamin Finch, Joseph Sher- 
man, Henry C. Stevens, William S. Cranston, Charles E. Ham- 
niett, Benjamin Marsh, Edward W. Lawton, Joh^n S. Coggeshall; 
treasurer, William H. Sherman; assistant treasurer, Thomas A. 
Lawton; secretary, William G. Stevens. 

The Coddtngion Savings Bank, 231 Thames street, was incor- 
porated in May, 1856. President, T. Mumford Seabiiry; secre- 
tary, Benjamin Marsh, 2d; treasurer, N. R. Swinburne; trustees, 
William J. Swinburne, T. M. Seabury, Benjamin Marsh, G. W. 
Swinburne, John E. Seabury, John H. Cozzens, W. M. Frank- 
lin, Clark H. Burdick. 

The Island Savings Bank, 38 Washington square, was incor- 
l^orated in May, 1873. Officers : President, Samuel Carr; vice- 
presidents, Robert S. Franklin, John C. Stoddard, John P. 
Sanborn; trustees, P. S. Case, William A. Stedman, W. H.Wil- 
bour, S S. Albro, A. C. Titus, N. G. Stanton, I. R. Spooner, 
William A. Armstrong; secretary and treasurer, Stephen H. 
Norman. 

Cemeteries. — Respect for the dead is one of the noblest at- 
tributes of our nature, and the beautiful cemeteries that are be- 
ing established and consecrated as the final resting place of the 
departed give evidence of the affectionate interest the living 
cherish in these beautiful repositories of their honored dead. 
Not upon unknown ground, but in consecrated lots, we lay the 
bodies of our loved ones, and the hand of affection still scattei"s 
fresh flowers over their graves, and, as in life they were the ob- 
jects of our kindest regard, so are their remains the subject of 
our dearest thought and tenderest care, in these ever-growing 
cities of the dead. 

" A jilace where the forms of our loved ones rest; 
Where contemplation is nature's guest." 

The older "God's Acres," as the Germans so beautifully des- 
ignate the burial places of their dead, in Newport are well oared 
for by the city. 

Located in different parts of the city are several small family 
cemeteries. On Pelham street, now the property of ex-Gover 
nor Yanzandt, is the family burial place of Governor Benedict 
Arnold, who died in 1678. Here are also buried members of the 
Pelham and Bannister families. On Frank street, on the estate 



542 HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

of the late William A. Clarke, the tomb-stones erected to the 
memory of Governor Caleb Carr and his family are in good or- 
der and the inscriptions still legible. The governor died in 
1695. On West Broadway is a little cemetery containing the 
graves of Doctor John Clarke, one of the founders of Newport 
and the first pastor of the First Baptist church. He died in 
1676. Here also rest the remains of Reverend Jolin Callen- 
der and other pastors of this church. Callender died in 1748. 
On Coggeshall avenue is a little burial ground of about one 
acre, inclosed by a handsome stone wall, with an iron gate 
in the central front, over which is chiseled "Coggeshall, 
1854.'" The interior is kept in perfect order, the stones free 
from stain. In the center is a granite obelisk bearing the 
following inscription: "To the memory of John Coggeshall, 
First President of the Colony, died Nov. 27, 1647, .Et. 57.'' 
The original stone bearing the same inscription is still i)re- 
seived at the head of the grave. On Farewell street, near 
the First Baptist church, is the Coddington ground. Here 
are the graves of Grovernors Henry Bull, who died in 1693; 
Nicholas Easton, 1675; John Easton, 1705; and William Cod- 
dington, 1678— four of the original settlers of Newport. In 
this ground are buried many of the first inliabitants. The 
Easton cemetery on Anandale road, the Bliss ground on Ev- 
erett street, and the Wilboi' Inirial place on Bliss road, are in 
good order. 

The "■Common Ground,''' so-called, is the oldest public ceme- 
tery in Newport. It was laid out about 1665. It remains to-day 
in all its primitive surroundings, and the quaint headstones of 
common slate, with their rude inscriptions, awaken a feeling 
of veneration which surrounds this spot with no little degree of 
interest. Here maybe seen the graves of many of the early gov- 
ernors of the colony, that of a signer of the declaration of inde- 
pendence.the graves of our early merchants and clerical worthies. 
Many stones are dedicated to the memory of old sea captains. 
This cemetery contains twenty stones on which armorial ensigns 
are cut; all of these lie flat on the surface of the ground, and of 
course have, like most of the early stones in this ground, suffered 
every sort of injury, even, in a few cases, wanton mutilation. 
Among the stones on which family arms are cut may be men- 
tioned the Cranstons, Sanford, Bayley, Wanton, Thurston, 
Chaloner, Buckmaster, Freebody, Vernon, Ellery, Sears, 



HISTOKY OI-^ NEWPORT COUNTY. 543 

Gardner and Ward. One niiftlit almost wiite a history of 
Newport in this common gronnd, so I'nll are the inscriptions on 
the stones erected here. 

Trinity CJi/tirchi/ard. — The ancient bniial place connected 
with Trinity church, on Church street, is an object of much 
interest. Several of the early pastors of the church lie buried 
here. Here may be found the grave of the French Admiral 
de Ternay. who died in 1780, and of many others who fought in 
the war of the revolution. On eight stones are found the arms 
of live families: Gidley, Wanton, Bell, Goulding, Gibbs, repre- 
senting a few of the wealthy merchants of Newport in the last 
century. 

Clifton Ground. — This cemetery, on Golden Hill street, was 
first ajipropriated as a burial place in 1671 by Thomas Clifton, 
a worthy member of the Society of Friends. The Governors 
Wanton are buried here. A daughter of Roger Williams also 
finds a resting place here. 

The I-stniul Ocmetenj. — The town of Newport, on the 18th of 
May, 1836, purchased the tract of land which was the begin- 
ning of the cemetery now known as the " Island Cemetery," 
on Warner street. Early the next 3'ear Mr. Henry Bull and 
William W. Freeborn, were appointed to lay out the new burial 
ground. In 1839 a certain portion was surveyed and laid out 
into one hundred and thirty-six lots, each one rod square. 
These were offered for sale at moderate rates. In 1844 the 
balance of the purchase was laid out, avenues made, trees and 
ornamental shi-ubery set out, and a substantial fence built, the 
wail and gateway costing §831.33. In 1848 a companj' was 
formed to whom the town conveyed the gronnds. The trustees 
of the " Island Cemetery Company" were authorized to take 
care of the property, to grant deeds of lots unsold and to adopt 
the necessary means for raising funds as might be required for 
the purposes of the new company. Several additions have been 
made to the original purchase, thus affording better conveni- 
ences, and rendering this spot a fitting repository for the dead. 
Recently a fine freestone chapel has been built by Honorable 
August Belmont, near the lot owned by him, wherein rest the 
remains of Commodore M. C. Perry. Tiie grounds are tastefully 
laid out and contain many beautiful lots, where the hand of 
affection has been lavish in its adornments, and loving hearts 
have reared elaborate and e.vpensive nu)iiuments. 



544 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 



The Jexoish Cemeterj/. — This beantifiil spot is well known to 
the many thousands who visit Newport. It is situated on Kay 
and Touro streets, surrounded by a granite wall and iron fence, 
with a plain square gnteway, over which is cut in bold relief a 
winged globe. 'I'liis cemetery of the ancient Hebrew congrega- 
tion was acquired in the \'ear 1677. Here are buried many of 
the early members of this congregation. The inscriptions on 
the stones are in Hebrew, Latin, Portuguese, Spanish and 
English. When the Hebrew congregation was broken up, in 
consequence of tlie removal of its members to other cities, 

the burial ground was suffer- 
ed to fall into neglect and 
decay. In 1820 Mr. Abraham 
Touro, tiien a resident of 
Boston, visited Newport and 
gave directions for the erec- 
tion of a brick wall, which 
for many years afforded am- 
ple i^roteciion to the cem- 
etery. In 1842 his lirother 
Judah Tonro, a resident of 
New Orleans, caused the 
grounds to be put in perfect 
order, and replaced the brick 
wall with the present substantial fence. At his death he be- 
queathed a considerable sum in trust to the city of Newport 
for the perpetual care of this cemetery. This trust is faithfully 
and well discharged. 

Charity Organizations. — The Netoport Charity Organiza- 
tion Society was organized in 1879, and is designed to assist the 
worthy poor of the city. It acts in conjunction with the over- 
seers of the poor and the several charity organizations. Item- 
ploys a regular secretary, whose office is open daily, room 3, 
National Bank of Rhode Island building. The officers are : 
President, Edmund Tweedy ; vice-president, F. \V. Tilton ; 
treasurer, J. T. Burdick ; secretary, M. S. Bnrdick; and a 
board of reference consisting of twenty-three persons, including 
the overseers of the poor. 

Tlie Dorcas Society was organized in the early part of this 
century, and its object was then, as now, to provide garments 
for the needy. It is not incorporated, and has no permanent 




ENTRANCE TO THE JEWISH CEMETERY. 



IIISTOliY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 545 

fund, but depends npon subscriptions, donations and collec- 
lionsiu the churches I'or the means to carry on its good vvorli. 
A few of the members meet one afternoon of each week during 
tiie winter to cut and mai^e the ch)thing, whicli they distribute. 
Its organization is simple, the officers consisting of a president, 
secretary, treasurer and a visitor for each ward. The visitors 
investigateall cases that, come to their knowledge, and if found 
worthy tliey are relieved to the extent of the ability of the so- 
ciety. Tl'e aged, the sick and children are particularly cared 
for, and in all cases the relief is given without publicity. The 
officers are : President, Mrs. James Townsend ; secretary and 
tieasurer, Mrs. M. T. Berry. 

The Townsend Aid for the Aged. — This society was organized 
in 1860 by a number of ladies representing the different 
churches of the city. Its object is to assist the aged poor by 
the distribution of a certain sum of money quarterly. Mr. 
Christopher Townsend, at his death, made the society one of his 
principal legatees, in recognition of which it assumed its present 
name. The officers are : President, Mrs. Benjamin Melville ; 
vice-president, Mrs. Samnel Engs ; treasurer, Mrs. Thomas Cog- 
geshall ; secretary, Miss A. S. Bailey. 

The CJiildreri s Home was incorporated in 1866. At fii'st this 
institution was simply an experiment, instituted by the ladies 
of Newport. It was, however, attended with so great success 
that a charter was obtained in January, 1867, and twenty years 
of successful operation lias established it among the permanent 
charitable institutions for which Newport is justly celebrated. 
Mr. Christoplier Townsend, with his usual liberality, provided 
a suitable home, and a fund of $10,000. The Fry Orphan Fund, 
which was left to the city, with provisions to furnish aid for 
such an institution whenever it should be established, is accord- 
ingly devoted to the home. Other gifts have been made from 
time to time by the citizens of Newport, thus placing this noble 
institution upon a prosperous and permanent foundation. The 
house occupied by the home is the birthplace of William 
Ellery Clianning. The children are under no great restraint, 
but attend the public schools, and have the advantages of a 
Christian home. The whole number admitted since its forma- 
tion is one hundred and eighty. Officers: First Directress, Mrs. 
William C. Cozzens ; second directres.s, Mrs. Joseph Bradford ; 



546 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

treasurer, Mrs. W. K. Covell, Jr.; secretary, Mrs. Charles E. 
Hammett. 

The Newport Hospital. — In the spring of 1872 efforts were 
marie to establish and maintain a hospital for the care of the 
sick and unfortunate, who are unable to care for themselves. 
An impulse was given to this good work by the energy and lib- 
eralitj' of one who, although residing here but a portion of the 
year, took a lively interest in the welfare of our jioor and sick, 
and cheerfully gave Iker time, influence and sympathy to the 
l^romotion of this useful charity. A committee was appointed 
to present the subject to the public, solicit conti'ibutiDns an 1 
hold as trustees all money collected until an act of incorpoia- 
tion could be obtained. Manj'^ of the citizens of Newport and 
summer residents promptlj^ and liberallj'^ resp jnded, and the 
sum of §24,123.40 was obtained. In 1873 the hospital was in- 
corporated and duly organized and placed under the manage- 
ment of ten trustees, consisting of the mayor of Newport, ex- 
officio, and nine otliers elected from the corporators. The cor- 
poration is composed of those named in the act of incorpora- 
tion, and of all persons who at any one time may give $100 or 
more to the institution. A lot on Friendship street, near Broad- 
way, was purchased, and a building erected after the plan of 
the army hospital, now adopted by the government. This was 
opened for the reception of patients on the 22d of November, 
1873. The hospital is now endowed by the following funds : 
The Littletield hospital fund, §23,600; the devise of General 
John Alfred Hazard, 825,243; Dehon gift, 86,708; Samuel 
Clinton annuity, 85,000; Robert Roger's memorial, $1,000; dis- 
trict musing fund, 8800, besides sums received from various 
sources for the endowment of free beds. The several churches 
in the oitj^ annually take nj) a collection, which is devoted to 
this charity. The medical staff is composed of the several phy- 
sicians of the city, who, with the usual liberality of their pro- 
fession, give their services without charge. The officers are : 
President, Frederic W. Tilton ; treasurer, J. Truman Burdick; 
secretary, Edward W. Lawton ; trustees, George C. Mason, 
George P. Wetmore, William P. Sheffield. Edward VV. Lawton, 
David King, Darius Baker, George A. Richmond, Charles E. 
Hammett, John Hare Powel ; superintendent, Cornelia E. See- 
lye ; admitting iJiysician, Henr3^ E. Turner, M. D.. and a visit- 
ing committee of twenty ladies. 




C/J 

Z 

Cd 

D 
ffi 
< 
O 

< 

o 

z 
< 

h 
O 
CQ 

h 
O 

a 
z 

z 

o 
(J) 
o 
o 
o 



tiist0i5y of newport county. 547 

Societies (1887). 

american legion of honor. 

Touro Council, No. 9. — Meets iirst and third Wednesdays of 
each month in Odd Fellows Hall. Officers: Commander, W. B. 
Bates; vice-commander, G. H. Ghamplin; past-commander, Sam- 
uel Peck; orator, W. S. Bailey; secretary, Thomas P. Peck- 
ham; collector, James C. Topham; treasurer, Simeon Hazard; 
chaplain, W. L. Northrup; gnide, C. Anderson; warden, A. Bar- 
ker; sentry, A. J. Ward. 

ANCIENT ORDER OF FORRESTERS. 

Coiirt Wanton, No. 6979. — Meets first and third Tuesdays 
of each month. Hall over Caswell & Massey's, Thames street. 
Officers: P. C. P., James Graham; C. P., Daniel Galvin; S. C. R., 
Joseph Haire; P. S., Alvah Weaver; R. S., G. Milton; S. W., 
Edward Sharpies; J. W., G. Cooper; S. B., James Buchanan; 
J. B., James Ojienshaw; T., Joseph Taylor; D. D., William 
Sharpies. 

Court Pride of the City, No. 7363.— Meets first and third 
Tuesdays of each month. Officers: P. C. R., A. W. Potter; 
C. R., W. T. Walch; S. C. R., W. S. H. Bliven; F. S., W. H. 
Young; R. S., Maurice Roche; S. W., J. J. Cassidy; J. W., 
A. W. Fitt; S. B., B. H. Johnson; J. B., D. Galvin. 

Knights of Sherwood Forest. — Meets second and fourth 
Tuesdays of each month. Officers: Past-commander, James 
Graham; commander, Peter Knowe; vice-commander, Arthur W. 
Potter; adjutant, W. H. Young; jiaymaster, Daniel G. Roche; 
first lieutenant, Thomas Knowe; second lieutenant, C. H. Hal- 
lock; master-at-ai'ms, Levi Norbury; quartei'-master sergeant, 
John W. Horrocks; first sergeant, B. Robson; second sergeant, 
A. W. Fitt. 

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS. 

Division No. 1.— Organized 1885, meets Friday evenings, 
Thames street. Officers: County delegate, Michael Howley; 
president, John S. Duggan; vice-president, Michael Coni'oy; 
financial secretary, Cornelius Moriarty; recording secretary, 
James Hogan; treasurer, John Woods; sergeant-at-arms, Pat- 
rick Elbitt. 

35 



548 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 



GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC. 



Charles E. Lawton Post, No. 5. — Meets Wednesday eve- 
nings, G. A. R. Hall, 97 Thames street. Officers: P. C, Wil 
liam S. Bailey; S. V. C, John H. Peckham; J. V. C, C. B. 
Mason; Adj., John Y. Hudson; Q. M., C. E. Harvey; surgeon, 
James H. Taylor; chaplain, Overton G. Langley; O. of D., Ed- 
ward H. Tilley; O. of G., A. R. Tuell; S. Major, Thomas Carter; 
Q. M. Sergt., William T. Lawton; guard, Charles E. Ash; O. G., 
John B. Cozzens; organist, Augustus French. 

Charles E. Lawton Relief Corps, No. 3, Ladies' Auxiliary 
Association.- -Meets in G. A. R. Hall, second and fourth 
Tliursdaj's. Officers: President, Hannah Edgar; first vice-pres- 
ident, Mary J. Lawton; secretary, Nettie P. Harvey; treasurer, 
Margaret Hamilton; chaplain, Lydia McMahon. 

KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS. 

Redwood Lodge, No. 11. — During the winter of 1870 an at- 
tempt was made to introduce into Newport the order of 
Knights of Pythias. An application for a charter made by 
over thirty persons failed, liowever, of success. In August, 
1871, another attempt was made, which resulted in the or- 
ganization of a lodge on the 7th of the following September, 
composed of thirteen charter members. The organization was 
effected on that evening, and tlie charter members were sev- 
erally initiated and the ranivs conferred in full on the whole 
number. The following is a list of the first officers : C. C, 
Stephen Gould; Vice-C, Harwood E. Read; V^. P., James P. 
Bray ton; K. R. and S. Scribe, Daniel P. Bull; M. F. Scribe, 
William O. Gladding; M. E., Lyman R. Biackman. The lodge 
is in a very prosperous and flourishing condition, having its 
Castle Hall on Pelham street. The present officers are: P. C, 
Noah Butts; C. C, Everett I. Gorton; K. of R. and S., Daniel 
P. Bull; M. F., Simeon Davis; M. E., George W. Barlow; M. A., 
Henry D. Root; I. G., Isaac N. C. Northrup; O. G., Jolin Y. 
Hudson; D. K. of P. S. B., James B. Bray ton. 

KNIGHTS OF HONOR. 

Perseverance Lodge, No. 336. —Instituted August li5th, 
1876. Meets second and fourth Tuesdays, in Odd Fellows Hall. 
Officers: Dictator, Thomas J. Stoddard; vice-dictator, Jere. I. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 549 

Greene; assistant dictator, William T. Rutherford; past dic- 
tator, Duncan McLean; reporter, Charles H. Chase; financial 
reporter, D. L. Cuniniings; Treasurer, Benjamin F. Davis; chap- 
lain, Henrj' Weston: guide, Otis D. Sleeper; guardian, J. D. 
Hidler; sentinel, H. P. Wixen; medical examiner. Dr. C F. 
Barker; trustees, W. W. Marvel, H. E. Turuer, Jr., E. B. 
Marsh. 

Union Lodge, No. 668.— Instituted June 25th, 1877. Meets 
second and fourth Tuesdays, in Odd Fellows Hall. Officers : 
Dictator, W. S. Bailey; vice-dictator, James Hardy; assistant 
dictator, Henrj^ J. Hess; reporter, James H. Goddard; financial 
reporter, Francis Stanhope; treasurer, Allen C. Griffith; chap- 
lain, William S. Batcheller; guide, Joseph Singer; guardian, 
George W. Leonard; sentinel, Jacob P. Hanson; trustees, Wil- 
liam S. Bacheller, Allen H. Bishop, Walter Sherman. 

KNIGHTS AND LADIES OF HONOR. 

Berkeley Lodge, No. 410. — Protector, Mary H. Goddard ; 
vice-protector, Henrietta W. Bishop; secretary, Francis Stan- 
hope; financial secretary, Francis Stanhope; treasurer, James 
H. Goddard; guide, James Harney; chaplain, A. M. Bailey; 
sentinel, Walter Sherman; guardian, John E. Perrj^; past pro- 
tector, John H. Gillingham; medical examiner. Dr. Stephen H. 
Sears. 

MASONIC. 

St. John's Lodge, No. 1. — In 1749 Masonry entered upon its 
oi'ganic life in Newport. St. Johns Lodge, No. 1, was chartered 
by St. John's Grand Lodge of Boston on the 27th of December, 
1749, R. W. Thomas Oxnard being Provincial Grand Master 
of Masons in North America. The following abstracts from the 
records of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts relate to the es- 
tablishment of jMasonry in Newi)ort: 

1749. Dec, 27. "At the petition of Sundry Brethren i-e- 
siding at Newport, on Rhode Island, our R. W. Bro. 
Thomas Oxnard, Esq., G. M., granted a constitution for 
a Lodge to be held there, and appointed our R. W. Bro., 
Caleb Phillips to be their first ^raster." 

1750. April 13. "For the Lodge at Newport, ]?. T., nobody 
appeared." 

1750. July 13. "For the Lodge at Newport Bro. Abram Boi'- 
den aj)peared, but paid nothing." 



650 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

1750. Oct. 12, " For the Lodge at Newport Bro. H. Price ap- 
peared and paid charity two dollars," 

1751. April 12. For Rhode Island Lodge Bro. Jenkins, Jr., 
appeared and paid nothing." 

1753. . "For tiie Newport Lodge Bro. Robert Jenkins, 

Master, paid charity one dollar." 

1754. . "For the Lodge at Newport, R. I., nobody ap- 
peared." 

1756. April 9. " For the Newport Lodge Bro. Robert Jenkins, 
Master, Bro. Benjamin S. W., Bro. Robert Jenkins, Jr., 
J. W," 

1758. Jan. 13. " For the Newport Lodge Bro. Robert 
Jenkins, Master, Henry Leddell, S. W. Paid ex- 
penses." 

1759. Oct. 12. "The Grand Lodge purchased ten tickets in the 
Lottery at Rhode Island for building a Free Mason's 
Hall at Newport." 

Of this early period but scanty records have been preserved. 
There is sufficient testimony, however, to show that the brethren 
were animated by a very commendable zeal in their support of 
Masonry. 

At the session of the general assembly of Rhode Island held 
in June, 1759, an act was passed entitled " An Act raising two 
thousand and four hundred dollars for and towards the erect- 
ing a public edifice in the town of Newport, to be called and 
known by the name of Mason's Hall." The act provided for 
the raising by lottery of the sum above named, the scheme to 
"consist of four thousand tickets at four dollars each, whereof 
one thousand one hundred and thirteen shall be fortunate 
without any deduction." The prizes to range from one of SI, 000 
to one thousand of $8 each, making the total value of the for- 
tunate prizes $13,600. The lot on which the present hall stands, 
and which is the first and only one held by the fraternity in 
Newport, was purchased July 18th, 1759, and the foundation 
at once put in. On the 20th of August of the same year, the 
craft were convened, and at 12 o'clock noon R. W. Master 
Robert Jenkins laid the first angular stone in "ye N. E.," at 
the same time the W. S. warden, John Maudsley, laid the 
second stone in the S. E. The W. J. warden, Samuel Brenton, 
laid the third in the S. W. The R. AV. treasurer, Benjamin 
Mason, laid the fourth in the N. W., and the secretary, Na- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 551 

thaniel Muniford, laid the fifth stone " at the surface of the 
earth in the N. W." It appears that no immediate progress 
was made in the work of building. The foundation was cov- 
ered and remained undisturbed for more than forty years. 
The records of St. John's Lodge for the greater part of this 
period are missing, hence we fail to get a full explanation of 
the reasons for the delay in the building of the hall. On Mon- 
day, April 12th, 1802, we find a record of the laying of the 
corner stone of the present building. On this occasion Chris- 
topher Champlin, Past Grand Master, Moses Seixas, W. M., of 
St. John's Lodge, and John L. Boss, J. G. W., conducted the 
services. The hall was dedicated February 22d, 1803. Moses 
Seixas was then master of the lodge,also grand master of Masons 
in Rhode Island. 

The Grand Lodge of Rhode Island was organized in 1791 by 
St. John's Lodge of Newport and St. John's Lodge of Provi- 
dence, which latter was organized in 1756, by representatives 
from the Newjiort lodge. The Newport lodge then consisted of 
one hundred and thirteen members. The first communication of 
the Grand Lodge was held at the state house, in Newport, June 
27th, 1791, when Christopher Champlin of Newport was elected 
first grand master. It was arranged that the officers should be 
equally divided between the Newport and Providence lodges, 
and that they should be elected by each lodge in its separate 
capacity. In accordance with this plan the following were 
elected as the first grand officers of the Grand Lodge of Rhode 
Island: Grand Master, Christopher Champlin, Newport; Dep- 
uty G. M., Jabez Bowen, Providence; S. G. warden, Peleg 
Clarke, Newport; J. G. warden, Daniel Tillinghast, Providence; 
S. G. deacon, George Sears, Newport; J. G. deacon, Ebenezer 
Thompson, Providence; grand secretary. John Hanlej', New- 
port; grand treasurer, John Russell, Providence; grand mar- 
shal, Jabez Champlin, Newport; grand sword bearer, Gersham 
Jones, Providence. Hon. members, Heiuy Hunter, George 
Gibl).s, Newport; and John Brown, Benjamin Bowen, Provi- 
dence. On this occasion an oration was delivered in Trinity 
church by Reverend William Smith. 

The following is a list of officers of St. John's Lodge: R.\V. 
Robert S. Franklin, W. M.; W. William Hamilton, S. W.; R. 
W. John MviMS. J. W. ; W. James G. Tophain, treasurer; R. 
VV. Ara Ilildreth, secretary; William H. Crandall, chaplain; 



552 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

William E. Mumford, S. D.; George W. Smith, J. D.; Everett 
I. Gorton, S. S. ; Charles E. Spooner, J. S.; Thomas C. Burling- 
hahi, marshal; John SpoQner, sentinel; Jacob L. Frank, musical 
director. 

Regular communications are held on the Monday preceding 
the full moon. During the past year extensive additions have 
been made to the old building, which, when complete, will give 
ample room for all the masonic bodies in Newport. 

St. Paul's Lodge, No. 14.— In February, 1816, the grand lodge 
granted a dispensation for a new lodge in Newport, to be known 
as St. Paul's Lodge, No. 14. On October 23d, 1817, this lodge 
was constituted, the ceremonies taking place in Trinity church, 
with the following charter members : John A. Shaw, Henry 
Shaw, W. Stevens, Daniel Waite, Elisha Chase, Isaac C. Peck- 
ham, John W. Lyon, James Stevens, Jeremiah Bliss, Robert 
Dennis, Henry Y. Cranston, John W. Stephens, Theophilus 
Topham, Job E. Townsend, Henry Moore, James Townsend, 
Levi Tower, S; Cahoone, H. Sherbourn, John G. Whitehorn, 
James Barker, John T. Tilley, John Brown, Caleb Tripp, Ben- 
jamin Watson, James Mumford, Joseph T. Tripp, Samuel Al- 
len, William Dennis, Richard Merrill, Charles Devens, Charles 
Gorton, B. B. Mumford, William C. Gardner. The officers in- 
stalled were: Charles Cotton, W. M.; William Stevens, S. W. ; 
Theophilus Topham, J. W. ; James Townsend, treasurer; Levi 
Tower, secretary; John E. Townsend, S. D.; Isaac C. Peckham, 
J. D.; John T. Tilley, Robert E. Dennis, stewards; B. B. Mum- 
ford, chaplain; John Tillinghast, tyler. 

In 1818 the charter was surrendered and the lodge ceased to 
exist. In 1875 St. Paul's Lodge was re-chartered with the fol- 
lowing members: Francis Brinley Fogg, sole surviving member 
of St. Paul's Lodge, No. 14; W.-. George Penton Crandall, John 
Page Sanborn, John Rogers, John Dean Richardson, Thomas 
Pickering Peckham, David Stevens, Gardner Bannister Rey- 
nolds, Tlarley Wheaton Pray, George Tilley Finch, Charles 
Sumner Moore Stewart, William James Cozzens, John Hookey 
Crosby, Jr., Lyman Rawson Blackman, Michael Cottrell, Rob- 
ert Porter Hamilton, John Fadden, Henry Bull, Jr., Edward 
Briggs Harrington, Daniel Chace Denham, Richard Henry Jack- 
son, Edward Allen Crocker, Michael Francis Walsh, Thomas 
Weaver Freeborn, William Henry Cotton, John Gilpin, Ris- 
brough Hammett Tilley, Charles Benjamin Marsh and Olin 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 553 

Heath Cmnston. Present officers : W. M., Jere. W. Horton; S. 
VV., Thomas C Shernuin; J.W., George E.Vernon, Jr.; treasurer, 
George F. Cranclall; secretary, Charles B. Marsh; chaplain, 
Andrew K. McMahon; S. D., W. H. Lee; J. D., William J. Eas- 
ton; S. S., John H. Wetherell; J. S., John F. Titus; marshal, 
W. J. Cozzens; sentinel, Thomas E. Sherman; musical director, 
W. C. Stoddard; tyler, George H. Lovejoy. Regular commu- 
nications, Monday after full moon. 

Newport Royal Arch Chapter, No 2. — Constituted Septem- 
ber IStli, 1806. Regular meetings first Tuesday in each 
month, Masonic Temple, Church street. Officers : High priest, 
William W. Marvel; king, William J. Huntington; scribe, Wil- 
liam E. Mumford; treasurer, John E. Deblois; chaplain, Over- 
ton G. Langley; C. of H., Frank L. Deblois; P. S., William H. 
Lee; R. A. captain, William J. Easton; M. of 3d V., Andrew J. 
Deblois; M. of 2d V., William D. Sayer; M. of 1st V., Noah 
Butts; S. S., William Riggs; J. S., William J. Denman; organ- 
ist, J. H. Barney; tyler, J. Gottlieb Spingler. 

Deblois Council, No. 5, R. and S. J!/:— Constituted 1870. 
Officers: T. T. M., William Hamilton; D. M., William H. Strat- 
ford; C. C. of W., William H. Davis; treasurer, J. Gottlieb 
Spingler; recorder, Ara Hildreth; C. of G., William E. Mum- 
ford; C. of C, William H. Sampson; steward, Samuel J. At- 
water. Regular meetings. Masonic Temple, second Tuesdays 
in March, June, September and December. 

Washington Commander y. No. 4, chartered 1814. Officers: 
E. C, Overton G. Langley; G., M. F. Walsh: C. G., William J. 
Cozzens; prelate, G. A. Littlelield; S. W., Andrew J. McMahon; 
J. W., William M. Marvel; treasurer, Frank Powell; recorder, 
David Stevens; standard bearer, William E. Mumford; sword 
bearer, William Cany; warden, W. J. Huntington; first guard, 
W. P. Sampson; second guard, W. J. Easton; third guard, 
John F. Titus; sentinel, John G. Spingler. Meet third Wed- 
nesday of each month in Masonic Hall. 

Van Rensselaer Lodge of Perfection. — Constituted 1868. 
Meets tiiird Tuesday of every montii in Masonic Hall. Officers: 
T. P. G. M., James" B. Bray\on; H. of T., Dep. G. M., Robert 
S. Franklin; Ven. Sr. G. W.. James G. Topham; Yen. J. G. W., 
William H. Crandall; grand orator, H. W. Pray; grand treas- 
urei', Everette L Gorton; grand secretary, K. of S. & A., D. E. 
Young; grand master of ceremonies, Ara Hildreth; grand cap- 



554 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTr. 

tain of the G., R. A. Mason; grand hospitaler, James Fludder; 
grand tyler, J. G. Spingler. 

Palestine Temple, Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the 
Mystic SJirine. — Meets first Wednesday of every montli in 
Masonic Temple. Officers: Grand potentate, Clarence B. Mason; 
chief rabkn, Robert S. Franklin; assistant raban, William J. 
Huntington; high priest and prophet, John F. Sanborn; orien- 
tal guide, William W. Marvel; treasurer, John Waters; record- 
er, Thomas C. Sherman; first ceremonial master, William Carry; 
standard bearer, William H. Lee; marshal, Michael F. Walsh; 
captain of guard, William Gosling; outer guard, J. Gottlieb 
Spingler; alchemist, William C. Stoddard; musical director, 
James Barney. 

St. John''s Mutual Beneficial Association. — Chartered March 
17th, 1874. President, Robert S. Franklin; vice-president, John 

D. Richardson; treasurer, John Gilpin; secretary, David Stev- 
ens; trustees, George P. Leonard, Thomas P. Peckham, John 
Myers, William J. Cozzens, William Hamilton, William F. 
Townsend, Robert S. Franklin, William H. Davis, George E. 
Vernon, Jr., Michael Cottrell, J. D. Richardson, John Gilpin. 

Boyer Lodge, No. 8 (colored).— W. M., Thomas G. Williams; 
S. W., Reuben Jackson; J. W., David C. Brent; treasurer, 
James W. Johnson; secretary, Samuel C. Johnson; S. D., Per- 
cy A. Peer, Jr.; J. D., Clifford Johnson; S. S., William R. 
Johnston; J. S., George A. Seaman; chaplain, Richard B. King; 
marshal, Collins S. Burrill; tyler, Edward G. Johnson. Meets 
first and third Tuesdays in each montli. 

Stone Mill Lodge (colored). — W. M., Samuel Brown; S. W., 
Dennis Owens; J. W., Samuel Norris; secretary, Henry Coop- 
er; treasurer, Rev. M. Van Horn; S. D., George Johnson; J. D., 
William Gooden; marshal, William Boardley. Meets first and 
third Mondays, 43 Spring street. 

Benjamin F. Gardner Commander y. No. Q, K. T. (colored). — 

E. C, James A. Willis; Gen., Pusey A. Peer, Jr.; Capt. Gen., 
Henry W. Cooper; prelate, Anthony Randolph; recorder, 
Samuel Brown; treasurer, Reverend M. F. Van Horn; S. W., 
Albert Stevens; J. W., John Ambush; standard bearer, W. H. 
Dixon; sword bearer, James A. Harris; wai'der, George Jones; 
First G., W. Gooden; Second G., Samuel H. Norris. Meets 43 
Spring street, second Monday in each month. 



f^9i ^ 





/y .^^A^a^ 



ISiFrmtU'-. tCaKY 




IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 555 

HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 

Newport Historical Societi/. — Tliis society was organized 
March Stli, 1853, at a meeting of a few citizens lieid at tbe resi- 
dence of George C. Mason on Thames street. At an adjourned 
meeting on the 14th of the same month a constitution was 
adopted and the following officers elected: President, Doctor 
David King; vice-president William Littlefield; recording sec- 
retary, Robert J. Taj'lor; corresponding secretary, George C. 
Mason; treasurer, Nathan H. Gould; librarian, Benjamin B. 
Howland. The society was incorporated by the general assembly 
of Rhode Island in 1854. From the date of incorporation until 
1884 but little was done by the society beyond an occasional 
meeting and the collection of a few books and manuscripts. 
In 1884 the society purchased the old Sabbatarian meeting house 
on Barney street, which they at once commenced to restore. 
The building is an interesting one, having been built in 1729 by 
the tirst Seventh Daj^ Baptist society in America. The build- 
ing, including the old pulpit and sounding board, the old clock, 
still in good ordei', made in 1731, vvas successfully removed to 
the site it now occupies in 1887. It is filled with interesting 
relics of the olden time, and portraits, engravings and photo- 
graphs of deceased citizens of Newport. Regular monthly 
meetings are held on the third Monday in each month. Tiie 
building is open daily for visitors. The income of the society 
is derived from the annual dues ($2) of members and from the 
Ciuirles II. Russell and Mechanics' Association funds. The 
life membership fee is $50. In 1886 the Newport Association of 
Mechanics and Manufacturers voted to disband and transfer 
their funds to the Newport Historical Society " to be and re- 
main the property of the said Newport Historical Society as a 
permanent fund, the income only to be used and to be known 
as the Newport Association of Me(!hanics and Manufacturers 
F'und." The surviving members of the Mechanics' Association 
were made life members of the Historical Society. The officers 
of the Historical Society are: President, Honorable Francis 
Brinley; first vice-president, George Gordon King, Esq.; second 
vice-president, James M. K. Soiithwick, Esq.; recording secre- 
tary, Mr. lI(u-atio B. Wood; corresponding secretary. Colonel 
William P. Sheffield, Jr.; treasurer, Mr. Ralph R. Barker; 
librarian, Mr. R. H. Tilley; curator of medals and coins. Colonel 
Howard Smith. 



.0/)6 IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 



ODD FELLOWS. 



Rhode Island Lodge No. 12. — The order of Odd Fellowsliip 
dates from 1843. At that time Ocean Lodge was instituted with 
the following officers: N. G., Henry Tisdale; V. G. Daniel T. 
Swinburne; P. G., Henry Y. Cranston; secretary, Augustus 
Bush. A large number of the members subsequently with- 
drew and petition was made for a charter lo establish a new 
lodge, which was granted February 2d, 1846. They had been 
working, duly organized, since December 16th, 1845, at which 
time Rhode Island Lodge, No. 12, was formed. The first officers 
of Ehode Island Lodge were: N. G., John E.. Weeden; V. G., 
George V. Knowles; P. G., Henry Tisdale; treasurer, Robert J. 
Taylor; secretary, Charles Devene, Jr. The lodge has attained 
great popularity, being composed of intiuBUtial men, and is at 
present in a sound condition. In 1878 they purchased a fine 
site on Washington Square and erected a spacious and sub- 
stantial building in which their regular weekly meetings are 
held. The hall is also occupied by other societies, the first 
floor by three large stores. Present officers: N. G., Robert M. 
Pike; V. G., Seth B. Hammett; R. secretary, B. Hammett 
Stevens; P. secretary, Jere. W. Horton; treasurer, John H. 
Crosby, Jr.; I. G., Albert G. Crosby; O. G., James T. Barker; 
chaplain, Samuel Peck; conductor, Wm. Allen; warden, Philip 
G. Frank; P. G., Joseph P. Pike. 

Aquidnecli: Encampment., No. 5. — Instituted September 25th, 
1851. Officers: C. P., William Allen; H. P., Robert M. Pike; 
S. W., Seth B. Hairimett; recording scribe, Allen C. Griffitli; 
treasurer, Arthur B. Gladding; J.W., James E. Stevens; guide, 
George F. Rounds; I. S., Bent. A. Nelson; O. S., Josiah S. 
Bliss; 1st W., John B. Allen; 2d W., Joseph B. Pike; 3d W., 
John P. Steele; 4th W., John A. Gibson; 1st G. of T., John D. 
Pike; 2d G. of T., John Nelson. Meets first and second Fri- 
day evenings of each month in Odd Fellows Hall. 

Esther Lodge. No. 5, D. o/ 7?.— Officers: N. G., Mrs. John T. 
Delano;V. G., Mrs. Pryce Jones; recording secretary, Mrs. John 
Pitman; permanent secretary. Miss Sarah E. Bliss; treasurer, 
Mrs. John J. Carry; conductor, Mrs. James T. Barker; warden, 
Mrs. John H. AVetherell; I. G.. Mrs. Josiah S. Bliss; 0. G., 
Josiah S. Bliss; chaplain, James E. Stevens; R. S. to N. G., 
John T. Delano; L. S. to N. G., John H.Wetherell; R. S. to V. 
G., James T. Barker; L. S. to V. G., John P. Steele; S. P. G., 



IIISTOUY OF NEW]>011T COUNTY. 657 

Mrs. Jeremiah Parmenter. Meets the second and fourth Wed- 
nesdays in each montli in Odd Fellows Hall. 

Canonchel Lodge, No. 2,489, G. U. 0. of 0. F. (colored).— 
Officers: N. G., Jefferson Morrow; V. G., Nathan T. Jackson^ 
N. F., David B. Allen; P. N. G., Joseph Myers; P. N. F., 
William T. Grose; R. S. N. G., William H. Go'oden; L. S. N. 
G., Charles Waters: R. S. V. G., Henry Washington; L. S. V. 
G., J. D. Nichols, Jr.; warden, George T. Tizz ; I. G., James 
A. Harris; O. G., William H. Jackson; chaplain, Daniel D. 
Pugsley; treasurer, Levi Jackson; P. S., H. W. Cooper. Meet- 
ings second and fourth Thursdays of each month. 

OKDEIl OF SCOTTISH CLANS. 

Clan McGregor. — Officers: Chief, William Edward ; tanist, 
Joseph W. Milton; chaplain, J. W. B. Jackson; secretary, 
James B. Edward; financial seci-etary, Alexander J. Dalgleish; 
treasurer, Charles Clark; S. H., John Adam; J. H., George 
Douglas; S., David Scobie; W., James H. Buchanan; sentinel, 
James Sheaver; past chief, John Brown; trustees, John Brow^n, 
Robert McLeod, James McG. Buchanan. Clan meets at K. S. 
Forest Hall. 

St. Andrew's Soc/'eij/. — Officers: President, James Graham; 
vice-president, Alexander McDougal; secretary, James B. Ed- 
ward; treasurer, Duncan McLean; trustees, Angus McLeod, 
Peter King. John Anderson, William Findlaj', James Buchanan, 
Alexander McDougal; auditors, Adam Hempseed, Alexander 
Cuthbertson; chaplain. Doctor Thatcher Thayer, D. D. Meets 
in May and November. 

HOYAL AKCANUJI. 

Coronet Council, No. 63.— Organized March 22d, 1878. Offi- 
cers: Regent, Fiank G. Harris; vice-regent, William H. Lee; 
orator, Charles A. Neff; past regent, John H. Wetherell; secre- 
tary, James W. Langley; collector, John M. Taylor; treasurer, 
T. P. Peckham; chaplain, William Holt; guide, W. D. Sayer; 
warden, Edward II. Tiliey; sentry, Josiah Bliss; medical exam- 
iner, Francis H. Rankin, M. D.; trustees, Robert ti. Franklin, 
George F. Crandall, Lewis Brown. Meets every second and 
fourth Friday in each month, in Odd Fellows Hall. 



558 HISTORY OF KEWPORT COUNTY. 

TEMPERANCE SOCIETIES. 

Atlantic Division, JYo. 6, , Sons of Temperance. — Instituted 
September 29th, 1851. Officers: W. P., W. A. Hildreth; W. A., 
N. M. Chappell; R. S.. A. Hildreth; A. R. S., M. E. Dyer; 
F. S., M. E. Wood; T., H. B. ^Yood; chaplain, J. Vars; C, 
H. M. Wheeler; A. C, H. S. Wetherell; I. S., A. M. Martland; 
O. S., A. E. Wood. Meets on Thursday evenings in Sons of 
Temperance Hall, 45 Spring street. 

Newport Cotinty Proliihiti on Union. — Officers: President, An- 
thony M. Kimber; vice-presidents. Rev. F. W. Ryder, Joshua 
Brown, T. J. McDonald, W. B. Franklin, W. P. Buffum, of 
Newport; Rev. J. W. Willett. Middletown; Ellwood G. Macom- 
ber, Portsmouth; Rev. W. D. Hoit, Little Compton; I. Bowen 
Briggs, Jamestown; Rev. W, A. Durfee, New Shoreham; secre- 
tary, Charles R. Thurston; treasurer and financial secretary, 
J. S. Kimber: executive committee: A M. Kimber (ex-officio), 
Michael Butler. H. D. Scott, Dr. H. R. Storer, H. W. Pray, A. 
W. Luther, George C. Barker. Meetings the first Monday eve- 
ning in January. 

MartJia Washington Temperance Society. — Officers: Presi- 
dent, Mrs. Sophia L. Little; secretary and treasurer, Mrs. John 
Pitman. Meets every other Friday at Mrs. Philip Simmons', 
No. 122 Touro street. 

Women'' s Christian Temperance Union. — Officers: President, 
Mrs. Sophia L. Little; acting president. Miss Mary A. Gifford; 
corresponding secretary, Mrs. C. W. Dyer; recording secretary, 
Mrs. Jolin Pitman; treasurer. Miss Lizzie Sherman. Meets every 
other Friday, at 3 P. M., in Sons of Temperance Hall, No. 45 
Spring street. 

St. JosepJt's Total Abstinence Society. — Officers: Reverend 
James Coyle, spiritual director; president, John J. Hayes; vice- 
president, William J. Christmas; recording secretary, Bernard 
Haclvett; fiiuincial secretary, Edward J. O'Connor; treasni-er, 
Philip A. Hayes; marshal, Daniel J. Moriarty; sergeant-atarms, 
James Gouldie. Meets first and third Tuesday evenings of eacli 
month at 8 o'clock P. M., at St. Joseph's Hall, 9 Farewell 
street. 

Father Matthew T. A. B. Society.— Officers: President, Michael 
Butler; vice-president, Timothy J. McDonald; recording secre- 
tary, Daniel E. Doherty; financial secretary, Dennis Sullivan; 



IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 559 

treasurer, Dennis B. Sullivan; marshal, Nathaniel Watterson; 
sergeant-at-arnis, Morriniore T). Sullivan. Meets the last Sun- 
day of each month. 

UNITED ORDER OF THE GOLDEN CROSS. 

Miantonomi Oommandery, No. 114. — Officers: N. C, James 
B. Brown; V. C, Mrs. M. F. Popple; prelate, Mrs. A. L. Carter; 
K. of E,., Sarah A. Govill; F. R. of R., David Stevens; treas- 
urer, D. L. Cummings; herald, Thomas F. Carter; T. W., Mrs. 
S. Smith; O. W., Levi Norbury; medical examiner, Doctor S. 
H. Sears. Meets the second and fourth Thursdays. 

MISCELLANEOUS SOCIETIES. 

St. Mary' s Catholic Benevolent Society. — Officers: President, 
Doctor Philip Grace; vice-president, Timothy A. Sullivan; sec- 
retary, Dennis Buckley; corresponding secretary, Timothy W. 
Sullivan; treasurer, John Murray; marshal, John Martin. 

St. Mary's Guild. — Officers: President, Reverend S.W.Moran; 
treasurer, Mrs. C. T. White. Meetings at St. John's Reading 
Room, 52 Poplar street, Tuesday evenings and Thursday after- 
noons. 

St. Stephen's Guild of Trinity Parish. — Officers: President, 
Reverend George J. Magill; vice-president, AVilliam G. Ward, 
Jr. ; secretar}% Richmond B. Underwood; treasurer, George M. 
Dockray; steward, Charles H. Koehne. Regular monthly meet- 
ings the first Tuesday in each month. 

Unity Club of Channing Memorial CMirch. — Officers: Pres- 
ident, Doctor A. F. Squire; 1st vice-president. Reverend John 
W. Day; 2d vice-president, Mrs. Thomas Coggeshall; treasurer, 
W. J. Swinburne; secretary, Miss Carrie W. Crandall, address, 
63 Poplar street, Newport, R. I. INIeetings are held on specified 
Tuesday evenings in each month, from October to the next May, 
in the Channing Memorial church parlors, Pelham street. 

Unitarian Womerts Auxiliary Conference of t?u' Channing 
Memorial CJiurcJt. — Officers: President, Mrs. Emma A. Buck- 
liouf; vice-president, Mrs. Anna M. Bigelow; 2d vice-president, 
Miss Henrietta C. Ellery; treasurer, Mrs. Mary A. Squire; re- 
cording secretary, Mrs. Mary M. Smith; corresijonding secre- 
tary, Miss Susan J. Weaver. Meetings, alternate Tuesday after- 
noons, in the Channing parlors. Object, benevolence and de- 
votion. 



560 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Ladies' Society of the Channing Memorial Society.— Oncers: 
President, Mrs. Thomas Coggeshall ; vice-president, Mrs. H. C. 
Stevens; treasurer, Miss E. C. Boss; secretary, Mrs. A. P. Balder. 
Weekly meetings in the Channing parlors. 

Aquidneclc Agricultural Society. — Officers: President, John 
. F. Chase; vice presidents, George PeabodyWetmore, Nathaniel 
Peckham, James Anthony, John P. Sanborn, Doct;or Benjamin 
Greene; secretary and treasurer, John J. Peckham: general 
superintendent, Melville Bull; assistant superintendent, John 
Bluck; auditors, A. C. Landers, William J. Cozzens; superin- 
tendent of fair house, James Anthony; executive committee, 
Robert S. Franklin, William O. Greene, Melville Bull, George 
V. Wilbur, George B. Coggeshall, Asa B. Anthony, Charles C. 
Slocnm, Elijah Anthony, F. M. Ware, Edward Almy. Henry 
Anthony, George C. Carr, Thomas Biii-lingiiam, William J. 
Cozzens, Henry Bui), Jr., John J. Carry, John H. Chase, 
John Bluck, C. Henry Congdon, William L. Sisson, George 
Lawton, William J. Underwood, John J. Flood, A. C. Landers, 
Benjamin Howland, George P. Lawton, George A. Weaver, Wil- 
liam A. Peckham, William A. Barker, Arnold L. Biirdick, 
Frank W. Andrews, William H. Gardner. Annual meeting for 
the election of officers first Saturday in January. 

Newport Casino. — Governors : Frederic K. Sheldon, W. 
Watts Sherman, James Gordon Bennett, Cornelius Vanderbilt. 
August Belmont, Thomas F. Cushing, David King, George 
Henry Warren, Ogden Goelet, Nathaniel Thayer, George R. 
Fearing, Fairman Rogers, John N. A. Griswold, E. L.AVinthrop. 
There are two vacancies in the board of governors, occasioned 
by the death of William R.Travers and Henry S. Fearing. Presi- 
dent, August Belmont; vice-president (vacant by the death of 
W. R. Travers); treasurer, George R. Fearing; secretary, W. 
Watts Sherman; honorary counsel, Samuel R. Honey; execu- 
tive committee: chairmanship vacant by the" death of Henrj'^ S. 
Fearing; secretar3r, W. Watts Sherman; Fairman Rogers, Ogden 
Goelet, J. N. A. Griswold. 

Newport Reading Room, chartei-ed in 1854. — Chairman, Ed- 
mund Tweedy; treasurer, John N. A. Griswold; secretary, 
George C. Mason; governing committee, Edmund Tweedy, John 
N. A. Griswold, George C. Mason, E. M. Neill, Lewis C. Led- 
yard, Theodore K. Gibbs, Walter L. Kane, Frederic Slieldon, 



HISTORY OK NKWrOKT COtTNTY. 561 

Edward A. Crocker, Samuel Powel. Annual meeting on first 
and third Wednesdays in August at Club House. 

Newiwrt Business Men' s Association. — President, Francis B. 
Peckham; vice presidents, Lucius D. Davis, T. Mumford Sea- 
bury, George Pierce; secretary and treasurer, Robert S. Frank- 
lin; executive committee, J. A. Peckham, Steplien P. Slocum, 
Anthony Stewart, B. B. H. Sherman, Joseph Cotton; arbitration 
committee, Darius Baker, David T. Pinniger, Philip Rider, W. 
P. ShelHeld, Ji., W. S. Cranston. Meetings the fiist Mondays 
in each month at their rooms, corner of Church and Thames 
streets. 

Sons of St. George. — President, F. G. Harris; vice president, 
J. Gilpin; secretary, William Sharpies; assistant secretary, T. 
B. AVilkinson; treasurer, J. Taylor; messenger, F. R. Hall; 
chaplain, J. S. Cowles; assistant messenger, G. Beakhurst; in- 
side sentinel, T. Pyott; outside sentinel, J. Radford. Meets 
the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, in Caswell & 
Massey's Hall, 235 Thames street. 

Newport Fis7i and Game Association. — President, Captain J. 
P. Cotton; vice-president, Reverend F. F. Emerson; treasurer, 
Will H. Hnmmett; secretary, Frank H. Wilks; directors. Colo- 
nel W. P. Sliefiield, ,Sy., Thomas Burlingham, G. \V. Swin- 
burne, Jr., Benjamin M. Thurston, AVill A. Armstrong, Captain 
J. P. Cotton; Frank H. Wilks. Regular meetings second Mon- 
day of each month. Annual meetings first Monday in January. 
Meets at Club House on Wanton avenue. 

Northern Mutual Relief Association, Newport Associates 
No. 4. — President, John J. Peckham; vice-jiresident, William 
S. Bailey; secretary, Sarah A. Gavill; collector, David Stevens; 
treasurer, Daniel L. Cummings; marshal, Overton G. Langley; 
chaplain, James B. Brayton; inner warder, Andrew J. Kirwin; 
outer warder, John Y. Hudson; organist, Hattie J. Bacheller; 
medical examiner. C. F. Barker, M. D.; relief committee, John 
J. Peckham, William S. Bailey, James B. Brayton, Mrs. M. L. 
Farrow, Mrs. C. M. Crandall; trustees, James B. Brown, John 
P. Sanborn, Edward P. Marsh. Meets the first and third Tues- 
day evenings of each month, at G. .V. R. Hall. 

Newport t'ricketClutj. — President, William T. Lynch; captain, 
P. O'Brien; secretary, P. Keefe; treasurer, William Smith; 
committee on ground and mat('hes, Messrs. Murphy, Smith and 
O'Brien. Place of meeting, 2(3 Goldenhill street, last Saturday 
in each month. 



562 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

BrmifTi of tlie Iruliari EigJifft Association of PJiiladelpTiia. — 
President, Alexander 0"D. Taylor; vice-president, Henry G. 
Marquand; secretary and treasurer, Arthur B. Emmons; execu- 
tive committee, A. O'D. Taylor, H. G. Marquand, Reverend 
F. F. Emerson, Reverend R. B. Feet, Reverend W. Randolph, 
John H. Cozzens, Arthur B. Emmons, John Hare Fowel, A. B. 
Almon. 

Covrpavy F.^ Association First R. I. 8. ?f. — President, James 
H. Chajipelle; vice-president, Henry T. Easton; treasnrer, Jolin 
S. Coggeshall; secretary, James H. Taylor. 

Hercnles Engine Company^ No. 7, Veteran Association. — 
Captain, Nathaniel Wilson; lientenant, A. Wright Aldred; 
clerk, Philip Dowling; first assistant, Mortimore Sullivan; 
engineer, Daniel Buckley; second engineer, John Cooper; 
axeman, Charles C. White; Orderly, Jolin P. Steele. Meets 
annually, the last Tuesday in December, in Light Infantry Hall, 
317 Thames street. 

Newport Natural History Society. — Instituted 1882. Presi- 
dent, Colonel John Hare Powel ; vice-presidents, Honorable 
George P. Wetmore, Reverend F. F. Emerson, Le Roy King; 
trustees. Professor Raphael Pumjieley, Honorable Lucius D. 
Davis, Andrew B. Almon; corresponding secretary, Doctor H. 
R. Storer; recording secretary, George Gordon King; librarian. 
Doctor William C. Rives, Jr.; treasurer, Doctor Francis H. 
Rankin; curator, A. O'D. Taylor. Other members of council, 
Charles E. Hamniett, Jr., Colonel George H. Elliott and J. M. 
K. South wick. Meets monthly at the Historical Society's room 
on Touro street. This society has published three volumes of 
proceedings, and seeks to foi-m in Newport a collection illustra- 
tive of the local geology, fauna and flora. 

Newport Liederkranz. — President G. O. Herrmann; vice- 
president, Frederick Landau; secretary, Caspar Hill; treasurer, 
Henry Biesel; musical director, Jacob L. Frank. Meets Tues- 
day and Friday evenings at Bryer's Hall, 158^- Thames street. 

Irish National League {Michael Dairitt BrancJi). — President, 
J. S. Duggan; vice-president, J. N. Keefe; treasurer, M. Roche; 
secretary, C. Moriarty. Meets at No. 8 Kinsley Wharf, at the 
call of the president. 

People's Historical and Literary Association. — President, 
James W. Johnson; first vice-president, Thomas Johnson; 
second vice-president, Henry Ruster; secretary, Miss Emma 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. fiGS 

Fisher; treasurer, Mrs. Ella Kemp; lihrariaii, Edward Toogood; 
lecturer, William Hutton; marshal, Joseph Marchell; chaplain, 
James Venable. 

Tlte Hansard Club of Rhode Island . — President, Honorable 
Francis Brinley, '18; vice-president, George Henry Calvert, '23; 
treasurer, A. Prescott Baker, '67; secretary, Malcolm Storer, '85. 
Meeting semi-annually, in Providence ill winter, and Newport; 
in summer. 

Newport Marine Society. — Originated 1752 and incorporated 
in 1754 as the Fellowship Club, and continued to bear that 
name until 1785 when it was changed to the Marine Society. 
This society was instituted for the relief of unfortunate mariners, 
their widows and orphans. The charter members, in 1754, were 
Benjamin Wickham, Joseph Bull, John Maudsley, Samuel 
Cooper, Robert Rodman, Israel Brayton, James Duncan, 
George Croswell, Robert Stoddard, John Coddington, Michael 
Molton, Gideon Wanton, Jr., Samuel Dyre, Jr., John Dennis, 
Peter Dorlin and William Freeborn. In 1785 Oliver Ring 
Warner, Thomas Rumreill and Christopher EUery, in behalf of 
the society, petitioned the general assembly asking that the 
charter be renewed and the name changed to the Marine Societj', 
which was granted. The following persons are named in the 
new charter: Oliver Ring Warner, Thomas Rumreill, Chris- 
topher EUery, John Thurston, Peleg Clarke, William Ladd, 
John Northam, William Minturn, George Champlin, Joseph 
Gardner, William Shaw, Samuel Lawron, William Engs, John 
Lawton, John Hall, Charles Handy, Jr., Benjamin Sayer, Ben- 
jamin Pearce, Benjamin Cozzens, Samuel Vernon, 2d, William 
Howland, Richard Chilcot, Peleg Clarke, Jr., and John 
Morris. Benjamin Sayer was the first secretarj^ and Oliver 
Ring Warner the first president under the new charter. The 
funds of this societj^ now (1887) amount to over 825, 0(X), and 
there are nineteen widows who are pensioners. The present 
officers are: President, Captain Samuel C. Bailey; secretary, 
Captain Benjamin S. Melville; treasurer, Captain Alfred S. 
Chase. 

Rogers' High School Alumni Association. — Organized 1878. 
President, John S. McAdani ; 1st vice-president. Miss Carrii 
W. Crandall ; 2d vice-president, Mr. Frederick J. Cotton; cor- 
responding secretary, Mr. TJKimas Wood, Jr.; treasurer, Mr. 
Henry C. Stevens, Jr.; stats'n, Mr. John G. Costello; lit. com., 
36 



564 HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Herbert D. Dyer; Ch'nr., William F. Tilton, Miss H. Swinburne; 
social com., Mrs. Gussie T. Tilton, Cli'm., Mrs. Abbie T. Lang- 
ley, Mr. Henry C. Stevens, Jr. A public literary meeting is 
annually held on the 31st of December at Rogers' High School. 
Law and Order League. — President, Honorable Thomas T. 
Carr; vice-president. Reverend Thomas P. Doran; secretary, 
Arthur B. Emmons; treasurer, William Buffum; executivecora- 
mittee. Reverend Warren Randolph; Reverend Thomas P. 
Doran ; Thomas T. Carr, Reverend F. F. Emerson, Henry D. 
Scott, Joseph P. Cotton, Arthur B. Emmons, William P. Bulfum, 
Benjamin F. Thurston. Meets every third Monday. 

Potcel Council, No. 65, Home Circle. — Leader, F. G. Harris ; 
vice-leader, J. H. Wetherell; secretary, E. L. Spencer; financier, 
A. K. McMahon; treasurer, J. H. Crosby, Jr.; guide, E. E.Ver- 
non, Jr.; warden, A. Almy; P. leader, J. Graham. Meets the 
first and third Thursdays of each month. 

Sisters of Mercy. — Home, 261 Spring, corner of Fair streets. 
Sister M. Bonomeo, sujierior; and nine sisters. St. Mary's 
Academy is located in this building, having an attendance of 
about sixty pupils. 

Young Men's Christian Association. — Organized in 1878. 
President, D. B. Fitts; vice-presidents, Henry C. Bacheller, 
Thomas S. Mason; secretary, Charles R. Thurston; ti-easurer, 
John S. Kimber; auditor, Walter B. Simmons. 

Newport Medical Society. — President, Doctor Francis H. Ran- 
kin; vice-president. Doctor Ezra E. Dyer, deceased; secretary. 
Doctor Mary E. Baldwin; treasurer, Doctor William C. Rives, 
Jr.; librarian, Doctor T. A. Kenefick; curator, Doctor Stepiieu 
H. Sears. Meets the 3d Tuesday of every month at the resi- 
dences of the different members. 

Sanitary Protection Association of Newport. — Established 
November 11th, 1878. Incorporated in 1879. President, Hon. 
Francis Brinley; vice president, W. C. Rives; recording secre- 
tary, W. T. Parker, M. D. ; corresponding secretary. Doctor 
H. R. Storer; treasurer. Reverend W. J. Magill; consulting en- 
gineers, George E. Waring, Jr., J. P. Cotton, G. N. Bell; chem- 
ical analyst, Doctor William B. Hills of Harvard University; 
councilors, Lucius D. Davis, Doctor F. H. Rankin, A. B. Al- 
mon, F. O. French, J. J. Van Alen. Meetings monthly al; 
houses of members. Annual dues, $2.00. 

Ulfila Lodge., No. 443 (German Order of Harugari). — O. B., 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. fi65 

Charles G. Muencliinger; U. B., Henry Biesel; secretary, E. 
Otto; treasurer, Peter Faerber. 

United Friends, 0. II. Ferry Council, No. 258. — Organized 
March 30(;h, 1878. P. G. C, J. B. Brayton; P. C. C., J. P. 
Sanborn; P. C. C, C. B. Mason; cliief councilor, Jolin J. Peck- 
ham: vice chief councilor, John B. Mason; recorder, Harali A. 
Gavill; hnancier, Overton G. Langley; treasurer, Tlionias C. 
Sherman; prelate, Joseph C. Coggeshall; marshal, Albert I. 
Easton; guardian, Andrew J. Kirwin; senti'V, John Hudson; 
medical examiners. Doctor C. F. Barker and Doctor Stephen 
H. Sears. 

General Burnside Assembl;/, No. 64, Roi/al Sucicfi/ of Good 
Fellows, Newport, R. /.—Organized March 17tli, 1887. Ruler, 
Charles H. Chase; instructor, John A. Hazard; councilor, 
George B. Leonard; past ruler, William P. Denman; secretary, 
George F. Rounds; financial secretary, Walter Sherman; treas- 
urer, George H. Popple; prelate, William Carry; director, 
William H. Lawton; guard, John B. F. Denman; sentry, William 
Wilcox;~ trustees, J. J. Carry, A. C. Landers, C. F. Frasch. 
Place of meeting, Odd Fellow's Hall. 

Weenat Shassiit Tribe, No. 6, /. 0. of R. J/.— Instituted Oc- 
tober 29th, 1872. Officers: Sachem, John H. Wetherell; senior 
sagamore, Albert I. Easton; junior sagamore, John J. Peckham; 
prophet, Henry C. Burdick; chief of records, Francis Stanhope; 
assistant chief of records, Charles C. Sterne; keeper of wampum, 
J. G. Spingler; 1st sanap, H. C. Stevens, Jr.; 2d sanap, E. W. 
Minkler; 1st warrior, Frank L. DeBlois; 2d warrior, George A. 
Wilcox; 3d warrior, George A. Lake: 4th warrior, Frank C. 
Pierce; 1st brave, George S. Ward, Jr.; 2d brave, ^V. F. Bar- 
low; 3d brave, Arthur L. Gilman; 4th brave, Joseph S. Allan; 
guard of wigwam, Joseph A. Hoar; guard of forest, W. P. Daw- 
ley. 



To give a detailed history of this ancient and influential or- 
ganization, claiming an existence of nearly a century and a 
half, would require more space than is posssible within the 
limits of this volume. From the beginning its record has been 
honorable and its roll adorned by many of the most prominent 
names in the country. It was organized during the turbulent 
times prior to the American revolution and received its charter 

*Bj- E. O. Wagner. 



566 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

on the 1st of Februaiy. 1741, its primary object being to render 
the militia of the colonies more effective in case of invasion. 
Its charter slates that: the "preservation of this colony in time 
of v?ar depends under God chiefly upon the military discipline 
of the inhabitants, and it being necessary in order to revive and 
protect the same, to form and establish a military company, 
which by acquiring and accustoming themselves to military ex 
ercise, by more frequent trainings than the body of the people 
can attend — may serve for a nursery of skillful officers, and in 
time of actual invasion, by their superior skill and experience 
may render the whole militia more useful and effective." The 
petition to the general assembly for a charter was signed bj' the 
following gentlemen, who with others soon after enrolled, formed 
the company: Godfrey Malbone, Jahleel Brenton, Samuel 
Wickham, Henry Collins, John Gridley, Jr., James Honey man, 
Jr., John Brown, Nathaniel Coddington, Jr., Peleg Brown, 
Charles Bardin, Simon Pease, David Cheseborough, Philip Wil- 
kinson, John Freebody, Jr., Thomas Wickham, Walter Crans- 
ton, Sueton Grant and William Vernon. 

The company having received its charter, first appeaj'ed in 
uniform September 17th, 1744. The occupation of Newport by 
the British during the period of the revolution precluded active 
service at that eventful time, though eighteen men were fur- 
nished as the quota of the company to the Rhode Island de- 
tachment for the relief of Fort William Henry on the 16th of 
August, 1757. 

On the 9tli of August, 1792, a new charter was granted by 
the general assembly, and. in May, 1794, the artillery mounted 
the first gun on Fort Washington in the upper part of the 
harbor. In August of the same year a dinner was given by 
the company at the state house in honor of the French 
Generals Rochambeau and Richard, and later the artillery was 
reviewed by General Knox, the secretary of war. The follow- 
ing year the organization paraded at the general election of 
state officers, and the succeeding year appeared as escort to 
the governor, a custom which is maintained to the present day. 

During the j^ear 1812 the services of the Newport artillery 
were offered the government to assume charge of the battery 
at Easton's jioint. This offer was accepted July 14th, 1814, 
and Fort Greene occupied with a muster of eighty-seven men. 
Of this point they retained possession until peace was pro- 



jrirtTOKY OF NKWPOIiT COUNTY. 567 

claimed in Febrimry, 1815, wlien t-lie fort was delivered to the 
govei'iinient, the company iiiiiiiberiiig one hnndred and til'leen 
men. In 1826, when the remains of the great naval victor, 
Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the hero of the battle of 
Lake Erie, were brought to Newport for interment, the artillery 
formed the funeral escoi't, thus paying proper honor to a man 
whose memory the citizens of Newport revere to the present 
day. In 1833 the company received and escorted President 
Andrew Jackson on his visit to Newjwrt, and in May and 
June, 1842, it was ordered to Providence to suj)press the 
so-called Dorr rebellion. The artillery won much praise by its 
prompt action at the time and although no blood was shed, 
the Mayor of Providence honored its presence by the presenta- 
tion of a flag. 

At the first call for troops at the beginning of the late civil 
war the members responded in goodly numbers. Company F, 
Rhode Island Detached Militia, was composed of members of 
the artillery company, one hundred and eleven men leaving for 
Washington April 16th, 1861. Company after company was 
recruited from the artillery, and no less than fourteen hundred 
men from this organization served in the army and navy during 
that eventful crisis. 

The Newport Artillery is an independent organization under 
the immediate command of the colonel and the governor of the 
state. The company receive no emoluments from the state, 
own their own armory, uniforms and equipments, and although 
annually inspected by the adjutant general of the state have no 
connection with the Rhode Island militia. It is free from debt 
and has several beneficial funds, chief among which are the 
Tliayer and King funds. It has in its possession a number of 
rare and valuable relics, including paintings, engravings and 
tattered battle flags carried during the war of the rebellion, as 
also a unique collection of the various kinds of ammunition 
used during the war. 

The following list embraces the officers of the company from 
its organization to the present date: 

Captains.-^Iahleel Brenton, 1741 to April 28, 1747; \Villiani 
Mumford, April 28, 1747, to April 28, 17.^2; Daniel Ayrault, Jr., 
April 28, 17.")2, to April 20, 1770; Nathaniel Mumford, April 26, 
1770, to April 25, 1775; John Malbone, April 25, 1775, to Aug- 



568 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNT J". 

ust 1, 1792; Francis Malbone, August 1, 1792, to June 4, 1809; 
Benjamin Fry, June 4, -1809, to April 27, 1813. 

Colonels (rank from April 27, 1813). — Benjamin Fry, April 

27, 1813, to April 25, 1815; Christopber G. Champlin, April 25, 
1815, to April 28, 1818; Richard K. Randolph, April 28, 1818, 
to April 27, 1824; John B. Lyon, April 27, 1824, to April 26, 
1825; Henry Y. Cranston, April 26, 1825, to April 29, 1828; James 
Boon, Jr., April 29, 1828, to April 28, 1829; Peleg Clarke, April 

28, 1829, to April 26, 1831; jSTicholasG. Boss, April 26, 1831, to 
April 24, 1832; S. Ayrault Robinson, April 24, 1832, to April 25, 
1837; William B. Swan, April 25, 1837, to April 29, 1845; Cliris- 
topher G. C. Perry, April 29, 1845, to April 7, 1854; Thomas B. 
Carr, April 7, 1854, to December 21, 1858; Charles W. Turner, 
December 21, 1858, to December 11, 1860; Geoi-ge W. Tew, De- 
cember 11, 1860, to April 30, 1861; William H. Fludder, April 
30, 1861, to August 12, 1861 ; George W. Tew, August 12, 
1861, to April 29, 1862; William A. Stedman, April 29, 1862, 
to April 25, 1865; John Hare Powel, April 25, 1865, to Novem- 
ber 15, 1877; Augustus P. Sherman, November 15, 1877, to April 

29, 1879; George R. Fearing, April 29, 1879, to April 25, 1882; 
George H. Vaughan, April 25, 1882, to April 30, 1885; Jere. W. 
Horton, April 30, 1885. 

First Lieutenants.— Jolin Brown, 1741, to May 13, 1745; Wil- 
liam Mumford, May 13, 1745, to April 28, 1747; Philip Wilkin- 
son, April 28, 1747, to April 28, 1752; Josias Lyndon, April 28, 
1752, to April 29, 1755; Samuel Freebody, April 29, 1755, to Au- 
gust 14, 1757; EbenezerRumreill, April 14, 1757, to April 27, 
1762; Metcalfe Bowler, April 27, 1762, to April 25, 1769; Nathan- 
iel Mumford, April 25, 1769, to April 26, 1770; Samuel Brenton, 
April 26, 1770, to April 25, 1775 ; George Champlin, April 25, 
1775, to August 1, 1792; Daniel Rogers, August 1, 1792, to Sep 
tember 18, 1792; Benjamin Fry, September 18, 1792, to April 27, 
1802; Walter Channing, April 27, 1802, to April 29, 1806; Benja- 
min Fry, April 29, 1806, to June 4, 1809; John Wood, June 4, 
1809, to April 27, 1813. 

Lieutenant Colonels (rank from April 27, 1813). — John Wood, 
April 27, 1813, to August 20, 1814 ; Clu'istopher G. Champlin, 
August 20, 1814, to April 25, 1815; Levi Tower, April 23, 1815 to 
April 28, 1818; Robert B. Cranston, April 28, 1818, to April 27, 
1819; John B. Lyon, April 27, 1819, to April 27, 1824; Henry 
Y. Cranston, April 27, 1824, to April 26, 1825; James Boon, Jr., 



HISTORY OF NEVVPOKT COUNTY. 5G9 

April 26, 1825, to April 29, 1828; Peleg Clarke, April 29, 1828, to 
April 28,1829; Nicholas Gr. Bo.ss, April 28, 1829, to April 26, 18:5]; 
S. Ayrault Robinson, April 26, 1831, to April 24, 1832; Abner 
Hathaway, Jr., April 24, 1832, to April 30, 1833; William D. 
Terry, April 30, 1833, to April 29, 1834; William B. Swan, April 

29, 1834, to April 25, 1837; Robert J. Taylor, April 2/5, 1837, to 
April 25, 1843; AVilliam A. Coggeshall, April 25, 1843, to April 

30, 1844; Christopher G. C. Perry, April 30, 1844, to April 29, 
1845; William H. Henderson, April 29, 1845, to April 28, 1846; 
Charles D.Weeden, April 28, 1846, to June 21, 1848; George Bur- 
roughs, June 21, 1848, to April 2fl, 1853; Thomas B. Carr. April 
26, 1853, to April 25, 1854; William H. Stanhope, April 25, 1854, 
to April 24, 1856; Charles W. Turner, April 24, 1856, to Decem- 
ber 21, 1858; Isaac S. Boss, December 21, 1858, to September 26, 
1860; Charles C. Clarke, December 11, 1860, to August 12, 1861; 
William A. Stedman, August 12, 1861, to April 29, 1862; B. L. 
Slocum, April 29, 1862, to October 29, 1862; John Hare Powel, 
April 28, 1863, to April 25,1865; Augustus P. Sherman, April 25, 
1865, to April 30, 1867; William M. Clarke, April 30, 1867 to April 
28, 1868; Augustus P. Sherman, April 28, 1868, to November 15, 
1877; Thomas S. Nason, November 15, 1877, to April 30, 1878; 
Thomas S. Burdick, April 30, 1878, to April 29, 1879; George H. 
Vaughan, April 29, 1879, to April 25, 1883; Jere. W. Horton, 
April 25, 1883, to April 30, 1885; George A. Brown, April 30, 1885. 

Second Lieutenants.— John Gidley, 1741 to October 22, 1744; 
William Mumford, October 22, 1744, to May 13, 1745; John 
Tillinghast, May 13, 1745, to August 6, 1745: Philip AVilkinson, 
August 6, 1745, to April 28, 1747; Daniel Ayrault, Jr., 
April 28, 1747, to April 28, 1752; Samuel Freebody, April 28, 
1752, to April 29, 1755; William Paul, April 29, 1755, to 
April 27, 17.56; Daniel Russell, Jr., April 27, 1756, to April 
2.5, 1758; Metcalfe Bowler, April 25, 1758, to April 27, 
1762; Nathaniel Mumford, April 27, 1762, to April 
2.5, 1769; Samuel Brenton, April 25, 1769, to April 26, 1770; 
Thomas Wickham, Jr., April 26, 1770, to April 25, 1775; Wil- 
liam Chanuing, April 25, 1775, to April 26, 1776; Thomas Ainnid, 
April 26, 1776, toAugust 1, 1792; P>enjamin Fry, August 1, 1792, 
to September 18, 1792; Thomas Russell, September 18, 1792, to 
April 22, 1794; Walter Chanuing, April 22, 1794, to April 27, 
1802; Frederick Crary, April 27, 1802, to Api-il 29, 1806; Walter 
Channing, April 29, 1806, to April 25, 1809; Christopher G. 
Champlin, April 25, 1809, to April 27, 1813. 



570 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Majors (rank from April 27, 1813). — Clu'istopher G. Cham- 
plin, April 27, 1813, to August 20, 1814; Levi Tower, August 20, 
1814, to April 2o, 1815; Richard K. Randolph, April 25, 1815, 
to April 28, 1818; John B. Lyon, April 28, 1818, to April 27, 
1819; Henry Y. Cranston, April 27, 1819, to April 27, 1824; 
James Boon, Jr., April 27, 1824, to April 20, 1825; Peleg Clarke, 
April 26, 1825, to April 29, 1828; Nicholas G. Boss, April 29, 
1828, to April 28, 1829; James M. Tuell, April 28, 1829, to April 
27, 1830; S. Ayrault Robinson, April 27, 1830, to Apiil 26, 1831; 
Abner Hathaway, Jr., April 26, 1831, to April 24, 1832; Silas 
Ward, April 24, 1832, to April 30, 1833; William B. Swan, April 
30, 1833, to April 29, 1834; AVilliam A. Coggeshall, April 29, 
1834, to April 27, 1835; John B. Weeden, April 27, 1835, to June 
4, 1842; W. A. Coggeshall, June 4, 1842, to April 25, 1843; 
Christopher G. C. Perry, April 25, 1843, to April 30, 1844; W. H. 
Henderson, xVpril 30, 1844, to April 29, 1845; George Burroughs, 
April 29, 1845, to June 21, 1848; Thomas B. Carr, June 21, 1848, 
to April 26, 1853; W. H. Stanhope, April 26, 1853, to April 25, 
1854; Benjamin Marsh, 3d, April 25, 1854, to April 24, 1855; 
George F. Turner, April 24, 1855, to April 24, 1856; Isaac S. 
Boss, April 24, 1856, to December 21, 1858; George W. Tew, 
December 21, 1858, to December 11, 1860; William A. Stedman. 
December 11, 1860, to August 12, 1861; B. L. Slocum, August 
12, 1861, to April 29, 1862; Augustus P. Sherman, April 29, 1862, 
to April 25, 1865; William H. Fhulder, Ainil 25, 1865, to April 
24, 1866; Thomas S. Burdick, April 24, 1866, to April 30, 1878; 
Jerre W. Horton, April 30, 1878, to April 24, 1883; H. T. Eas- 
ton, April 24, 1883, to April 30, 1885; A. A. Barker, April 30, 
1885. 

Ensigns. — William Mumford, 1741 to October 22, 1744; John 
Tillinghast, October 22, 1744, to May 13, 1745; Charles Wick- 
ham. May 13, 1745, to August 6, 1745; Daniel Ayrault, Jr., Aug- 
ust 6, 1745, to April 28, 1747; Thomas Wickliam, April 28, 1747, 
to April 28, 1752; Edward Cole, April 28, 1752, to April 29, 1755; 
Daniel Russell, Jr., April 29,1755, to April 27, 1756; Metcalfe Bow- 
ler, April 27,1756, to April 25,1758; Henry Ward, April 25, 1758, 
to April 24, 1759; Nathaniel Mumford, April 24, 1759, to April 
27, 1762; Samuel Brenton, April 27, 1762, to April 25, 1769; 
Thomas Wickham, Jr., April 25, 1769, to April 26, 1770; Samuel 
Goldthwaite, April 26, 1770, to April 25, 1775; William Brooks 
Simpson, April 25, 1775, to April 26, 1776; William Brenton, 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 571 

April 20, 1776, to August 1, 1792; Walter Channing, August 1, 
1792, to April 29, 1794; Joseph Boss, Jr., April 22, 1794, to 
January 2r), 1798; Frederick Crary, Januajy 25, 1798, to April 

27, 1802; Hanson Hull, April 27, 1802, to April 26, 1808; 
Stephen Cahoone, Ji'., April 26, 1803, to April 29, 18()0; Fred- 
erick Crary, April 29, 1806, to April 26, 1808; John Wood, 
April 26, 1808, to April 25, 1809; Levi Tower, April 27, 1809, to 
April 27, 1818. 

Captains (rank from April 27, 1813).— Levi Tower, April 27, 
1813, to August 20, 1814; Richard K. Randolph, August 20,1814, 
to April 25, 1815: Robert B.Cranston, April 25, 1815, to April 

28, 1818; Henry Y. Cranston, April 28, 1818, to April 27, 1819; 
James Boon. Jr., April 27, 1819, to April 27, 1824; M. T. Dilling- 
ham, April 27, 1824, to April 26, 1825; Nicholas G. Boss, Ajiril 
26,1825, to April 29,1828; James M. Tuell, April 29,1828, to Apiil 
28, 1829; S. Ayrault Robinson, April 28, 1829, to April 27, 1880; 
Sylvester R. Hazard, April 27, 1830, to April 26, 1831 ;Silas Ward, 
April 26, 1831, to April 24, 1832: John R. Randolph, April 24, 
1882, to Ai)ril 30, 1888; Robert J. Taylor, April 30, 1838, to 
April 29, 1834; John B. Weeden, April 29, 1834, to April 27, 
1835; Jolm Stacy. Jr.. April 27, 1835, to April 26, 1886; Henry 
W. Carr, April 26, 1886, to April 80, 1889; Charles D. Weeden, 
April 80, 1839, to April 25, 1843; James D. Seabury, April 25, 
1843, to April 30, 1844; George BuiToughs, April 30, 1844, to 
April 29, 1845; Benjamin A. Mason, April 29, 1845, to August 
8, 1847; Thomas B. Carr, August 8, 1847, to June 21, 1848; 
James Barton, June 21, 1848, to November 15, 1852; Benjamin 
A. Mason, November 15, 1852, to April 24, 1856; Augustus 
Frencli. April 24, 1856, to April 28, 1857; Charles C. Clarke, 
April 28, 1857, to December 11, 1860; B. L. Slocum, Decendier 
11, 1860, to April 80, 1861; James H. Chappell, April 30, 1861, 
to April 29, 1862; John S. Coggeshall, April 29, 1862, to April 
28, 1863; William H. Fludder, April 28, 1863, to April 25, 
1805; Thomas S. Burdick, April 25, 1865, to April 24. 1866; 
William M. Clarke, April 24, 1866. to April 80, 1867; John S. 
Coggeshall, April 80. 1867, to April 28, 1870; Thomas S. Nason, 
April 28, 1870, to Novend)er 15, 1877; Jere. W. Horton, No- 
vember 15, 1877, to April 30, 1878; George A. Brown, April 80j 
1878, to April 30, 1885; George C. Shaw, April 80, 1885. 

Clerks. — losias Lyndon. 1741 to April 28, 1747; William Cod- 
dington, Jr., April 28, 1747, to April 24, 1753; William I'aul, 



572 inSTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

April 24, 17o3, to April 29, 1755; John Bours, April 29, 1755, to 
April 25, 1776; James Clarke, April 25, 1776, to August 1, 1792; 
Samuel Freebody, Jr., August 1, 1792, to October 6, 1794; Wil- 
liam Marchant, October 6, 1794, to April 28, 1795; William Til- 
linghast, April 28, 1795, to October 6, 1795; Holmes Weaver, 
October 6, 1795, to April 25, 1826 (with rank of first lieutenant 
and quartei'master from April 27, 1813); William Ellery Almy, 
April 25, 1826, to April 30, 1833; William A. Coggesbail, April 
30, 1833, to April 29, 1834; William J. Munroe, April 29, 1834, 
to April 27. 1835; William A. Coggeshall, April ' 27, 1835, to 
April 24, 1838; William H. Henderson, April 24, 1838, to April 
30, 1844; Thomas E. Townsend, Apiil 30, 1844, to April 27, 1847; 
James H. Demarest, April 27, 1847, to August 3, 1847; B. Ham- 
mett Stevens, August 3, 1847, to April 25, 1848; W. H. Stan- 
hope, April 25, 1848, to April 26, 1853; Charles \V. Turner, 
April 26, 1853, to April 25, 1854; George F. Turner, April 
25, 1854, to April 24, 1855; Augustus French, April 24, 1855, 
to April 24, 1856; John B. Langley, Jr., April 24, 1856, to 
December 1, 1860; James H. Chappell, December 1, 1860, to April 
30, 1861; H. Bull, Jr., April 30, 1861, to April 26, 1864; Howard 
Smith, April 26, 1864, to April 25, 1865; I. W. R. Marsh, April 
25, 1865, to April 24, 1866; J. Perry Clarke, April 24, 1866, 
to April 30, 1867; I. W. R. Marsh, April 30, 1867, to April 28, 
1868; Henry T. Easton, April 28, 1868, to April 25, 1871; George 
H.Vaughan, April 25, 1871, toApril29, 1879; B. B. H. Sherman, 
April 29, 1879, to April 27, 1880^ Robert C. Cottrell, April 27, 
1880, to April 25, 1882; Alvin A. Barker, April 25, 1882, to April 
BO, 1885; Henry C. Stevens, Jr., April 30, 1885. 

Officers of the Veteran Association. — Colonel John Hare 
Powel, president; Colonel Augustus P. Sherman, first vice-jires- 
ident; Colonel William A. Stedman, second vice-president; Col- 
onel Thomas S. Nason, third vice-president; Sergeant William 
S. Slocum, secretary; Lieutenant B. B. H. Sherman, treasurer. 

Present Roster.^ — Colonel, J. W. Horton; lieutenant colonel, 
G. A. Brown; major, A. A. Barker; captain, G. C. Shaw; quar- 
termaster, H. C. Stevens, Jr.; adjutant, J. H. Wetherell; sur- 
geon, Dr. S. H. Sears; commissary, W. T. Stevens; paymaster, 
E. T. Bosworth; chaplain, Rev. T. Thayer, D. D.; assistant 
surgeon. Dr. N. R. Chace; assistant commissary, J. L. Nason; 
assistant paymaster, J. H. Stacy; sergeant major, G. W. 
Thompson; quartermaster-sergeant, M. Muenchinger; sergeant 



illSTOllY OK NKWi'OKT COUNTY. 573 

of ordnance, T. II. Lnwron; ensign sergeant, P. B. Dawley; 
first seigeant, E. II. Tilley; second sergeant, G. A. Tilley; tliird 
sergeant, II. Bliss; fourth sergeant, J. D. Richard.son, Jr.; fifth 
sergeant, A. A. Stacy; color sergeant, B. W. H. Peckhani; cor- 
porals, T. S. Holm, H. C. Christian, A. J. De Blois, W. H. 
Schwarz; right general guide, C. T. Bliss; left general gnide, G. 
Davis; niaikers, 0. E. Peabody, M. W. Wetherell; buglers, G. 
S. Bowen, S. H. Lawton, F. S. Patterson, J. P. Leonard, F. J. 
Eckhart. 

Privates.— W. H. Allen, W. R. Allen, M. Bnll, A. G. Bur- 
dick, S. C. Bailey, 2d, C. Biesel, W. M. Borden, H. A. Boole, 
C. Crandall, Jr., Charles E. Clarke, W. H. Crowell, F. T. Carr, 
Clarence E. Chirke, J. 'J\ Duriee, J. R. Duckworth, H. T. Eas- 
ton. a. E. Eldridge, W. H. Easton, C. E. French, J. H. Glynn, 
A. N. Gray, H. Greene, W. F.. Gratrix, M. W. Hall, F. H. 
Holt, J. E. Kesson, W. H. King, F. P. King, F. Langley, E. P. 
Landers, P. T. Leonard, R. P. Manchester, R. W. Mitchell, 
W. McDonald, J. C. Peckham, J. R. Peabody, G. H. Proud, 
C. A. Palmer, F. E. Rowell, C. J. H. Sohwarz, G. T. Swan, F. 
M. Stevens, E. Spooner, O. M, Smith, W. T. Stevens, W. D. 
Sayer, G. W. Tilley, C. O. Titcomb, G. H. Vaughan, W. A. 
Ward, E. Wilbur, D. Wetlierell, Jr. 



CHAPTER XI. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.— NEWPORT. 

Benjamin Anthony. — George A. Armstrong. — Seth Bateman. — Luther Bateman. 
— Henry Bedlow. — Robert P. Berry. — Joshua C. Brown. — John Bull. — George 
W. Carr, Jr.— William A. Clarke. — Henry Clews. — George S. Coe. — William 
King Covell. — The Cranston Family. — Lucius D. Davis. — The De Bloia 
Family.— George T. Downing. — William Findlay. — The Fludder Family. — 
Thomas Galvin. — George Hall. — Nathan Hammett and Joseph M. Hammett. 
— Benjamin Hazard. — Carl Jurgens.^ — Daniel Le Roy. — Josiah O. Low. — John 
D. Johnston. — Seth W. Macy. — Felix Peckham. — Thomas P. Peckham. — 
John Hare Powel. — Oliver Read. — James T. Rhodes. — John Page Sanborn. — 
William Paine Sheffield.— John W. Sherman.— William H. Thurston.— Wil- 
liam J. Underwood. — John G. Weaver. — George Peabody Wetmore. — Cath- 
arine Lorillard Wolfe. 



Ben-tamin N. Anthony was born in South Kingstown, Au- 
gust 27tli, 1821, being the youngest child of Peleg C. and Abby 
G. (Tillinghast) Anthony. His father removed to Newport 
about 1824 and engaged in farming, wliicli occupation luis been 
folh)wed by his son. Peleg C. died January 14th, 1882, in 
his ninety-first year. Benjamin M. married Elizabeili, daughter 
of Josiah and Eliza Pecivham, and tliey had twelve children, 
of whom seven are living: Abrani Tilley Anthony, born August 
14th, 1845, and married Marian R. Ball; Joseph Smith, born 
April 1st, 1847, married Abby Cook Hudson; William Clark, 
born May 8th, 1852, married Mary Jane Sullivan; Charles Green, 
born January 17th, 1854, married Francis Mary Hardwick; Eliza 
Abby; James Edward, born March 17lh, 1859, married Elizabeth 
Parker Congdon; and Mary Alice. 

George A. Akmstrong was born in Newport, September 
1809, being the sou of George and Esther (Williams) Arm- 
strong. His early life was spent on his father's farm, which 
was located where Narragansett avenue now is. He married 
Harriet H., daughter of George and Content (Wilbour) Hazard, 
who was also a native of Newport. They had two children, 
one of whom is living, viz., William A., born in October, 1834, 
and married Carrie, daughter of William Lewis. 




<:?Ho^fii^.<r- ^^( 



^-^c^f'-yz-'i^i^'-H-^ 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 575 

Setii Bateman. — The members of the Eatemnn family resi- 
dent in Rhode Island are descended from English an(;estry, the 
great-grandfather of the snbject of this slcetch having been Lord 
William Henry Bateman of Castle Hill, Herfdrdsliire, England, 
and his grandfather Hector Bateman, who probably emigrated 
and settled in Coven tr}% Rhode Island. Among his children was 
William, who married Snsannah Spencer, daughter of .Jeremiah 
Spencer, who, on his emigration from England, settled in Con- 
necticut. The Spencer family are descended from the second 
Duke of Marlborough, and resided upon their estates in Eng- 
land, Jeremiah above named being the first to leave his native 
heath for a home in the new world. The children of William 
and Susannah Bateman are: Julia Ann, Joseph, Seth, Mary, 
Susan, Luther, Ira, Alice A., Harriet, Sidney, Jane and William 
Pitt, of whom si.x survive. 

Seth Bateman, of this number, was born August 26th, 1802, 
on the homestead then considered as suburban ground, but now 
a part of the city of Newport. He availed himself of such 
advantages of education as the country schools afforded, after 
which he became a farmer and for a considerable time assisted 
his father in that capacity. The latter for many years leased 
a portion of the Brenton estate, then embracing two thousand 
aci'es, including the tract now owned by Mr. Bateman. In 1887 
the first movement was made which resulted in the establish- 
ment of the very popular summer resort at Bateman's point 
owned by Seth Bateman. The enterprise was begun amid many 
discouragements and only through the perseverance and ad- 
mirable management of its projector brought to a successful 
result. As the attractions of the spot became known, patrons 
from New York, Boston and other cities increased in numbers, 
and the capacity of the building proved far too limited for the 
demand. In this emergency extensive apartments were added 
which also were very speedily found inadequate to the wants of 
the increasing number of guests. Mr. Bateman, having pur- 
chased the property, continued to enlarge and make improve- 
ments until the spacious and complete establishment over 
wliicli he i)resides is the result. While giving his personal 
sui^ervision to this extensive enterprise, he still finds time to 
devote to other business interests and fills the office of president 
of the Merchants" Bank of Newport. While eminently successful 
in all his financial undertakings, he has not forgotten to share 



576 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

his means with others and has dispensed his charities with an 
unostentatious, though liberal hand. His benefactions lay 
chiefly in the dii-ection of aid to worthy young men seeking an 
education. Mr. Bateman in 1857 married Elizabeth, daughterof 
Daniel Peckham, of Newport, a lady of many estimable quali- 
ties, whose death occurred in the spring of 1887. 

LuTHEK Bateman, the second son of William and Susannah 
Bateman, previously mentioned, was born June 16th, 1807, at 
Brenton's point, where his parents tlien I'esided. Here his boy- 
hood was passed in the varied occupations peculiar to a farmer's 
son, the neighboring school meanwhile affording opportunities 
for a thorough training in the English branches. After some 
years spent upon the farm he decided to acquire a trade, and 
chose that of a tanner and currier, removing to East Green- 
wich for his apprenticeship. He devoted two j'ears to this pur- 
suit and returned to the farm, which he managed in conjunction 
with his brother Seth for five years, when his interest was dis- 
posed of to the latter. Locating elsewhere, he for some years 
engaged in farming and also embarked in the milk business 
and in butchering. He has recently retired from active em- 
ployment, and now devotes his time to the management of. his 
varied interests. Mr. Bateman is not specially concerned in 
politics, though he has been a member of the city council, and 
was some years since appointed commissioner to superintend 
the agricultural department of the asylum for the poor, where 
he did excellent service. He was married April 2d, 1838, to 
Ruth, daughter of Thomas G. Hazard, of Newport. Their chil- 
dren are: William H., of Kingston, R. I., who married Cora M. 
Allen and has two sons; and Henrj' B., of Washington terri- 
tory, who married Jennie M. Mason and has two sons and one 
daughter. Mr. Bateman was reared in the faith of the Society 
of Friends and still worships with the Friends' meeting. 

Henry Bedlow.^ — The progenitor of the Bedlow family in 
America, one of the oldest, if not the oldest Knickerbocker 
family in New York, was Isaac Bedlow, son of Godfrey Bedlow, 
physician to William, Prince of Orange, who emigrated from 
Leyden, Holland, and settled in New Amsterdam, now New 
York, in 1639. He speedily became identified with the interests 
of his adopted city, and was for a period of five years one of 
its aldermen. He acquired by purchase in 1668 the historic 
Bedlow' s Island, afterward deeded to the state of New York. 





/m/i/ Co>dz/M/ ■^z'2^*^^ 




&^. 




^£/:^^hto 



v^io^t^t^ X. %\V*.%\\.\i\ V 




w 
o 

PQ 
< 





J 

Q 
U 
CO 

>• 

u 

I 

2: 



a: 

o 
u 
o 
z 

Id 
Q 

55 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 577 

One son in each generation lias since represented the family, 
who have always made New York their residence. William 
Bedlow, the grandfather of the subject of this biographical 
sketch, was appointed by the government one of the commis- 
sioners to make the survey and establish the military school at 
West Point. He married Catharine, daughter of Colonel Henry 
Rutgers, and had one son, Henry, wlio married Julia Halsey of 
Newark, New Jersey. 

Their second son, Henry, was born on the 21st of December, 
1821, in New York, studied under private tutors at the Yale 
University, and was graduated at the Harvard Law School. 
After a thorough study of the practice of law he was admitted 
to the bar of New York state and subsequently studied medi- 
cine both in this country and in France. Mr. Bedlow in early 
life became an attache of the American legation at Naples. 
Though this is a position of no special importance in American 
foreign representation, yet in this instance, from his familiarity 
with the court language and a knowledge of etiquette, he was 
enabled to render Mr. Polk, the chargee and brother of Presi- 
dent James K. Polk, considerable service in his intercourse 
with what was at the time considered the most formal court in 
Europe. He was likewise a member — acting officially — of the 
United States Dead Sea expedition, under the command of P. 
W. Lynch, who, in his published report, has not failed to bear 
most complimentary testimony to the efficient aid rendered by 
him in the exploration and survey of the Jordan valley and 
river and the lake of Sodom and Gomorrah. For many years 
Mr. Bedlow has, with his family, spent the summer and autumn 
in- Newport, and meanwhile become closely identified with the 
interests of the city. He was elected mayor for the years 1875, 
1876 and 1877, and during his candidacy won from the local 
press the most laudatory notices for his varied capabilities and 
social accomplishments. His record during the war of the re- 
bellion proclaimed him a sincere lover of his country, and his 
thorough loyalty showed itself in word and sjieech. Mr. Bed- 
low was married March 2d, 1850, to Miss Josephine De Wolf 
Homer, daughter of Fitzhenry Homer of Boston, Massachu- 
setts. Their children aie Harriet Hall, widow of Lieutenant- 
commander Francis Morris, and Alice Prescott, wife of William 
Henry Mayer. 



578 IIISTOKY OK NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

EoBEKT P. Berry was the son of Joshua and Olive Berry, of 
Falmouth, Maine, where his birth occurred on the 14th of Jan- 
uary, 1814. In early youth he removed to Windham in the 
same state and received his academic education at the Gorham 
Academy in Gorham, Maine, afterward entering upon the study 
of dentistry in Providence, R. I. Later removing to Bristol, 
R. I., he engaged in active professional labor and about 1842 be- 
camea resident of Newport where much of his subsequent life 
was passed. In 1859 Doctor Berry established an ofhce in New 
York, returning to Newport for the summer months, where the 
few days of leisure stolen from an arduous professional careei- 
were spent in recreation. In 1808 he made Newport his per- 
manent home and there continued actively employed until his 
death, which occurred February 9th, 1873. 

Doctor Berry's thorough knowledge of dental science enabled 
him to take high rank in his profession and made his name a 
familiar one, not only in this country but in Europe. He was 
esijecially fond of the study of chemistry and in pursuance of 
his natural bent spent much time in his laboratory. These ex- . 
periments, while gratifying a peculiar taste, served also to 
broaden his knowledge of a profession of which he was already 
an acknowledged master. A lover of books and an intelligent 
reader of sound literature, his well-stored library contained the 
best productions of English authors. Doctor Berry was a lover 
of field sports and accustomed to devote a portion of each au- 
tumn to the gratification of this pleasure, from which he derived 
much benefit and greatly needed rest. A republican in his po- 
litical affiliations, he was in no sense a politician, and with the 
exception of his membership in the school board of Newport 
never held office. His religious associations were with Trinity 
Protestant Episcopal church, Newport, of which Mrs. Berry was 
a member and he a vestryman. Doctor Berry was, on the 18th 
of July, 1848, married to Mary Ann, daughter of William and 
Ruth Thurston of Newport, and she survives him. 

Joshua C. Brown, though a native of Newport county, and 
at present one of its enterprising citizens, has spent much of 
his active life in California. His grandfather, Peleg Brown, 
resided inNarragansett, though he was born in Newport county. 
Among his children was Pardon Brown, who early removed to 
Middletown township, where he spent much of his life as a 
farmer. He mairied Lucy, daughter of Captain Nathaniel 




t^.^/'^^^u 





p,rJ^u,m 



h^Crt-inyi^ 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. fi7!) 

Armstrong, of Narragansett, and had children: George A., 
Joshua C.,Mary A. (Mrs. George Coggeshall) and Nathaniel A. 
He contracted a second marriage with Sarah, daughter of Cap- 
tain Peleg Sanford, their children being: Lucy (Mrs. James 
Brown), Peleg, Lydia (Mrs. John Sanford) and Pardon. 

Joshua C. was born February 27th, 1828, in Middletown, 
Newport county, R. I., and from early youth until the age of 
eighteen assisted in the farm his father owned, meanwhile pur- 
suing tlie English branches at the neighboring public school. 
He determined to acquire a trade and chose that of a wheel- 
wright, establishing himself in connection with his brother In 
his native township. At a later date, varying somewhat his 
occupation, he devoted his skill to the work of a house car- 
penter. Mr. Brown, like many ambitious spirits of that day, 
followed the tide of emigration to California in the year 1850. 
His business, that of a cattle dealer, necessitated many trips 
across the plains, no less than ten long and wearisome journeys 
being made in succession with droves and herds. At a later 
day the superior facilities offered by I'ailroads rendered the 
shipment of cattle an easy task. Mr. Brown was for several 
years located in Nevada, and subsequently purchased from the 
government a ranch in Northern California. Here he engaged 
in the raising of blooded stock, shipping from Kentucky short- 
horn Durhams and from Rhode Island Southdown sheep. In 
1883 he returned to his native county, located in Newport, and 
has since devoted his time to building and improving the prop- 
erty he owns in the city. 

Mr. Brown was married on the 14th of January, 1853, to Jane, 
daughter of Captain William Smith, of Middletown. Their 
children are: Nebraska, wife of A. A. Tilley; California, wife 
of Daniel Chase; Nevada, married to Herbert Tilley; Esmeralda, 
Pardon and Joshua C. Mr. Brown was a second time married 
May 2d, 1872, to Elizabeth A. Ward of Newport, a descendant 
of Governor Ward of Rhode Island, and daughter of Henry 
Ward of Middletown. Mr. Brown is a member of the First 
Baptist church of Newport, which he joined at the age of four- 
teen. He, with others, organized a Sabbath school in Modoc 
county, California, and was until his dei)arture one of its mos; 
active supporters and workers. This school formed the nucleus 
around which grew a prosperous church, of which he was an 
exemplary member. Mr. Brown is an avowed prohibitionist 
37 



680 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

and earnest in the cause of temijerance as in all Christian 
work. 

John Bull, the yonngest son and child of Henry Bull, was 
born in Newport July 11th, 1822. He was connected during his 
life with the Newport Gas Company, holding the position of 
treasurer. He married Clarissa, daughter of Daniel and Eliza- 
beth Peckham. They had three children: Daniel P., Evan M. 
and Phebe C. He died June 22d, 1863. 

George W. Caru, Jr. — The Carr familj' are of Scotch descent, 
the progenitor of the family in America, of which the subject 
of this sketch is a representative, having been Caleb Carr, who 
emigrated from London in the year 1635, sailing for Boston in 
the ship " Elizabeth and Ann" when but eleven years of age. 
Three years later he settled in Carr's lane, Newport, and sub- 
sequently became the owner of much land. He was three times 
married, and left to his son, Nicholas, an extensive tract on 
Conanicut island, which is still owned and occupied by repre- 
sentatives of the family. Another son, John, great-grandfather 
of George Washington Carr, Jr., married Waite, daughter of 
Peter Easton. Among their children was John Carr, who won 
distinction as a cajitain at the battle of Trenton during the war 
of the revolution, and at the close of the conflict settled in New 
port. He married Mary Arnold and had children: John, Mary, 
Sarah, Samuel, Caleb A., Richard, Abagail, Waite, Ebenezer, 
George Washington and Hannah. Of this number George 
Washington was born July 12th, 1777, and married Margaret, 
daughter of William and Mary Thurston, born April 11th, 1779. 
Their children are: Dolly T., Abby, Margaret, George W., Jr., 
Mary Ann, Caleb A., Thomas T., Sarah R., John and Amelia, 
of whom seven survive. 

George W, Cair, Jr., was born in Newport on the 22d of 
April, 1808, where he now resides. He enjoyed such advantages 
of education as that early day afforded, his tutor being Levi 
Tower, a teacher of repute at the time, and was aprenticed to 
the trade of a tailor. On completing the allotted time .he re- 
moved to New Bedford, and was for twenty years the successful 
manager of a merchant tailoring business for other parties. 
Returning to Newport he opened a dry goods store, chiefly as a 
congenial means of occupying his leisure time, and to this he 
still gives his personal attention. Devoted to books, an un- 
tiring reader of current literature, and a collector of old and 





ObwYUi. 




HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 581 

rare manuscripts, Mr. Carr enjoys ample opportunity for the 
gratification of his taste in this direction. Always either a 
whig or republican in politics, he has often been urged to accept 
office, but invariably declined. He is an active member of the 
Newport Historical Society, in which he is much interested, and 
was formerly a working member of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows. He was educated in the religious faith of the Society 
of Friends with which he worships. 

William A. Clarke, late president of the National Bank of 
Rhode Island, Newport, was born in that city March 22d, 1803. 
His father, Audley Clarke, was connected with tliat bank from 
its organization in 1795 until his death in 1844, a period of fortj^- 
nine years, and was its president for the last twenty-nine years 
of his life. Mrs. Mary Clarke, the mother of William A., was 
the daughter of Caleb Gardner, a prominent and successful bus- 
iness man of Newport. The son began his business career in the 
bank with his father in 1818 and worked his way througli all the 
grades of that time-honored institution, the second of its kind 
established in Rhode Island. He was its cashier for twenty-four 
years and its respected president from 1862 until his death, 
which occurred on the 26th of March, 1887. 

Mr. Clarke was the oldest bank officer in the country, having 
served in the institution with which he was connected for nearly 
seventy years. Meanwhile, all the patrons of the l)ank when he 
entered it, had passed away, and Newport daring his lifetime 
had undergone important changes. But few persons of his ad- 
vanced age are able to assume the oversight of so extensive a 
business. Mr. Clarke was much interested in the growth and 
prosperity of Newport, was the first president of the company 
that introduced the telegraph into that city, and gave encourage- 
ment to every worthy enterprise. He in politics adhered to the 
principles of the Jeffersonian school of democrats and manifest- 
ed a lively interest in the public questions of the day, while 
avoiding active participation in the struggle for ascendency and 
power. His integrity and business capacity caused him to be 
made the recipient of many offers to fill positions of trust, wliich 
were usually gratefully declined. He led a quiet, unobti'usive 
life, spent much of his leisure in reading the best current lit- 
erature of the da}', and in his unostentatious manner did much 
to advance the interests of the community. In religion he was a 
firm believer in the Unitarian faith. 



582 IITSTORY OP NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Henry Clews. — Among tlie successful men of Wall street 
few have by their own efforts and by strictly legitimate means 
raised themselves to so prominent a position in the financial 
world as Mr. Henry Clews. Many have risen and subsided, but 
he has maintained both his position and his integrity. Mr. 
Clews is an Englishman by birth and the youngest of four sons, 
his family having resided in Staffordshire, where they held a 
large landed estate. He began at an early age a course of study 
designed to fit him for admission to Cambridge, to qualify 
him for the cliurch. He came to America on a pleasui'e trip 
and determined to remain and engage in commercial pursuits. 
His first essay was as a clerk in the well known dry goods 
house of Wilson G. Hunt & Co., and the careful training he 
received there proved of inestimable value in after life. The 
panic of 1857 had come, and while all around could be seen the 
fearful havoc made by this financial storm, in the shape of 
wrecked corporations, stojipage of industry and ruin of private 
fortunes, there was still a growing feeling in business circles 
that the woi'st had come and improvement must follow. Mr. 
Clews, sharing this belief, left the mercantile house, came to 
Wall street, and embarked as a broker and banker, establishing 
in 1858 the house of Stout, Clews & Mason, afterward changed 
to Liverraore, Clews & Co. By hard labor Mr. Clews succeeded 
in doing a fair business, and was being constantly trained for 
the more active and exciting career wliich was soon to follow. 

On liis first attempt to gain admittance to the Stock Exchange 
he had many difficulties to contend with. The Exchange was 
then a close corporation and managed bj' old fogies, wlio were 
afraid of the admission of young blood and consequent inno- 
vations. About this time one hundred dollars a day and some- 
times more was freely offered for the privilege of listening at 
the keyhole during the calls, and holes were made in the build- 
ing adjacent to the exchange, which were let at a high rate by 
the hour. Mr. Clews directed his efforts toward the breaking 
of the monopoly by doing business on more liberal methods than 
the regular members, who were ultimately obliged to admit him 
in self defense. Prosperity smiled on his efforts, and the 
" success of Clews " became an accepted adage in Wall street. 

On the breaking out of the civil war he threw himself with all 
his force into every project that might tend to assist the gov- 
ernment in its negotiations for raising money to carry on the ex- 



1% 





X-O^y 




Views at "THE ROCKS.' 
Summer Residence of Mr. HENRY CLEWS. 

NEWPORT. R. I. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 583 

penses of the great eoiiHict, and no individual, from the open- 
ing of the war to Lee's surrender, did more than the young 
banker Clews to forward the interests of the North. Secretary 
Chase, speaking in terms of commendation of the New York 
hankers wlio had assisted him in his efforts to sustain the 
credit of the government, stated that the house of Clews & Co. 
had jilaced more government bonds than any other firm. By 
his marvellous foresight in the beginning of the war Mr. Clews 
was the means of saving his firm, as well as many of its cus- 
tomers, from collapse. He visited Washington and had an 
interview with Secretary Chase. In opposition to the general 
opinion then prevalent, he foresaw that the war would be a 
lengthy and a desperate one. He immediately telegraphed 
to his partners to sell out at once all the mercantile paper which 
his firm held, and this was an immense quantity. His orders 
were executed, and the losses of the firm only exceeded a few 
thousand dollars. When the collapse came a few days after- 
ward, 071 the firing on Fort Sumter, the panic wiiich occurred in 
Wall street shattered some of the best financial institutions of 
the country. 

In 1862 Mr. Clews was elected a member of the New York 
Stock Exchange, and in addition to his large transactions in 
government securities, gradually became known as a power in 
the vast dealings in railroad and other securities, and his oper- 
ations In gold were marked as showing unusual foresight and 
sagacity in the wide fluctuations that prevailed in that then 
speculative commodity. The great secret of Mr. Clews' suc- 
cess was, after all, his unbounded belief in the perfect respon- 
sibility of the government to meet all its engagements, and the 
depth of his conviction that sooner or later the North would 
be triumphant, and the old unio'n of North and South continue 
to be an accomplished fact. The amount of labor involved in 
the conduct of such a business in government and other secur- 
ities as was done by Mr. Clews was enormous. The correspond- 
ence alone was enough to startle an ordinary business man, for 
it was the invariable rule to answer all inquiries for informa- 
tion. The commissions of the concern rolled up to important 
sums, and the firm became strong and extensively popular. 

In tlie height of liis prosperity and i)oi)ularity Mr. Clews en- 
countered a severe blow by the repudiation of the state debt of 
Georgia, and by the bad faith of the state of Alabama, through 



684 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

both of uiiich lie lost over five million dollars. To meet 
the necessary expenses and subsequently accumulate a large 
fortune with such stupendous losses, affords some idea of the 
magnitude of his business, and the executive ability which 
has directed it to that success. His entangling alliance with 
Georgia arose chiefly from a patriotic desire to assist in the 
reconstruction of the South by negotiating their securities and 
thus aiding to develop their industries. This beneficent purpose 
was frustrated by the destrnctive ijolicy of President Andrew 
Johnson. 

Mr. Clews is a member of the Stock, Cotton, Produce and 
Coffee Exchanges of New York and of the Chicago Board of 
Trade, his private wires also bringing him into instantaneous 
communication with the Philadelphia and Boston exchanges. 
He is also a member of the Chamber of Commerce of New York, 
and of the Union and Union League Clubs and the Geographical 
and Statistical Societj'. He was for many years treasurer of 
the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He has 
been more or less identified with politics but never held public 
office. He was a delegate to the republican state convention 
held at Utica, and the entire credit is due to Mr. Clews for the 
nomination of General Dix for governor of New York state and 
which insured the election of General Grant to the presidency', 
who generously acknowledged his obligation in several personal 
letters to Mr. Clews. 

Mr. Clews was offered the collectorship of the port of New 
York and twice could have been made secretary of the treasury, 
and the nomination for the mayoraltj^ of New York was also 
twice tendered to him, but declined. He originated the Com- 
mittee of Seventy that aided in the overthrow of the Tweed 
Ring, and was offered one of the most lucrative positions in 
the gift of that powerful circle to be lenient with the Ring. 
This offer, it is needless to' say, was indignantly refused. 

The business of the firm of which Mr. Clews is chief has 
grown to immense proportions and is still increasing. About 
one hundred clerks are employed and eighteen branch offices 
have been established. System, integrity and perseverance 
seem to have been the three working elements of success in 
the career of the subject of this biography. Mr. Clews was 
on the 4th of February, 1874, married to Lucy Madison Wor- 
thington, grand niece of President Madison. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 685 

George S. Coe. — The Coe familj^ of New England .has been 
represented in tlie population of Newport county for many 
years, and prominent members of it are mentioned in this work 
in the chapters on Block Island and Little Compton. Adam S. 
Coe for many years was well known in Newport as senior part- 
ner in the memorable firm of Robert P. Lee & Co., hardware 
merchants and lumber dealers. 

The subject of this sketch, a son of this Adam S. Coe, was 
born in the town, now the city of Newport, in 1817, and passed 
there the formative period of his life. When fourteen years of 
age he was a clerk in the business with his father's firm and 
within the next four years was given a clerkship in the Rhode 
Island Union Bank of Newport. The schools and the school- 
masters often determine what the boys will be and those two 
old teachers, loved and remembered yet by many successful bus- 
iness men — Levi Tower and Joseph Joselyn — each in turn, made 
their imprint as teachers of the boy who was to become the 
George S. Coe of to-day. In the Union Bank, however, it ap- 
pears that the general trend of his life was determined, and in 
1838 we find him in New York city with the banking house of 
Prime, Ward & King. Six years later he went to Cincinnati in 
confidential relations to the business of Prime, Ward & King, 
and in 1847 he became cashier and agent for the Ohio Trust 
Company in New York city. Mr. Coe's relations to the Amer- 
ican P]xchange National Bank of New York, now covering a 
period of more than a third of a century, began in 1855 when he 
was elected cashier and within a year was promoted to the vice- 
l)residency and tliree years later, in 1858, he was placed at the 
head of the institution and under his care the success of the 
last thirty years of this bank's career has been achieved. Mr. 
Coe is one of those fortunate men of affairs who find time to cul- 
tivate a literary taste. Being always a lover of books, his recre- 
atiDH from business is in the laboi's of astudent. Although presi- 
dent of a bank for a period the length of which gives his name 
lirominence in banking circles, yet he is probably best known 
through his relation to the Associated Banks and their work 
through the New York Clearing House. Tie is widely and fa- 
vorably known as active in the Banking Association of the United 
States. In the days of the government's financial embarrass- 
ment Mr. Coe exerted a wise and patriotic influence. The clear- 



686 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUKTr. 

ness of his views foi'cibly apiiears in a If^tter written by him to 
Hon. E. G. Spaulding in October, 187ii, published in "The 
Financial History of the War," from which the following extract 
is quoted: 

'•After the accession of Mr. Lincoln to the Presidency, the 
securities of the government became difficult of sale, and they 
declined to such an extent that for the week ending June 24, 
1861, the following quotations were published: 

U. S. Bonds, 1881 (coupon), 6 per cent 83f 83f 

U. S. Treasury nojes, 12 per cent, interest. . lOlf 102 
U. S. Treasury notes, 11 percent, interest.. 101 101| 
U. S. Treasury notes, lOf per cent, interest. 100^ 
"Zealous exertions had been made by carefully organized 
€omniittees of the New York Chamber of Commerce, the month 
before, to obtain suljscriptions to government loans l)y sending 
circulars throughout the Northern States, in wliich citizens, 
])ublic officers, banks and other institutions were solicited to 
act as voluntary agents. But the aggregate secured was incon- 
siderable and utterly failed of the amount required for press- 
ing necessity. The great conflict was rising daily into more 
apijalling magnitude. Moneyed capital, with instinctive timid- 
ity, buttoned tightly its pockets, and shrank from the danger. 
"Fortunately, the commercial conditions of the Northern 
States were altogether favorable. The panic of 1857 had been 
followed by three or four years of great productiveness and 
economy, which had so turned international exchanges in favor 
of this country tliat larger balances in coin than ever before 
had, during ISGO and 1861, been in)ported from Europe. The 
banks in New York alone holding the unprecedented amount 
of fifty millions, equal in August, 1861, to about fifty per cent, 
of their liabilities, while the apprehension of war had pro- 
duced a general curtailment of credit throughout the Northern 
States. 

"After the battle of Bull Run, and when Washington was 
closely beleaguered, and the avenue tlience to New York 
through Baltimore was intercepted by the enemy, Mr. Cha.se, 
then Secretaryof the Treasury, came to this city via Annapolis, 
iind immediately invited all persons in this community who 
were supposed to possess or control capital to meet him on the 
evening of August 9th, at the house of John J. Cisco, Esq , then 




y; 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 587 

nssistaiit treasurer of the United States in New York. This 
invitation drew tot^ethera Uir^e number of gentlemen of various 
occupations and circumstances. During the discussion whicli 
ensued, I suggested the practicability of uniting the banks of 
tlie North \)y some organization that would combine them into 
an efficient and inseparable body for the purpose of advancing 
the capital of the country upon government bonds in large 
amounts, and througli their ('learing-house facilities and other 
well-known expedients, to distribute them in smaller sums 
among the jieople in a manner that would secure active cooper- 
ation among the members in tliis special work, while in all 
other respects each bank could pursue its independent business. 
This suggestion met the hearty approbation of the assembled 
company and arrested the earnest attention of the secretary. 
At his request it was i»resented to the consideration of the 
banks at a meeting called for that purpose at the American 
Exchange Bank on the following day, and was so far enter- 
tained as to secure the appointment of a committee of ten bank 
officers, to give it form and coherence. The committee con- 
vened at the Bank of Commerce, whose officers zealously united 
in the eft'ort, and a plan was reported unanimously. It may be 
found in the BanTeef s Magazine of September, 1861. Their 
report was cordially accepted and adopted by the banks in New 
York, those in Boston and Philadelphia being represented at 
the meeting, and as zealously and cordially united in the 
organization. * * * 

" It was at once unanimously agreed that the associated 
banks of the three cities would take fifty millions of 7 3-10 
notes at par, with the privilege of an additional fifty millions 
in sixty days, and a further amount of hfty millions in sixty 
days more, making one hundred and iifty millions in all, and 
offer them for sale to the people of the country at the same 
price, without charge. In this great undertaking the banks of 
New York assumed more than their relative proportion. To 
ensure full cooperation and success, tlie expedient of issuing 
clearing liouse certificates, and of appropriating and averaging 
ail the coin in the various banks as a common fund, whicli had 
been invented but the year before, was applied to this special 
ol)ject with good effect. 

" So vast a responsibility, involving figures of such nuigni- 
tude, had never before .been attempted in this country, and the 



sss 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 



assumption of it willi siicli promittitnde was witliout precedent 
in history. 

"The capitals of hanks thus associated made an aggregate 
of one hundred and twenty millions, an amount greater 
than the Bank of England and the Bank of Prance combined, 
each of which institutions had been found sufficient for the 
gigantic struggles of those great nations, from time to time, in 
conflict with all Eurojie. And this combination, made up of 
distinct and indej)endent corporations, while it possessed all 
needed capacity for government work, was free from the ob- 
jections made to one great financial institution. The following 
figures also show that its financial condition was one of great 
strength: 





Liabilities. 






Deposits. 


Circulation. 




Banks in New York 


$93,046,308 
18.235,061 
15,335,838 


$8,521,426 
6,366.466 
2,076,857 


$49,733,990 
6 G(io 929 


Banks in Boston 


Banks in Philadelphia 


6,765,120 








$125,617,207 


$16,964,749 
125,617,207 






$142,581,956 


against $63,165,039 



coin on hand, equal to 45 per cent, of all liabilities. Surely 
such conditions as these, with judicious administration, were 
adequate to the work which the country required. A great 
merit of this bank combination at that critical moment, when 
the life of the nation hung in the balance, consisted in the fact 
that it fully committed the hitherto hesitating moneyed capital 
of the North and East to the supj)ort of the government. The 
bank officers and directors who thus counseled and consented 
were deeply sensible of the momentous responsibility which 
they assumed, Init all doubt and hesitation were instantly re- 
moved, and perfect unanimity was secured by the question, 
' What if we do not unite?'' And, acting as guardians of a great 
trust exposed to imminent danger, they fearlessly elected the 
alternative best calculated to protect it. 

"The problem to be practically resolved by the banks was tliis: 
How can the available capital be best drawn from the people, 
and devoted to the support of the government, with the least 
disturbance to the country? And by what means can arms, 
clothing and subsistence for the army be best secured in ex- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT OonNTY. fi89 

change for government credit? These were simple questions 
of domestic exchange, and most naturally suggested the use of 
the ordinary methods of bank checks, deposits and transfers, 
that the experience of all civilized nations had found most 
efficient for the purpose, and that this should be accomplished 
by the Associated Banks in a manner best calculated to prolong 
their useful agency, and to preserve the specie standard, it was 
indisi)ensable that their coin reserves remain with the least pos- 
sible change. Accordingly it was at once proposed to the secre- 
tary that he should suspend the operations of the Sub-Treasury 
act in respect to these transactions, and following the course of 
commercial business, that he should draw checks upon some 
one bank in each city representing the Association, in small 
sums as required, in disbursing the money thus advanced. By 
this means his checks would serve the purpose of a circulating 
medium, continually redeemed, and the exchanges of capital 
and industry would be best promoted. This was the more im- 
portant in a period of jjublic agitation when the disbursement 
of these large sums, exclusively in coin, rendered the reserves 
of the banks all the more liable to be wasted by hoarding. To 
the astonishment of the committee, Mi\ Chase refused, notwith- 
standing the act of Congress of August 5th, which it seemed to 
us was passed for the very object then presented, but which he 
declared upon his authority as tihance minister, and from his 
personal knowledge of its purpose, had no such meaning or in- 
tent. This issue was discussed from time to time with much 
zeal, but always with the same result. It was seen by the most 
experienced bank officers to be vital to the success of their un- 
dertaking. To draw from the banks in coin the large sums 
involved in tliese loans, and to transfer them to the treasury, 
thence to be widely scattered over the country at a moment 
when war had excited fear and distrust, was to be pulling out 
continually the foundations upon which the whole structure 
rested. . . In the light which has since been shed upon the act 
of Congress referred to, it is evident that undue weight was 
given to the views of the Secretary, and that the banks would 
have conferred an incalculable benefit upon the country, had 
they adhered inflexibly to their own opinions. But the pressure 
of startling events required prompt decision, and the well 
known intelligence and patriotism of the Secretary, gave to his 
judgment overwhelming power. It soon became manifest that 



690 IIXSTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

in consenting to have their hands tied, and their most efficient 
powers restricted, wliile engaged in these great operations, and 
in allowing their coin reserves to be wasted by pouring them out 
upon the community in a manner so unnecessary and excep- 
tional, tlie banks deprived themselves and the government of 
the ability of long continuing, as they otherwise could have 
done, to negotiate the national loans upon a specie standard. 

" This Hi'st great error, if it did not create a necessity for the 
legal tender notes, certainly precipitated the adoption of that 
most unhapin^ expedient, and thereby committed the Nation 
at an earlier day to the most expensive of all methods of 
financiering." 

The vicissitudes of business, ever disintegrating social and 
family circles, have thrown Mr. Coe far from the place of his 
birth; and while his business career is principally a part of the 
financial history of the metropolis, his iiome is at Englewood 
in New Jersey. 

WiLJ.iAM King Covell was born in Newport, April 11th, 
1802, and was the only child of Ephraim and Abigail (King) 
Covell. His father was a native of Connecticut and his nujther 
of Providence. He engaged in the business of boat building 
which lie f(^llowed till 1880. 

Tjie Ckanstox Family. — Tiie branch of the Cranston family 
represented in this sketch is descended from Samuel Cranston, 
one of the early governors of the province of Rhode Island. 
Peleg, son of Caleb Cranston, a later representative of the fam- 
ily, married Elizabeth Young. Their son, Henry Y. Cranston, 
was born in Newport, Rhode Island, October 9th, 1789. At an 
early age he learned a trade and at the age of seventeen opened 
a store at New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he remained sev- 
eral years. Returning to Newport he engaged in the commis- 
sion business and conducted it successfully until 1815, when his 
attention was given to the study of law and his admission to the 
bar soon followed. Determining to pursue his [)rofession in his 
native city, heal once acquired a lucrative i)ractice. From 1818 
to 1833 he held the office of clerk of the court of ctinimon pleas, 
was a member of the house of representatives from 1827 to 1843 
and served in the same capacity from 1847 to 1854, being fre- 
qnently clioseu speaker. During the troublous times of 1842 
Mr. Cranston was a staunch advocate of law and order. From 
1843 to 1847 he was representative in congress, where he was dis- 





^^-^S5 ^ "^ 



niSTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 691 

tinguished for his " urbanify, infegrity and industry." He was 
a member and vice-president of the convention which framed 
the constitution of the state of Rhode Island and presided over 
a great part of the deliberations of that body. For many years 
he was moderator of all the town meetings of Newport and one 
of the most popular colonels of the Ancient and Honorable Ar- 
tillery of that city. The confidence reposed in him by the com- 
munity was attested by the various trusts committed to his care. 
He was essentially a self-made man and in appearance, costume 
and manner a gentleman of the old school. Mr. Cranston mar- 
ried, July 15th, 1813, Mary, daughter of Nathan and Catherine 
Hammett of Newport, who was born August 2d, 1784, and died 
November 24th, 1857. Tlieir children were: Elizabeth Young, 
Narcissa Young, William Henry who died in infancy, William 
Henry whose life is embodied in this sketch, Catherine and Julia 
Ann, the last named being the only survivor. Mr. Cranston died 
in Newjiort February 12th, 1864, aged seventy-four years. One of 
the daily pa])ers of his native place paid tlie following tribute 
to his memory: " Possessed of great frankness, strict integrity, 
perfect gentility of manner, ever ready to aid and accommodate 
all who sought his kindness, he made friends of all who knew 
him." 

Robert B. Cranston, one of the three surviving children of 
Peleg and Elizabeth Young Cranston, was born January 14th, 
1792, in Newport, for generations the home of the family, where 
the whole of his life was passed. After a thorough English ed- 
ucation, he entered the office of his brother, Henrj' Y., as clerk 
and served for several years in that ca2)acity. Imbibing here 
a taste for public life and evincing the strong Whig proclivities 
of the family, he embarked in ]iolitics. was for successive terms 
elected sheriff of his county and served as postmaster of New- 
port. In 1843 he was elected to the state legislature and con- 
tinued to till that responsible position until 1847, part of the 
time acting as speaker of the house. Mr. Cranston was in 1839 
the representative of his district in congress and continued in 
office until 1843, when he was succeeded by his brother. He was 
also favorably known in business circles as cashier of the Traders' 
Bank of Newport. He enjoyed an extended inlluence as a man 
of great integritj% of marked force of character and untiring in- 
dustry. The death of Mr. Cranston occurred January 14th, 
1873, on concluding his eightj^-lirst year. 



592 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

WrLLiAM Hknky Ckanston, son of Henry Y. and Mary H. 
Cranston, was born in Newport, March 29th, 1821. After a 
thorough preparatory course he entered Brown University in 
1837, but owing to ill health was unable to complete his course. 
On leaving tlie university he determined upon the study of law, 
and entered his father's office, after which he was in due time 
admitted to the bai'. Literary work proving, however, more 
congenial, soon after he became associated with George H. Nor- 
man in the publication of the ^'■Newport Daily Neios,'" which 
relation extended over a period of sixteen years. He was a 
vigorous and pleasing writer and a constant contributor to 
many of the leading journals and periodicals of the day. He 
was also the author of many poems and lyrics, a volume of 
which has been recently publislied. Mr. Cranston was a highly 
cultivated man and wrote with much facility and grace. His 
diction was pure, and the sentiments embodied in his poems 
highly moral, and at times replete with pathos. 

In 1857, having embarked in politics, he was elected mayor 
of Newport, and in this office manifested so much executive 
ability and conscientious lidelity to duty as to warrant the peo- 
ple in choosing him for eight succeeding terms. No better 
proof of his high character can be given than was afforded by 
this popular indorsement. Mr. Cranston died on the 10th of 
October, 1871, deeply regretted by his numerous friends and the 
public. 

Lucius D. Davis, the son of Norman and Lavina Davis, was 
born in Jerusalem, Yates county. New York, January 21st, 
1825. His early years were chiefly spent in New Lisbon, 
Otsego county, in the same state, to which place his parents re- 
moved. At the age of fifteen, desiring better educational ad- 
vantages than the district school afforded, he entered the Prank 
lin Academy at Prattsburgh, New York, as a student, and sub- 
sequently the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary at Lima, New York, 
for the purpose of fitting himself for college. About this time 
Mr. Davis united with the Methodist Ei)iscopal church and de- 
cided to prepare for the work of the ministry. He arranged for 
entering Dickinson College, but was persuaded by his friends 
to abandon the purpose and connect himself at once with the 
conference. This conclusion being reached, he spent a few 
months at the Giibertville Academy, and in the summer of 1846, 
when twenty-one years of age, he was received into the Oneida 




r ■"'% 



9r.y9. 



IIISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 693 

Conference, then holding its sessions at Auburn, New York. 
Wiiile a member of this conference Mr. Davis occupied some of 
its most prominent pulpits, spending the allotted time at Hart- 
wick, New Hartford, Madison, Manlius, Cortland, and at two 
churches in the city of Utica. During these years he wrote 
frequently for the press, and was the author of several works, 
some of which were published anonymously. His " Life in the 
Itinerancy" and " Life in the Laity " were widely circulated, 
and though works of fiction in the ordinary sense of the term, 
exerted a marked influence on ministers and churches, and in 
effecting reforms where most needed. He iiublished also 
"Creeds of the Churches," "The Child in Heaven," "History 
of Methodism in Cortland," and other sketches and pamphlets 
that were well received. At the close of his pastorate in Utica 
the physicians advised a change to the seaboard, and in 1859 he 
was transferred to the Providence Conference, his station being 
Edgartown, Martha's Vineyaid. Thence he was placed in charge 
of the parish in Warren, Rhode Island, from which he went to 
the First Church in Newport. At the close of his i)astorate in 
the latter place, and at his own request, after twenty years of 
service, his connection with the conference was severed. 

Deciding to remain in Newport, I\lr. Davis, in connection with 
Reverend M. J. Talbot, D. D., purchased the " Newport Bally 
News'' and engaged in editorial work. About this time he re- 
ceived the degree of Master of Arts from Wesleyan University. 
Two years later Doctor Talbot retired from the firm and re- 
sumed pastoral work, his interest having been purchased by 
Mr. T. T. Pitman. Under the new management the paper 
rapidly increased in circulation, and a weekly, known as the 
'■'• Newport Journal'' was establislied, which met with favor, 
especially in the country towns. Mr. Davis has fully identified 
himself with the public interests of Newport He organized 
the Cliff Cottage Association and built the beautiful summer 
residence on the cliffs, besides originating the Conanicut Land 
Com))any, having previously purchased a large tract of land on 
Conanicut island. This is now known as Conanicut Park, a 
watering place of growing reputation, from the first under his 
management. 

He has twice been elected to the general assembly from New- 
port, has been chairman of the Newport school board, member 
of the state board of education, and called to other public po- 



594 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

sitions, most of wliich he has declined. Though interested in 
jwlitics, he has shown no desire for office. He may be termed 
an independent republican, and is outs[)oken in his abhorrence 
of politicians who seek merely the loaves and fishes as the chief 
end of their so-called patriotic action. He continues his inter- 
est in the church of his early choice, has served in various po- 
sitions assigned liim, and was in 1876 chosen a lay delegate, 
representing the New England Southern Conference to the gen- 
eral conference which met in Baltimore and continued in ses- 
sion four weeks. Mr. Davis gives considerable attention to 
agriculture and stock raising, and has wiitten a work, entitleil, 
"Improving tlie Farm," besides contributing to agricultural 
papers. In March, 1846, lie was married to Miss ilai-y A., 
daughter of Elnathan Bennet of Buffalo, New York. They 
have had four children, three of whom are liviug. One of them 
is well known as an authoress, under the nom de plume of 
"Margery Deane," and another is the wife of Fi'ed. Ferry 
Powers of Washington. 

The DeBlois Family was originally of French extraction, but 
emigrated to England about 1135 A. D. Stephen, the founder 
of the family in this country, came from Oxford, England, 
(where he was educated), on account of ill health, under the 
care and charge of Lord Howe about 1750, being then only 
fifteen years of age. He refused to return to the old country on 
account of the sickness experienced during his voyage, and 
finished his education under the care of his uncle at Boston. 
Arriving at the age of manhood, he came to Newport, where he 
married and engaged in the importing business from 1777 to 
1783, being a partner in a company of five of his own name, viz.: 
Gilbert and Lewis, of London, England; George C. and George J. 
of New York. The firm was obliged to dissolve on account of 
heavy losses, each partner thereafter conducting the business 
independently. He died February 15th, 1805, leaving two sons, 
Stephen J. and John, who were natives of Newjiort. The former 
was born in the year 1784, and married Sarali Ellis, daughter 
of Silas Deane. He followed his father's business for a num- 
ber of years, but during the latter part of his life was engaged 
in manufacturing and wharfage business. He was the father 
of fourteen children and died March 17th, 1853. 

George T. Downing was born in New York city, December 
SOtli, 1819, and was ediicaled in ihe common and private schools 




t- 



9& 





"lo^in, I viMimi , , 



inSTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 595 

of that city. His fathei', Tiiomas Downing, was engaged in the 
oyster business on Bi'oad street, where the Drexel building 
now stands, from 1819 to I860, both in a wholesale and retail 
way, making shipments to various parts of Europe. George 
T. married Serena, daughter of Count George de Grasse, who 
was the adopted son of the French count of that name. After 
his marriage he removed to Newport, engaging in the confec- 
tionery and catering business, which he followed till 1884. He 
was sent to Washington, D. C, in 1865, by a convention of the 
colored people of the New England States to protect their 
interest during the reconstruction period of Johnson's adminis- 
tration, and during the sessions of Congress for the succeeding 
twelve years had charge of the restaurant of the house of repre- 
sentatives. He was induced to change his residence from New 
York to Rhode Island to secure superior educational advan- 
tages for his children, but found proscription in regard to pub- 
lic instruction, which he combatted, his efforts finally being 
crowned with success. He is a large real estate owner in New- 
port, owning the Downing block on Bellevue avenue, and there 
is a street in that city named in his honor. He was a large 
donator to the fund to secure Touro park to the city. He has a 
family of seven children, three of whom are sons. His pride is 
centered in increasing the architectural and material beauty 
and prosperity of Newport, and above all that the efforts of 
justice and equality in freeing the statute book of Rhode 
Island from all proscription to race, not stopping at the colored, 
birt including the adopted United States citizen. 

William Findlay established his green house business in 
this city in 1875. He was born in Scotland and came here in 
1851. His establishment consists of two rose houses, 80 feet by 
26; one peach house, 60 by 26; one plant house, 126 by 12; two 
rose houses, 126 by 26; and the grape house, 205 by 20, on Bliss 
road. Mr. Findlay was gardener for sixteen years for the Peru- 
vian minister, F. L. Barreda, when he owned the place now 
known as the J. J. Astor place on Bellevue avenue. 

William Fludder, the founder of the Fludder family in 
Newport, was born inMetcham, county of Surrey, England, May 
2d, 1804, being the second child of John and Jane (Bignall 1 
Fludder. He emigrated from his native country on the ship 
" Brighton" in 1829, and landed in New York, but came to New- 
port in 1831, where on January 26th of the following year he 
38 . . 



596 HISTORY OF NEWPORT GOVSTY. 

married Catharine Slierman Jack. Having served liis appren- 
ticeship as a mason in the old country, lie engaged in tliat busi- 
ness and in 1872 establislied tlie present firm of William Flud- 
der & Co., which in connection with masonry deals in all kinds 
of drainage supplies. He had a family of nine children, tlie fol- 
lowing of whom are at present residents of Newport: William 
H., who married a daughter of Joseph H. Record and has one 
daugiiter; George M., Alexander J., Edward Y., Sarah J., wife 
of George H. Vaughan; James, and Rebecca J., wife of David 
Braman. 

Thomas Galviin was born on the 23d of February, 1826, near 
Westminster Bridge, county of Surrey, London, England, where 
Ills childhood until his eighth year was spent. He then re- 
moved to county Rosscommon, Ireland. His education was such 
as could be obtained at the schools near his home and from the 
necessities of the situation, of a limited character. In 1842, in 
company with his father, he emigrated to America, a part of 
the family having already preceded him thither. Father and 
son remained in the city of New York until 1845, when Mr. 
Galvin removed to Newport and became the pioneer in a busi- 
ness which has since reached large proportions, tiiat of Horist. 

His son Thomas, on the death of his father in 1864, succeeded 
to the business of which he had i)reviously become master, and 
whicli under his successful management has been greatly ex- 
tended. He makes a specialty of landscape gardening, in which 
his excellent taste is readily made available, and has the exclu- 
sive charge of many of the most attractive summer residences 
in Newport. Mr. Galvin was on the 27th of August, 1851, mar- 
ried to Catharine Mary, daughter of William Kelly of Dublin, 
Ireland. Their children are: Thomas, James, Patrick, William, 
Mary Catherine, Catherine Mary, Margaret and Anne. Mrs. Gal- 
vin died on the 17th of April, 1871, and he was a second time 
married on the 3d of February, 1883, to Mary Ann, daughter of 
John Nicholson, of New York. Their children are: John, 
Joseph and Anne. Mr. Galvin has been thoroughly engrossed 
by the demands of an increasing business and found no leisure 
to devote to other enterprises. He is in politics an ardent 
republican, thoTigh formerly a war democrat. In his religious 
])elief a Romanist, he is a member and one of the trustees of 
St. Mary's Roman Catholic church of Newport. 

Mr. Galvin is of both English and Irish extraction. His 





'r try 7 1 (1-^ zy a^i tr-i^T^ 





h 
cc 
o 
a 

^ 

z 

z 

w 

Q 

< 
o 

w 

z 
> 

< 

o 



Q 

u 
I 

J 
< 

h 
(/) 

li) 




NATHAN HAMMETT. 



vu-iftTiv^^ \ %\^^>.s■\v^^ 





/ y/i: '/!.„.., 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 597 

paternal grandfather, William Galvin, resided in County Ross- 
common, Ireland, where he married Mary Kelly. Their chil- 
dren were four sons and five daughters, of whom Tlioma.s, the 
father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Mt. Talbot, 
County Rosscommon. He married Maria, daughter of Jonas 
Hall, of London, England. Their children are: John, William, 
Thomas and a daughtei-, INIary Ann, of whom .lolin and Thomas 
are the only survivors. 

Georgk Hall was the son of George and Elizabeth (Peck- 
ham) Hall, and was born in Newport in 1781, and died March 
5th, 1862. He was engaged in the tanning business in liis early 
life. He had a family of nine children. 

Nathan Hammett and Joseph M. Hammett.— Nathan Ham- 
mett, the father and grandfather respectively of the subjects 
of this biography, resided in Newport until his death, which oc- 
curred Julyl8th,lS16. He married Catherine Yates of Providence, 
R. I., who died on the 17th of February, 18:57. Tlieir cliildren 
are: Edward, Nathan, Benjamin (who died in youth), Mary and 
Mrs. Gould. Nathan, of this number, was born in Newport in 
1786, and died on the 14th of March, 1867. He learned the 
trade of a carpenter and jiarsued it with success in his native 
town during the greater part of liis active life. He was one of 
Newport's most enterprising citizens, and identified with many 
leading business schemes. For forty years he was either presi- 
dent or director of the Newport Exchange Bank. Though not 
connected by membership with any religious denomination, he 
was a regular attendant upon divine service, and a willing con- 
tributor to many worthy objects. Mr. Hammett married Eliza- 
beth Mumford, who died December 29th, 1854. Their children 
are: Joseph M., Frank, Maria M., Susan E., Stephen, Thomas 
and one who died in infancy. The only survivors of this num- 
ber are Susan E. (Mrs. D. B. Fitts of Newport), and Joseph M. 

Joseph M. was born October 3d, 1817, in Newport, and in 
youth received a common school education, after which he 
served for four years in the capacity of clerk. Desiring to ac- 
quire a trade, he chose that of a tailor and spent four years as 
an apprentice in Providence. On returning to New^iort he es- 
tablished himself in business, and continued thus employed 
until his retirement in 1867. He then spent a period of five 
years with his brother in New Jersey, but returned again to 
Newport, which has since been his residence. Mr. Hammett 



598 HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

has led a quiet and imeventfnl life. He has declined frequently 
proffers of municipal office, and never participated actively in 
the political combats of his day. He was formerly a director 
of the National Exchange Bank of Newport, but has for some 
years given little attention to matters aside from his private 
business, and for that reason is not identified with the public 
interests of Newport. 

Bkn.tamix Hazaud, the son of Thomas G. and Patience (Bor- 
den) Hazard was born in Newport, November 15rh, 1819. He 
followed his father's occupation of farming. 

Carl Jurgens came from New York to Newport in 1873 and 
established his greenhouse business. The first year he produced 
about 200,000 lillies of the valley and 50,000 hyacinths and 
tulii)s. That year he erected four houses on Mill street, 100 by 
12 feet each. He has since built three large houses 200 by 23 
feet each, understood to be the largest in the state. His build- 
ings are all heated by the steam system. He visits Europe each 
year to select stock. In 1887 he produced 900,000 lillies of the 
valley, which makes him the largest producer in America. He 
also grew a half million tulips, hyacinths and narcisses. 

John D. Johnston was born July 27th, 1849. He enjoyed 
thorough advantages of education, and when a youth removed 
to Portland, Maine, where he became a student of architecture 
and building, and also mastered the carpenter's trade. He 
pursued his vocation in Boston until 1876, when Newport be- 
came his home. Establishing himself as an architect and 
builder, the taste and knowledge displayed by Mr. Johnston 
soon gave him a commanding position and brought him an ex- 
tended patronage. His efforts are not confined to Newport, his 
skill being sought in other important cities and popular places 
of resort. He is also frequently called upon for drawings and 
designs, and in decorating and designing has an enviable repu- 
tation. Mr. Johnston as a republican has manifested much in- 
terest in the success of his party, but is not a politician nor an 
aspirant for office. He is not a member of anj^ organizations or 
societies other than that known as the Johnston Relief Fund 
established by him in the interest of his workmen, now num- 
bering more than one hundred. 

Daniel Le Roy, fourth son of the late Herman Le Roy, was 
born in New York city, June 28th, 1799. His youth of great 
promise and personal attractions matured into a dignified and 





^^ ^^y^i/^^^^^- 



^/'^i^ 



VWVWVKy^ \. ^\\\\Wi-\ X 




u/it^ujL 



<n-t 



f 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 599 

rourteons manhood, rendering him a type of a chiss now fast 
fading from view, significantly styled "gentlemen of the old 
school." He entered Hamilton College at the early age of four- 
teen, and was graduated with honors, receiving the degree of 
'•Bachelor of Arts" in 1817. In 182G he married the eldest 
daughter of the late Colonel Nicholas Fish. In 1849 he was 
appointed consul at Geneva, where he remained the term, after 
which he returned to New York, where he continued to live 
till 1856, when he again received an appointment as consul, this 
time to Rome. He was there for several years, and after his 
return home lived a quiet and domestic life, spending his sum- 
mers (while in this country) since 1849 at Newport, where he 
purchased in 1866. He numbered among her most distinguished 
summer residents, and always took a deep interest in her wel- 
fare. The last two yeai's of his life he continued living there 
through the winters, and died there August 19th, 1885. He 
was a member of the Protestant Episcopal churcli, and contin- 
ued faithful until the end. 

His widow, one son, Stuyvesant Le Roy, and a daugh- 
ter, Mrs. Edward King, survive him; his other daughter, 
Mrs. George Warren Dresser, having died two years before, 
leaving five children. He was a man of sterling integ- 
rity and his life showed that the testimonials received 
while in college were written by men who knew his high sense 
of honor, probity of character, and his eminent fitness for the 
high testimonials he received; and in every relation of life his 
unsullied purity, open hand, genial humor, kind hospitality 
and his tender, loving endearments, enriched the home circle, 
crowning it with a halo of domestic purity and peace. The in- 
terment was in the family vault at St. Mark's, in the Bowerie. 

JosiAii O. Low. — The father of Josiah O. Low was Seth Low, a 
native of Gloucester West Parish, Massachusetts. His mother, 
Mary Porter, was descended from John Porter, one of the original 
settlers of Salem village, now known as Peabody, and was u 
daughter of Thomas Porter of Topfield, a town adjacent to Pea- 
body on tile north. The Porters have been a numerous and in- 
fluential race in that pare of Massachusetts for more than two 
hundred years. Mary Porter, bom in Topfield in 1786, was a 
lady of superior character, refined, and adorned with the influ- 
ences and graces of the Christian faith. She lived to be eighty- 
six years of age and was an object of much veneration to all 



600 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

wlio knew her to the end of lier useful life. Her husband, Seth 
Low, was a man of high intelligence, of strong, clear and sedate 
mind, and of courteous and dignified demeanor. He was held 
in great respect by his fellow citizens of Salem. In 1829 he be- 
came a resident of Brooklyn and embarked in business as a drug 
merchant. A devout, public-spirited and upright man, he was 
one of the foremost citizens of that metropolis and rendered it 
important service in many ways in its municipal history. 

Josiah O. Low, one of twelve children of Setli and Mary P. 
Low, was born in Salem, Essex county, Massachusetts, in March, 
1821, and with the exception of a few years of early childhood, 
has since resided in Brooklyn. His brother, Abiel A. Low, the 
founder of the house of A. A. Low & Brothers, in which he was 
a partner, went to China as a clerk and in 1837 became a part- 
ner in the house of Russell & Co., tlie largest American tii'ni in 
Canton, China. Returning in 1840 he laid the foundation for 
the house of A. A. Low & Brothers, the leading one in America 
in the China and East India trade. In 1845 Mr. Josiah O. Low 
became a partner in this house which, as large importers and 
ship owners, has enjoyed a career of continuous prosperity for 
nearly half a century. The older partners having retired, the 
business has now fallen into younger hands. Mr. Low pur- 
chased his Newport residence in 1881 from the estate of the late 
Edward King, since which date he has enlarged the grounds and 
otherwise added to the property. Here, witli his family, he is 
accustomed to retire for relaxation during the summer months. 

Setii W. Macy, was born in Nantucket, Mass., December 5th, 
1803, being the second son of Job and Anna (Way) Macy. He 
spent; his early life in whaling and the merchant service, and 
came to Newport to live in 1821, where he died May 18th, 1884. 
He married Mehitable, daughter of Restcomb Potter, who was 
a native of Newport. Thir only child, John C, is a prominent 
attorney in Des Moines, Iowa. 

Felix Peokiiam was born in Middletown June Otli, 1800, 
being the third son of Felix and Typhena (Stockman) Peck- 
ham. He lived in the town of his nativity until 1846, when he 
removed to Newport. About 1855, in connection with Caswell, 
Hazard & Co., he built the Narragansett block in that city, 
and engaged in the book business, which he continued until the 
winter of 1878-9. He was twice maiTied, first to Esther,daughter 
of Augustus Peckham, by whom he had two children, viz., Felix 





WOL-ME. 

RESIDENCE OF JOSIAH O. LOW. 
Nev\'port. 



».»-\(l-^19t. %. %\\v^f,v.^-\ ». t. 






n 






J 




w 






o 


<■ 




Q 






•— ' 


< 


^■ 


(£ 


u. 


5 

0. 


H 


u 


? 


W 


u 

7. 





z 


Z 


D 


tu 




t/} 


Q 

u 






,^.^___ (^ t::;/Z.,,u^, 



I 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 601 

Angustns, who was an artist by profession, and died at the age 
of thirty-eight, and Esther P., who married Levi Johnson of 
New Haven; afterward he married Mary J. Young, by wliom 
he had three children, viz., Annette S., Edward S. and Harold A. 
Mr. Pecliham died July 12th, 1870. 

Thomas P. Peckuam is descended from New England stock, 
his grandfather having been Clement Peckham, who resided in 
Newport, where he married MaryPinneger. Their children were: 
Rebecca, Benjamin, David and William. The last-named son 
was born in Newport in 1815, and in his native city has for years 
follovv^ed the trade of a carpenter and builder. He married Lucy 
M. Chase of Fall River, and by her had two children: William 
G. and John P. His second wife, Sarah, daughter of Nicholas 
White of Newport, was a descendant of the first white child 
born in New England. The children by this union were: Thomas 
P., Lucy M. and Ella L. 

Thomas P. Peckham was born on the 22d of J^ovember, 1846, 
in Newport, and received his education mainly at private schools 
in the city, after which he became, in 1866, a student of East- 
man's Business College, at Ponghkeepsie, New York. Mr. 
Peckham had already enjoyed a limited business experience 
as clerk and assistant in one of the Newport banks, and on 
his return from Ponghkeepsie resumed his vocation as clerk. 
In 1867 he entered the National Bank of Rhode Island, the 
oldest bank in the city, as a clerk, and on attaining his ma- 
jority was made its cashier, which position he still holds. In 
this, as in every other business relation, his capacity, integrity 
and uniform courtesy have placed him in the front rank in com- 
mercial circles, and caused his services to be much in demand 
as trustee and administrator. 

He until recently filled the position of treasurer of the Red- 
wood library, as also that of trustee of the Long Wharf fund. 
Mr. Peckham has been and is still an active and influential 
member of tlie Masonic order. He was formerly treasurer of 
St. John's Lodge, and from its organization was secretary of 
St. Paul's Lodge until he became its master. He is also a mem- 
ber of the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island. He was treasurer, 
and later regent of Coronet Council, Royal Arcanum. He has 
been since its organization secretary of Touro Council, Legion 
of Honor. 

Mr. Peckham has, as a republican, actively identitied himsel 



602 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

wifli lo("a] politics, -was .a member of rlie school board in 1873, 
1874 and 1875, and served in tiie Newport city council in 1881, 
1882, 1883 and 1884, and in the board of aldermen in 1886 
and 1887, being now chairman of the finance committee. He 
is identified with the First; Methodist Episcopal church of 
Newport, of which he has been for many years both treasurer 
and steward. Mr. Peckham was married November 2()th, 1872, 
to Martha, daughter of Weeden T. Underwood of Newport. 
Their children are : Bertha, Etta M. and Audley Clarke. 

John Hare Powel, born in Paris, France, on the 8d of July, 
1837, was educated principally by an "English tutor, after which 
he read law under Mr. Henry J. Williams, of Philadelphia. 
His early life, varied by occasional travel in this country and 
Europe, was passed between his father's inherited estate, Powel- 
ton, now part of West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Newport, 
the summer resort of his family since the earliest years of this 
century. By the death of his father at Newport in 18.i6 he be- 
came possessed of a house in Bowery street, adjoining that of 
his eldest brother. His fondness for field sports and outdoor 
exercise of all kinds induced him to give up his residence in 
Philadelphia, and on the occasion of his marriage in June, 1860, 
he became identihed with Newport, removing thither with his 
wife, Miss Annie Emlen- Hutchinson, a daughter of Mr. I. P. 
Hutchinson, a well known merchant of Philadelphia. Mrs. 
Powel died on the 23d of April, 1872, having been pre-deceased 
by her oldest son, John Hare Powel. A younger son, Pember- 
ton Hare Powel, born on the 7th of January, 1869, survives. 

Having been captain in the Newport comi)any of the National 
Guard of Rhode Island since its organization, in response to 
the call for troops in May, 1862, Mr. Powel volunteered with 
his company, which became Company L, 9th Regiment, R. I. 
Volunteers, and received from Governor 8prague commissions 
as captain on the 26th of May, 1862, major on the 9th of June, 
1862, and lieutenant colonel on the 3d of July, 1862. By a cur- 
ious oversight this regiment was not formally mustered out of 
the service (2d of September, 1802) until November, 1884. In 
the autumn of 1862 he was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 
5th Regiment, R. I. Volunteers, and later frequently and urg- 
ently offered the colonelcy of either of the nine months regi- 
ments then being raised in Rhode Island, and many other posi- 
tions, all of which he was compelled to decline. He was elected 




~'V '^Af/Rilihic 





.j;^.^^^ 






HISTORY OB" NEWPOUT COUNTY. 603 

a member of the Newport Artillery Company oji tlie 27th of 
P^bruary, 1863; lieutenant colonel on the 28th of April follow- 
ing, and became colonel of that " Ancient and Honorable " body 
on the 3d of December, 1864; to which post he was annually re- 
elected until his resignation on the 24th of August, 1877. While 
interested in vaiious local societies, and for two years a member 
of the board of health, he invariably refused all political office 
until 1886, when he was induced to become an independent can- 
didate for the mayoralty, and now holds that office. 

John Hare Powel is the youngest son of tlie late Colonel John 
Hare Powel. Through his father, who assumed by act of legis- 
lature in 1806 the additional surname of Powel, he is descended 
from Edward Shippen, Charles Willing and Robert Hare, three 
Englishmen, who settled in Philadelphia between 1693 and 1773; 
and on the maternal side from tlie ^"erplanck, Beekman, Van 
Cortlandt, Schuyler, Provoost and other Dutch families of New 
Netlierlands, by the marriage of his grandfather, Colonel An- 
drew de Veaux, of the South Carolina French Huguenot family 
of that name. 

Olivkk Read. — Eleazer Read, the grandfather of Oliver, was 
born July 22d, 1728. Among his children was a son, Eleazer, 
whose birth occurred August 20th, 1774, and who married Eliz- 
abeth Murphy, born December 17th, 1780. Their children were 
eleven in number, among whom was Oliver, born July 14th, 
1801, in Newport. In early life he formed business connections 
in the South and for twenty-one years spent the winter and 
spring months at Georgetown, South Carolina, first as clerk and 
later as proprietor of a i)rofitable business enterprise. 

He then returned to Newport, the business of the city being 
at that time at its lowest ebb. There were still remnants of a 
former commerce with the West Indies and a few whaling ships 
went out from year to year. The people had become dispirited 
by reverses and but for a few energetic spirits would have given 
up in despair. Among those who were not disposed to yield to 
the adverse influences was Oliver Read, who grappled with tlie 
problem of the day and sought to restore to the town its former 
prosperity. Mr. Read became early identified with the whaling 
business and followed it with a good degree of success. He did 
business al.so as a broker and operator in real estate and often 
acted as administrator, for which, by his careful and methodical 
habits, he was eminently fitted, hi whatever he engaged, clear- 



004 IIISTOKY OF NEWPOUT COUNTY. 

ness of perception, undoubted integrity and conservative busi- 
ness habits were liis'distinguishing traits. Tliough never a pol- 
itician, he was frequently called to positions of honor, having 
served in the city council, board of asylum commissioners and 
many other offices of a local character. Had he consented, 
higher public honors might also have been his. He was a man 
of many charities. He was liberal in his donations in connec 
tion with the Second Baptist church, where he was loved and 
honored as one of its most exemplary members, and also gave 
to other church and Sunday school work, irrespective of de- 
nominational bounds and limitations. 

Mr. Read was twice married: first on the 1st of December, 
1822, to Miss Clarissa Gardner, whose children were: William 
G., Hannah E., Henry and Edwin O. His second marriage on 
the 6th of July, 1840, was to Miss Catherine, daughter of Ed- 
ward Hammett, of Newport, who survives him. Mr. Read's 
death occurred on the 15th of January, 1888. One of the lead- 
ing publications of the day says of him: " In his death a good 
man has fallen full of years and of honors. The influence of 
such a life is a benediction to any community and thousands 
have occasion to be thankful for the life and example of Oliver 
Read who is now called away."' 

James T. Riiode.s, son of Peleg Rhodes, of Pawtucket, R. I., 
and grandson of Malachi Rhodes, was born November 20th, 
1800. and during the whole of his life resided in Providence. 
He was largely engaged in the East India and St. Petersbui'g 
trade, and was also one of the leading manufacturers of Rhode 
Island. Mr. Rhodes was among the first to recognize tlie ira- 
poi'tance of Newport as a summer resort, and at a very early day 
jiurchased land and erected a residence, now the property of 
his son-in-law. General J. Fred Pierson, on the south end of 
P>ellevue avenue, since the site of many of the most elegant 
houses in the city. Here, with his family, he was accustomed 
to seek relaxation from care during the summer months. Mr. 
Rhodes, until a brief period preceding his death, gave personal 
attention to his extensive business concerns, and mingled daily 
in the busy affairs of life. His remarkably quiet and unassum- 
ing manner but rendered more conspicuous his clear mind, his 
sound judgment and his high sense of commercial honor and 
personal integrity. 

Mr. Rhodes repeatedly represented Providence in the general 




^^^v 





9 



-^. ^^L.J^^'^^"^ 




<: 
w 

O 

IX 



u. 

O 
W 

u 
w 

Q 

u; 
U 
c 







606 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

re-elected for the years 1880, 1881 and 1882. In May, 1881, he 
was unanimously chosen speaker of the house of representa- 
tives, and re-elected the following year under like circum- 
stances. In August, 18S2, he was appointed by President Ar- 
thur one of a board of three commissioners to examine the 
Northern Pacific railroad. His warm interest in the cause of 
education influenced his election in 1883 to the Newport school 
board for three years, and again for the succeeding term. In 
1885 Mr. Sanborn was made state senator, and re-elected in 
1886, during which time he served as chairman of the committee 
on finance, and was a member of the State Board of Sinking 
Fund Commissioners. An enlightened and public spirited citi- 
zen, he is actively identified with the leading interests of the 
place of his residence. Mr. Sanborn has held important posi- 
tions in the Grand Lodge of Masons of Rhode Island, was for 
two years at the head of the Grand Ciiapter of Royal Arch 
Masons of the state, and is now an officer in the Grand Com- 
mandry of Knights Templar of Massachusetts and Rhode Is- 
land. Mr. Sanl)orn, in 1871, married Miss Isabella M. Higbee 
of New Hampton, New Hampshire. They have three 
children. 

William Paine Sheffield was born in New Shoreham, 
Rhode Island, August 30th, 1819. His parents were George G. 
and Eliza Paine Sheffield, both descendants of early settlers of 
Rhode Island. On the completion of liis academic studies he, 
in 1844, entered the Harvard Law School, and the same year was 
admitted to the Rhode Island bar. In 1842 he was a delegate 
to the "Landholders' Convention," convened for the purpose 
of framing a new constitution, and the same year was a member 
of the general assembly, standing firmly for law and order as 
against " Dorrism." He was returned to the general assembly 
■ by New Shoreham in 1843 and 1844, while pursuing his legal 
studies. Mr. Sheffield began the practice of his profession at 
Tiverton, where he was brought into intimate friendly and pro- 
fessional relations with Honorable Job Dnrfee. In 1849 he was 
again elected to the general assembly as representative from 
Tiverton, and re-elected in 1851 and 1852. 

Removing soon after to Newport, where his talents were 
speedily recognized, he was, in 1857, returned to the general as- 
sembly by that city. He continued to serve in that body until 
1861, when he was chosen a representative to the Thirty-seventh 




Tl^Uli^^tyU P ^L^L<^£-.^ 



V'*-\Q-\XV\^ i ^V^ftS^VUA 'fc. 



HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 607 

con<?ress as a republican, and served the nation in tliat cajjacity 
from July 4th, 1861, to March 3d, 1863. In the latter year he 
was again elected to the general assembly by the city of New- 
port, and with the exception of the years 1873 and 1874, was 
annually re-elected until 1884, long serving with ability as a 
member of the standing committee of the house on the ju- 
diciary. In 1869 he served on the select committee to revise the 
laws of Rhode Island, and has been more influential than any 
other member in traming the statutes as they now stand. Hav- 
ing become so thoroughly familiar with the legislation of the 
state from its beginning, he is generally regarded as an excep- 
tionally able expounder of Rhode Island law. He has served 
the state with marked faitlifulness, and left his impress on all 
the laws of Rhode Island for the last third of a century. 

In 1884 he was appointed by Governor Bourn to fill the va- 
cancy in the United States senate caused by the death of Henry 
B. Anthony. Mr. Sheffield is a ready and forcible speaker in 
court roon)s and legislative halls, and an able writer, especially 
on historical subjects. In 1876 was published his "Historical 
Sketches of Rhode Island," and the same year an "Historical 
Address on the City of Newport," besides the publication at 
different times of various papers, reports and speeches before 
the general assembly. He has very able writings, the product 
of his unwearied historical reseai'ches, that may yet be given 
to the public. He delivered the address at the dedication of the 
monument to Oliver Hazard Perry, and was chairman of the 
committee to receive the French delegation in Rhode Island on 
tlieir visit to this country to participate in the Yorktown cele- 
bration. 

Mr. Sheffield married, in 1847, Lillias White Sanford, daugh- 
ter of Samuel Sanford of Boston, a descendant of John Sanford, 
one of the first settlers of Rhode Island. They have three 
children. Their s(m, William P. Sheffield, Jr., graduated with 
honor from Brown University, and is engaged in the practice of 
law in the city of Newport. He was elected to the general as- 
seml)ly of Rhode Island from 1885 to 1887. 

John W. Sheijm.vn, son of Elijah and Martha Sherman, was 
born in Newport October 10th, 1804. He was engaged in the wood 
and coal business from 1827 to 1873, on Sherman's wharf off 
Thames street. He had a family of five children. 



608 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

William H. Thurston. — The progenitor of the Thurston 
family in Rhode Island was Edward Timrston, wlio married 
Elizabeth, daughter of Adam Mott, in 1647. He had twelve 
children, of whom Edward was the ancestor of William Thur- 
ston, grandfather of the subject of this biograph}^ He married 
Priscilla Norman, and had three children, Abby, Moses and 
William. The last named son, born in 1782, married Ruth C. 
Easton in ISIS, and died November 19th, 1840. Their children 
are eight in number, of whom William Henry Thurston was 
born February 4th, 1823, in Newport, where his life was spent. 
After a thorough rudimentary education, derived chiefly at 
private schools, he at once embarked in the business of a farmer 
and florist, his location being on land purchased by his father 
in Newport. This he managed with success until his death, 
when his sons succeeded him. 

Mr. Thurston is remembered as a fearless, independent man, 
of unflinching integrity and honesty, gifted with remarkable 
social qualities and a cultivated musical taste that gave great 
pleasure to his friends. He cared little for public honors, and 
took no active part in the political controversies of the day, 
though true to the principles of his party, whose tenders of 
office he declined. His support and aid were given to the Con- 
gregational church, with which the family worshipped, though 
charitable toward all denominations. Mr. Thurston was mar- 
ried October 3d, 1847, to Laura, daughter of Henry and Eliza- 
beth Casttofl of Newjoort. Four children survive him. The 
death of William H. Thurston occurred in Newport on the 12th 
of July, 1885, in his sixty-third year. 

William J. Underwood. — The Underwood family of New- 
port are descended from John Underwood, who came from 
England in 1636 and first settled in Salem. In the direct line 
of descent is Perry, whose son, Weeden T., was born in South 
Kingstown and subsequently removed to Newport, where he 
resided until his death. By his nuirriage to Susan, daugliter of 
Captain James Albro, were born children: Henry, Harriet, 
Sarah, William J., Phebe and Theodore. His wife having died 
December 5th, 1843, he married again, Ann, daughter of Wil- 
liam Peckham. Their children are two daughters; Mary (de- 
ceased) and Martha, wife of Thomas Peckham. Mr. Under- 
wood died on the 5th of July, 1886. His widow survives and 
resides in Newport. 




/ry /^, oMi^uft^^ 



V»-\0-\-m, t Wfci-WOA H. >. 





»»-<OT(»t, I t\»l^VtlT «. 1 




^'>!:i''r-:-A~:.v.H-hi' 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 609 

William J. Underwood was born in Newport on the lOtli of 
October, 1837, and received such an education as was obtain- 
able at the public schools, after which he was employed on his 
father's farm'in the suburbs of the city. At the age of sixteen 
he deterniined'to acquire a trade and choosing that of a mason, 
served a four years' apprenticeship in Providence. The three 
succeeding summers were spent in Boston, his native city prov- 
ing sufficientljr attractive for a winter's sojourn. In 1864 he 
settled in Newport and established himself two years after as a 
mason, contractor and builder, which business he has since that 
time conducted with marked success. 

Mr. Underwood was married December 25th, 1864, to Mary 
Elizabeth, daughter of William and Mary Underwood. In 
I)olitics the subject of this biography is a staunch democrat, 
and one of the most prominent representatives of his party in 
the county. He lias been for seven years a member of the city 
council and connected with tiie board of health since its organi- 
zation. He was in April, 1887, elected to the Rhode Island 
senate from tlie district embracing the city of Newport. He 
has ever manifested a warm interest in the growth of his native 
place and contributed in various ways to its advancement. 
Mr. Underwood is an inliuential Mason and a member of St. 
John's Lodge, No. 1. of which he is past master. He is past 
commander of Washington Commandry of Knights Templar, 
past presiding officer of Van Rensselaer Lodge of Perfection 
and past commander of the Rhode Island Sovereign Consistory. 
He is also connected with the Benevolent and Protective Order 
of Elks of Providence. 

John G. Weaver is descended from an ancestry that fiom 
the earliest history of Newport have been identified with its 
most important interests. His grandfather, Perry Weaver, 
settled in the town as early as 1740 and for years pursued his 
trade of hatter. He was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca 
Goddard of Newport, and reared a large family, of whom Ben- 
jamin Weaver, born in Newport about the year 1780, acquired 
under his father's instruction the hatter's trade. He married 
Hannah, daughter of Joseph Briggs, of Newport, and had chil- 
dren: Josepli, John G., Mary, Catherine and George. Mr. 
Weaver later in life abandoned mercantile pursuits and retired 
to the farm, which, since the settlement of the island, has been 
and is still in the possession of the famil}-, where his death 
occurred. 



610 TIISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

John G. Weavef was born on the 25th of November, 1812, 
in Newport, where he received a rudimentary education at rhe 
common schools and maintained tlie traditions of fhe family by 
learning the trade of a hatter. At the age of twenty-one, his 
health requirin<^ a less sedentary life, he abandoned his trade 
and established himself in the livery business in which he is 
still engaged. He was one of the proprietors of the Provi- 
dence Mail Stage line and was interested for a period of 
twelve years in this enterprise. Mr. Weaver's active mind 
sought a more extended field and in 1848, in connection 
with a partner, he became the landlord of the Bellevne Housh 
in Newport, continuing this relation for one season. Desiring 
greater freedom of action than was possible through a partner- 
ship arrangement, the following year he built the Ocean House 
which was under the management of its popular host speedily 
enlarged, and in 184.5 consumed by fli'e. Nothing daunted, the 
jjresent spacious and attractive structure rose from its ashes in 
1846 and Mr. Weaver has continued its proprietor, his urbanity 
and uniform courtesy having made the house one of the most in- 
viting to summer tourists. 

When Newport was incorporated as a city, Mr. Weaver be- 
came one of its aldermen and for a period of fifteen years was a 
member of one or the other of its municipal bodies. Always a 
staunch whig or a republican in his political faith, he in 1863- 
64 represented his district in the state legislature. In his reli- 
gions belief he is a Unitarian and president of the board of 
trustees of Channing Memorial church of Newport. Mr. Weaver 
was in 1832 married to Susan, daughter of Ray and Susan 
Bliven of Newport. Their children are a son, John Gr. , Jr., as- 
sociated with his father as one of the proprietors of the Ocean 
House, Newport, and the Everett House, New York, and two 
daughters, Susan and Hannah, who survive, and three children 
deceased: Benjamin, Joseph and Marion Jones. 

George Peabody WETMoitE, the eldest surviving son of tlie 
late William Shepard Wetmore, of Newport, Rhode Island, 
was born in London, England, on the 2d of August, 1846. After 
a thorough preparatory course he entered Yale University, and 
was graduated from that institution in the cla^s of 1867. He 
received the degree of LL.B. from Columbia College in 1869, and 
that of A.M. from his alma viaterm 1871. He was made presi- 
dential elector of the state of Rhode Island in 1880 and 1884, 




il 







RESIDENCE OF Mr. G. P. WETMORE. 
Newport. 



k^iQ-^tn^ V. *\v*^^vi\^ *. ■<. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. Cll 

and a member of the state committee to receive the representa- 
tives of France on their official visit to the state in 1881. Mr. 
Wetmore filled the office of governor of Rhode Island from 
May, 1885, to May, 1887. He is one of the trustees of the Pea- 
body Museum of Natural History in Yale University. 

Catharine Lorillard Wolfe, daughter of John David 
Wolfe and Dorothea Ann Lorillard his wrife, was born in New- 
York city March 8th, 1828. Miss Wolfe was descended from an 
old Lutheran family in Saxony, whence her great-grandfather, 
Jolin David Wolfe, came to this country before the year 1729. 
He died in 1759, leaving four children, of wlum the eldest was 
David. David Wolfe lived till near the end of a long life of 
eighty-eight years in the old family residence on Fair, now Ful- 
ton street, and this, with other city real estate, has remained in 
the family to the present time. In the war of the revolution, 
David Wolfe and his brother Chi-istopher served their country 
with credit. After the war David and his younger brother John 
Albert were partners as hardware merchants in New York city, 
and about 1816 they were succeeded in business bj^ Christopher, 
son of John Albert, and John David, son of David. 

John David Wolfe, born Julj!- 24th, 1792, retired from active 
business in the prime of his life. Thereafter he devoted his 
large wealth and judicious labors to benevolent purposes, 
largely in the foundation and encouragement of educational, 
charitable and religious institutions. He was devoutly attached 
to the Episcopal church, was for some time vestryman of 
Trinity parish. New York; afterward vestryman, and at the 
time of his death, senior warden of Gi"ace church. His memory 
is perpetuated in many noble institutions, not only in his native 
city, but in various and remote parts of the country. 

Miss Wolfe was endowed with a mind of remarkable power, 
cnltivated by education, reading and extended travel. Her 
biography cannot be written here. She devoted herself and 
her large and largely increasing wealth to the widest and most 
effective charity, governing herself in her gifts by careful ex- 
amination and calm judgment, where personal investigation 
could be made, and where that was not possible, displaying her 
superior ability in the selection of sound and trustworthy ad 
visers, on whom she relied with confidence. Her catholic dis- 
position of charities may be gathered fiom the names of a few 
objects of her larger appropriations, as Union College at 
89 



612 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Schenectady, St. Luke's hospital in New York, the noble chari- 
ties at St. Johnland on Long Island, the American chapel at 
Rome in Italy, the Italian mission in Mulberry street, New 
York, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 
Grace church in New York city, towliich she gave the chantry 
and other buildings, the Wolfe Expedition to Asia, the Home 
for Incurables at Fordham, the Diocesan House in Lafayette 
Place, New York — the list must stop abruptly. There is not 
space to enumerate half of her recorded gifts, in sums varying 
from twenty to two hundred thousand dollars. But tiiose who 
should form an estimate of Miss Wolfe's benevolence from the 
,mere magnitude and number of her gifts would fail to appre- 
ciate her inner life and character. Siie was constant and un- 
failing in personal charities among those who were suffering. 
She visited the poor, and her presence always carried with it 
the atmosphere of purity and kindness in which she lived. She 
educated young girls; she had always large numbers of benefi- 
ciaries; she sought out opportunities to relieve the poor and 
those who were in trouble or sorrow. When she was absent in 
Europe she did not forget home benevolence. A friend tells of 
her sending to him in New York, from her boat on the Nile, 
$25,000 in a check, to be distributed in charities. 

Nor did she, while devoting so much of her life to good works, 
fail in any degree to fulfill the duties of that position in the 
social world to which she was called by her wealth and her 
accomplishments. She recognized those duties, and performed 
them with grace and dignity as the accomplished liostess in her 
own house, and the always welcome guest in others. Those who 
knew her best admired and loved her most. 

She had from early life cultivated her affection for the fine 
arts. Her taste was excellent, and lier judgment strengthened 
by study and very thorough acquaintance with the works of 
old and modern artists. She had, therefore, great enjoyment 
in gathering around her, in her city residence, examples of mas- 
ters in the modern schools, a work which was continued steadily 
from year to year through her life, and in which she was happy 
in her reliance for advice and assistance on her kinsman, John 
Wolfe, Esq., through whom most of her selections were made. 
Nevertheless, she exercised a completely independent taste, 
which decided her, after thorough acquaintance with a painting, 
^vhether to retain or reject it. 




^ 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 613 

Miss Wolfe had a constant interest in the Metropolitan 
Museum of Art, to whose collections she had been a lar<^e con- 
tributor, and of which she was one of the patrons. Her interest 
in art history had been exhibited shortly before her death by her 
gift to the American School at Athens, and by her payment of 
the expenses of an expedition to Asia for the purpose of explor- 
ation with reference to future work of excavation among the 
buried remains of ancient art. 

By her last will she disposed of more than a million dollars 
in money and objects of art, for the perpetuation of those works 
of Christian charity and centers of education of the people to 
which her father and herself had so wisely and faithfully con- 
tributed. Her gifts to the Museum of Art illustrate the judic- 
ious consideration which had characterized all her generosity. 
Taking into consideration, as few have ever done, the fact that 
in a museum without an endowment, dependent on its members 
for its current expenses, every new gift entails increased expense 
on the institution, she not only gave to the museum her collec- 
tion of paintings, but added an endowment of $200,000, the 
income to be used for the preservation and increase of the col- 
lection. 

The death of Miss Wolfe occurred in New York city on the 
4th of April, 1887. 



CHAPTER XII. 

TOWN OF PORTSMOUTH. 



Geogi'aphical and Descriptive. — Settlement. — Dealing With the Indians. — Com- 
parative Importance. — Admitting Inhabitants. — Rates and Taxes. — Taverns 
or Ordinaries. — Pulilic Morals. — The Common Lands. — Early Customs and 
Ceremonies. — Public Improvements. — Early Representatives. — During the 
Revolution. — After the War. — Town Action. — Means of Communication. — 
Mining and Manufacturing. 



THIS township occitiiies the northern part of the island 
of Rhode Island, originally called Aquidneck. The town 
was at first called after the Indian name of the locality, Pocas- 
set. The township covers an area of thirty-three square miles, 
being about ten miles in length on the longest line that can be 
stretched across it. which would be a line running from the ex- 
treme north point of the island southerly to the southeastern 
point on the Middletown line. The greatest width of the town 
is in the southern part, where it is about three miles. Cen- 
trally, the town lies nineteen miles south-southeast from 
Providence, and eight miles north northeast from Newport, in 
latitude 41° 35' and longitude 5° 44' west from Washington. 

The surface of the town is beautifully rolling and hilly, with 
sufficient elevation to secure a dry and healthy condition of 
atmosphere. Some of the hills rise to a height of 260 feet, 
while but a narrow belt of lowland skirts the shores with a less 
elevation than twenty feet. Some of the prominent elevations 
are Slate hill, in the southern part, 260 feet; Quaker hill, in the 
central part, 270 feet; the farm of William M. Manchester, in 
the southern part, 260 feet; lands of Joseph Coggeshall, Edward 
Almy and George E. Sisson, 180 feet; hill on the West road, at 
the junction of Potter's lane, 200 feet; at the junction of Mid- 
dle road and Mill lane, 260 feet; Butt's hill, 180 feet; on Ben- 
jamin Hall's land, near Portsmouth grove, 160 feet; and on 
land near Sandy point, on the east side, 140 feet. The land is 
clear of trees or forest growth, and beautiful views of the water 



HISTORY OF NEAVPOHT COUNTY. 615 

on either side, the numerous ishinds, the jutting peninsulas, 
tlie rambling coves and the distant liills of the mainland shores 
greet the eye from almost every point. In the varied and de- 
lightful landscapes which its many eminences afford, this town 
is probably second to no other in the New England states. 

The soil in the southern part of the town is rich and heavy 
clay loam. In the northern part it becomes a rich sandy loam. 
It is everywhere susceptible of tlie highest degree of cultivation, 
and yields abundant crops. The land is almost entirely under 
cultivation, the principal products being potatoes, corn, oats, 
barley, hay, apples, peaches, strawberries, .pears and garden 
vegetables. 

From the main central ridge of the island the surface slopes 
generally in either direction to the shores on the east and west 
sides. In the northeastern jKirt a rambling cove enters the land, 
whicii is here low and largely occupied by salt meadows. But 
few brooks are found in the town. On the west it is bordered 
by the main channel of Narragalisett bay and on the east by the 
East passage or Seconnet river. The high lands of the north 
end of the town command a line view of the elevation of Mount 
Hojie, with its historic associations, and the beautiful bay of 
the same name. The western side overlooks the beautiful 
peninsula of Bristol and the verdant island of Prudence On 
the eastern slopes the picturesque heights of Tiverton and the 
])eaceful undulations of Little Comiiton fill the vision with en- 
rapturing prospects. 

Portsmouth has always been pre-eminently an agricultural 
town. Its people are progressive, though but few marked pub- 
lic improvements may be noticed. The Old Colony railroad 
rnns along the low grounds which skirt the western shore, but 
tiiis, while it cannot be claimed as a local improvement, it may 
be answered, has been of but little importance in developing 
the resources of the town. It has stations at Bristol Ferry, 
Coal Mines and Portsmouth Grove. Besides the stone liridge, 
with wliich the town is connected with Tiverton, other means 
of communication are afforded by the steamers of the Fall 
River and Providence Steamboat Company which touch daily 
at Bristol Ferry and a row boat ferry across from the same 
point to the Bristol shore. 

The coal mines whicii underlie this town have been worked 
to considerable extent for many decades past. The fisheries 



616 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

of the adjoining waters constitute a very important source of 
revenue to many of the inhabitants. These fisheries consist 
of menhaden, cod, mackerel, lobsters and scallops. Several 
lights are maintained by the government in tlie neighboring 
waters. These are, one on Prudence island, John T. Chirke, 
keeper; another on Muscle Bed Beacon, at Bristol ferry, An- 
drew T. Smith, keeper; and another near Hog island, Augustus 
Hall, keeper. 

The assessed valuation of real estate in this town is §1,509.100; 
of personal property, $437,800; making a total of $1,946,900. 
The town finances are well managed, as is abundantly attested 
by the fact that it has the honor of being one of only seven 
towns in the state that are entirely free from debt. 

At what time the people of this town began to give attention 
to the education of their children is not known, but there is 
written testimony that as early as 1716 the people, " having 
considered how excellent an ornament learning is to mankind," 
made an appropriation for building a school house. This was 
no doubt the first school house erected by the town at public 
expense. In 1722 two others were built, the size of one being 
25 by 30, and the other 16 by 16 feet. Of their location we 
have not been informed. 

The town is now divided into eight school districts. Of these 
No. 1 is in the southeastern part, at South Portsmouth; No. 2 
is in the northern part of that locality; No. 3 is in the middle of 
the town; No. 4 is on the west side adjoining the Middletown 
line; No. 5 is at "Newtown;" No. 6 is at Bristol ferry; No. 7 
is on Prudence and No. 8 is at the Coal Mines. 

In conclusion of this descriptive introduction it may be men- 
tioned that the town comprehends several smaller islands in 
the adjoining bay. The largest of these is Prudence; others 
are Patience, Hog, Hope, Dyer's, East Gould and Desjmir 
islands, besides Tommy's, Sherman's, Spectacle and Hen islands 
in the cove in the northeastern part of the town. 

The circumstances and details of the purchase and settlement 
of the original company of exiles upon the island have been so 
fully given that they need not be repeated here. Among the 
first regulations that were made were those decreeing that no 
inhabitant should be admitted on the island, or allowed to build 
or plant on it, except by consent of the body of settlers; and 
one of the first requirements made of those who sought admis- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COTTNTT. 617 

sion to such privileges was that they sliould "submitt to the 
Government that is or shall be establislied, according to the 
word of God." It was decided that the town should be built at 
"the Spring," but Mr. Hutchinson was permitted to have six 
lots laid out for him and his cliildren at the "Great Cove." 

In order to protect themselves from the possible sudden as- 
saults of the Indians a specific requirement was made that each 
inhabitant should always be jirovided with a musket, a pound 
of powder, twenty bullets, two fathoms of match, also a " Sword 
and rest and Bandeliers, all completely furnished." 

Apropos to the general tone of their laws and sentiments, 
one of the first things established by the settlers was the house 
of worship. On the 13th day of the third month (May), 1638» 
they passed the following enactment: "It is ordered that the 
Meeting House shall be set on the neck of Land that goes over 
to the Maine of the Island wher Mr. John Coggeshall and Mr. 
John Sanford shall lay it out." 

During the same month house lots of five or six acres each 
were set off to William Coddington, John Clarke, William Dyre, 
William Hutchinson, Samuel Hutchinson, Mr. Easton (who had 
recently joined the company), Edward Hutchinson, .Sr., and 
Edward Hutchinson, Jr., John Sanford, John Coggeshall, Ran- 
dall Holden, Richard Burden and William Balston. The latter 
was also authorized to "erect and sett np a howese of enter- 
tainment for Strangers, and also to brew Beare and to sell wines 
of strong waters and such necessary provisions as may be use- 
full in any kind." Thus early, and in this simple manner, was- 
inaugurated the business of feeding the stranger who might 
visit the island, a business which, during the two and a half 
centuries to the present time, has grown to a magnitude of great 
importance. In the first allotments of land John Coggeshall 
and John Sanford acted as surveyors, by appointment of the 
company. 

Military discipline was essential to the peace and security of 
the little colony. Train bands were formed at the outset, and 
William Baulston and Edward Hutchinson were ai^pointed ser- 
geants, Randall Holden and Henry Bull were corporals, and 
Samuel Wilbore their clerk. 

A tax of two shillings per acre was laid upon all who had or 
should take up land in the plantation, the money so derived to 
be held by the treasurers api)ointed by the company to meet 



618 HISTORY OF NEWPORT OOTTNTY. 

the common expenses of the colony. William Hutchinson and 
John Coggeshall were chosen treasnrers for the company during 
the first year of its existence. 

The public meetings of the company for the transaction of 
business pertaining to the common welfare were held, as we 
have before intimated, at frequent intervals. Attendance upon 
these meetings was an important duty which attached to citizen- 
ship. They were sometimes called by beat of the drum and 
sometimes by personal vocal call, always on short notice. In 
order to secure prompt attendance an order was made that '"if 
they fayle one quarter of an houre after the second sound, they 
shall forfeitt twelve pence; or, if they depart without leave, 
they are to forfeitt the same summ of twelve pence." 

The little colony was thus fairly established, but disturbances 
from without were not the only class of dangers that threat- 
ened. To provide for internal elements of discord a pair of 
.stocks and a whipping post were ordered on the 2Uth of August, 
1638, to be made "forthwith," at the expense of the public 
treasury, and three days later it was ordered that "a Howse 
for a prison, containing twelve foot in length and tenn foote in 
breadth .and ten foote studd, shall forthwith be built of suf- 
ficient strength and the charges to be payed out of the Treas- 
ury." William Brenton was appointed to oversee the work. 
Nor let it be supposed that the above-mentioned instruments of 
punishment were to be regarded only as ornamental append- 
ages. They had not been built a month before seven men, who 
had been engaged in a drunken riot, were arrested, and in ad- 
dition to a tine of five siiillings, which was imposed on all 
alike, three of the principal transgressors were placed in the 
stocks several hours. 

''General meetings" of the inhabitants were held and all 
matters of public concern or private disjjute were acted upon as 
by a court of proper jurisdiction. But as the company grew in 
numbers, it became too bulky to be assembled so frequently as 
necessity seemed to demand, without considerable inconven- 
ience to the people, especially on account of the amount of tiieir 
time which was consumed by the frequency of such meetings. 
To remedy this difficulty on the 2d of January, 1639, a board 
of elders was organized, who were to act in conjunction with the 
judge, in deciding all such matters as had previously come be- 
fore the assembled people in a body. The actions of this board 



lIISTOltY OB' NEWPOUT COUNTY. 019 

were to be reviewed once every tliree riiontlis by tlie general 
meeting, and tlieir rules and decisions tlien confirmed or re- 
versed. The first elders chosen under this plan of jurispru- 
dence were Nicholas Esson (or Easton), John Coggeshall and 
Mr. Brenton. Associated with, and as the servants of, the court 
thus constituted were a sergeant and a constable. These offices 
were filled by election on the 24th of the same month, their 
first incumbents, respectively, being Henry Bull and Samuel 
Wilbore. 

The little colony now seemed fairly on the road to prosperity. 
New settlers were frequently admitted during the early years. 
Pictures of the social condition of that remote time cannot be 
produced in a degree of perfection which might be desired, but 
some interesting hints are afforded by the few extracts which 
are given below from the records of the court referred to: 

" Richard Maxon, Blacksmith, upon complaints made against 
him, was accordingly detected for his oppression in the way of 
his trade, who, being convinced thereof, promised amendment 
and satisfaction." 

Blacksmiths in those days were factors in society of much 
greater importance than they are now considered. They held 
a monopoly of a branch of work which was a great ne- 
cessity, and the little colony might suffer from the abuse of the 
power which they held. It was a very proper function of the 
court to prevent extortionate charges being made by the black- 
smith whom the little colony bad encoui-aged to settle and ply 
his trade in their midst. 

'• Mr. Aspinwall, being a suspected person for sedition against 
the state, it was thought meet that a stay of the building of his 
Bote should be made ; whereupon y'^' workman was forbidden 
to proceed any further." 

This may look like an interference with private rights, but 
the jjrinciple of sacrificing the rights of the few for the good of 
the many is one which has not even yet been eliminated from 
the acts of legislative bodies. 

" It is oidered tliat the Swine that are upon the Island shall 
be sent away from tlie plantation six miles up into the Island, 
or unto some Islands adjacent, by the 10th of the 2d, 1639, or 
else to be shutt up that so tliey may be inoffensive to the 
Towne." 

We see thus early the outcropping of the spirit of care for 



o 



G20 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

public'cleanliness and order which are to-day among the most 
prominent characteristics of the city of Newport and the island 
upon wliich it is bnilt. Farther regulations were made to pre- 
vent swine running at large in the town, the sergeant was 
charged with the duty of enforcing it, and a pound was provi- 
ded for the detention of stray cattle. 

'' It is ordered that in regard of the many Incursions that the 
Island is subject unto, and that an Alarum for the securing the 
place is necessary therefor; it is thought meet for the present 
that an Alarum be appointed to give notice to all who inhabit 
the place, that they may forthwith repair and gather together 
to the Howse of the judge for the defending of the Island or 
quelling any Insolences that shall be tumultuously raysed 
within the Plantation. Therefore, the Alarum that we appoynt 
shall be this. Three Musketts to be discharged distinctly, and 
a Herauld appointed to goe speedily throw the Towne and crye 
Alarum, Alarum! Upon which, all are to repaire immediately 
to the place aforesayed." 

Up to this time but a single colony or embryo town existed 
on the island. The suggestions of circumstance and the incli- 
nation of a number of the settlers favored a division of the col- 
ony and the improvement of a new plantation toward tlie lower 
end of the island. Accordingly, on the 28th of April, 1639, 
William Coddington and eight others established by their vote 
another colony, to be known as Newport, as more fully appears 
in the portion of this work devoted to the history of that town. 

After this action a re-organization of the original colony was 
effected, by a compact similar in its provisions and tone to that 
at first entered into. The parties who now bound themselves 
together into a body politic under the laws of King Charles, 
whose subjects they declared themselves to be, were the follow- 
ing: William Hutchinson, Samuel Gorton, Samuel Hutchinson, 
John Wickes, Richard Maggsen, Thomas Spicer, Johu Roome, 
John Sloffe, Thomas Beeder, Erasmus Bullocke, Samson Shot- 
ten, Ralph Earle, Robert Potter, Nathaniel Potter, George Pot- 
ter, W. T. Havens, George Chare, George Lawton, Anthony 
Paine, Jobe Hawkins, Richard Awarde, John Mow, Nicholas 
Brown, William Richardson, Joiin Trippe, Tiiomas Layton, 
Robert Stainton, John Briggs and James Uavice. 

A judge was chosen, who, with the aid of a jury of twelve men, 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 621 

coiistitnted a court- whicli was competent to render final decisions 
in controversies wlien theamonnt in qnestion did notexceed forty 
shillings. Qnarterly and annual meetings of the ''Body" were 
held, to whom appeals in cases of greater valne than forty 
shillings might be made. Apportionments of land were made, 
a few acres at a time, to individuals as they desired it. Besides 
the officers chosen to survey these parcels of land, other officers 
were chosen as surveyors of highways. This was done at a 
qnarterly meeting on the first of July, 16B9, and is the first 
evidence of any attention being given to the definite laying out 
of highways. The first to hold the office of surveyors of high- 
ways were Thomas Spicer and Robert Potter. At this time 
the term "town" began to be used, the word "body" having 
most generally been applied to the company of settlers in their 
organized capacity. At this meeting it was also agreed that 
this town should henceforth be called Portsmouth. 

Actual settlers and improvements were especially desired at 
that time. The idea of speculative holding or traffic was 
promptly and vigorously opposed. House lots were freely 
granted to those who were admitted to the town, but they were 
required to build on them within one year, otherwise they were 
forfeited. The admission of new settlers was acted upon by 
the town meeting. 

In 1643 some apprehension arose in regard to the neighboring 
Indians. The militia regulations ap[)ear to have become some- 
what lax, and the town passed orders requiring firearms to be 
put in order, every man to provide himself with four pounds of 
shot and two pounds of powder, and to be in readiness to turn 
out at the beat of the drum. A watch was also maintained at 
night, and every man was required to come armed to meeting 
on the Sabbath. Vigil and attention was paid to the enforce- 
ment of these requirements; and it was further ordered that if 
any skulking Indians should be found about the island acting 
suspiciously, the magistrates should send a man to arrest them. 

Wolves were numerous, and the settlers suffered much from 
their depredations. Efforts were made to exterminate them 
by catching them in traps. The firing of guns at deer in the 
woods made them shy, and in order to prevent their being thus 
frightened away from the traps this town concurred with New- 
port in an order jirohibiting shooting deer from the first of May 



622 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

to the tirst of November, under a penal t\' of live pounds. At 
the same time a premium of five pounds Avas offered for every 
wolf killed on the island, Newport paying four i)ound.s and 
Portsmouth paying one i)ound. This was in 1046. 

The Indian name of tlie locality was Pocasset, and by this 
name the town was at first called, until the name Portsnioutli 
was adopted, as has already been stated. The name Pocasset 
was also applied by the Indians to the land on the Tiverton 
side, as well as to the channel of water which runs between. 
The first settlement was made near the head of the cove, on 
the northeastern part of the island. The outlet of this cove 
was then deep enough for the passage of vessels of moderate 
size. The filling of the mouth of this cove by the action of 
the tide currents upon the shore made navigation difficult and 
finally imj^ossible for the class of vessels which tli,e people de- 
sired to use, so the original site of the settlement was soon 
exchanged for a more eligible one a little farther down the 
eastern shore of the island. To the new site the name Newtown 
was given, and by this it is still locally known. In 1728 a sur- 
vey of the plot of Newtown was made and a map of the same 
caiefully drawn upon parchment. This original map is still 
preserved in the archives of the town. 

We have already spoken of the formation of tlie town of 
Portsmouth as a new organization after the withdrawal of the 
company who founded Newport. The record of this reorgani- 
zation is still in existence, and its value as a curious and inter- 
esting document must warrant us in quoting it entire. On 
the first legible page of the oldest book in the town clerk's 
office it is written. The page, like many others wliich follow 
it, is tattered and worn by the handling of two and a. half cen- 
turies, but the characters in jet black inlv stand out witii as 
clear cut distinctness as though they had been recently written. 
Part of the heading is gone, and a few of the missing words 
are supplied, as the words that remain sufficiently indicate 
what the others should be. 

"A prill 30. 1030. 

" Wee whose names are under signed do admit our selves the 
Iriyall subjects of His Majestic King Charles, and in his name 
we doe bind our selves into a civill body politick agreeable 
unto his lawes according to all matters of justice. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 623 

" WiLLM Hutchinson George Potter 

Samuell Gorton W. Heavens 

Samuell Hutchinson George Chare 

John Wickes George Lawton 

RiCHARDE MaGGSON AnTHONY PaINE 

Thomas Spiser Jobe Haukin 

William Aspinnall Richard Award 

WiLLM Haule John Mow 

John Roome Nicholas Brownes 

John Slosse William Richardson 

Thomas Boddar John Tkippe 

Erasmus Bullocke Thomas Layton 

Sampson Shotten Robert Stainton 

Ralph Earle John Brigoes 

Robert Potter James Davice." 

In the original the names of William Aspinnall and Willm 
Haule have a line drawn through them. 

Although the people of this town had many grave appre- 
hensions of trouble from the Indians on account of the unwise 
action of others toward the natives, yet they never experienced 
the serious hostility of the Indians which they often feared. It 
may be that the iirecantions which resulted from their fears 
had something to do with their escape from downright assault 
or annoying intrusions from the red men. It is true that the 
Indians were for many yea^s an almost constant source of 
anxiety and a subject of vigilance on the part of the settlers. 
In 1656 the following record was made in regard to them: 

"At a towne meetinge of the inhabitants of Portsmouth 
June ye third, 1656, it is ordered that no p'son or persons in 
this towne of Portsmouth nor any that shall come amongst us 
shall sell any liquors strong beer or any wines to any Indian 
diretly nor indirectly with in the bounds of this towne and any 
pson or i)sons that shall offend in this case shall forfeit three 
poundes for every default one thirde shalbe to him that finde 
it out and atliird to the constable and his aide and a third to 
the town tresurv. 

"It is also ordered that it shalbe lawfull for any pson or 
psons of the inlial)itants of this towne if they mete any Indian 
within the bounds of this towne with any of the aforesayd pro- 
hibited liquors stronge beer or wines to take it from them and 
to call ayde if neede bee and they that take from the Indians 



624 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNT f. 

any such liquors, beer or wines within the bounds of this towne 
shall have it for ther paynes." 

The i-ecords of the town show but few entries that, like the 
above, depict the popular sentiment with regard to the Indian. 
There are, however, enough to give a clue to the situation. 
Other abstracts will he made in connection with topics to which 
they belong. In 1659 the court of commissioners ordered that 
the articles of agreement made between this colony and the 
Narragansett Chief Sachem Quissuckquoanch at a general court 
May 28th, 1650, should be recorded in the general records, and 
the original committed to the keeping of the president of the 
colony. 

It is interesting to note the comparative importance of this 
town in the colony during the early years of its existence. Pej'- 
haps no more accurate index of this can be found than is seen 
in the quota of contrll)utions of the different towns toward the 
expenses of their agent, Mr. John Clarke, at the court of Eng- 
land. In 1661 the quotas of the different towns for that pur- 
pose were : Newport, £85; Providence, £40; Portsmouth, £40; 
and Warwick, £'S5. In the same year the colony had to raise 
£300 to send the submission of the ISTarragansett Indians to the 
king of England. Of this the proportion of Portsmouth was 
£60, or one-fifth of the whole amount. An additional 
sum for the expenses of the agent was raised in 1662, in 
which the proportion of Portsmouth was the same as 
that of Providence. And in about the same proportion it 
stood for many years. In October, 1662, £106 more was raised 
for the expenses of Mr. Clarke to England. At this time the 
four towns which composed the colony were taxed for the pur- 
pose as follows: Newport, £47, 10s.; Providence, £20, 12s.; 
Portsmouth, £20, 12s.; Warwick, £17, 6s. A year later £100 
was to be raised and sent to England for Mr. Clarke, "certaintly 
by the first shipe that goes," as the record says. In this the 
proportion of Portsmouth was £17, 10s., the same as that of 
Providence. 

We have before intimated that the settlers were very jealous 
of the introduction of unsuitable persons to their society. They 
were also watchful to prevent any undesirable persons from re- 
maining among them temporarily to such a length of time as to 
become chargeable to them as paupers. By such constant vig- 
ilance in these matters the purity of society was preserved and 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 625 

a community established which was composed, as the language 
of commerce would put it, of carefully selected materials. It 
will be interesting to notice some of the measures adopted for 
this purpose. In the town meetings, which were frequently 
held, candidates for the privilege of inhabitants or "sojourners" 
were received and disposed of. 

At a town meeting in 1654 " John Brant and Jerimia Vreland 
voated not to abide in this towne any longer than 6 weeks, and 
to forfeit 5 pound for every month that he or either of them 
shall stay longer than the 6 weeks allowed— without the apro- 
bation of the towne." On the same date it was also ordered 
" that no inhabitant shall entertaine any sojorner above one 
month without the aprobation of the towne, upon the penaltie 
of the forfeiture of five pounds for every month so offending, 
and the magistrate of the towne to give licence untill a towne 
mee tinge bee." 

August 27th, 1666, the following action was taken in town 
meeting: — 

"Voted that two of ye Neighbors are to goe to William Cad- 
man and siguilie unto him that there is a towne law made in ye 
yeare 1054 which doth forbid any inhabitant to Receve or En- 
tertaine any suggenor or strainger above one month without the 
aprobation or consent of the inhabitants of this towne upon the 
penualty of ye forfeiture of 5 pound for Every month so oifend- 
inge; and that the said Neighbors are here by Authorized to 
forewarne William Cadman that he Entertaine no longer in his 
honse one William Maze then the said month, William flail 
and William Wodell are ye men chosen who are to have there 
order under the towne Clark's hand, and to bring his Answer to 
ye majestrats of this towne forth with." 

Overseers of the poor were, about 1675 to 1680, charged with 
the additional duty of looking out for any strangers that 
might be in the town. The entry which frequently follows the 
record of their election continues — "also to take care that the 
strangers be not entertain in this towne but according to order." 

June 7th, 1680, the town voted as follows: — 

"Richard Knight a weaver, is permitted to sojourne in this 
towne upon his good behavour untill the last day of October 
next Ensueing the date hereof, and then the towne councell hath 
power to 7nove him ov continue him until the next towns meet- 
ing as they see cause." 



626 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

The freemen of Portsmouth in the year 1655 were as foHows: 
John Anthonie, John Alsberre, William Almy, John Archer, 
Richard Burden, Thomas Brooks, Nathaniel Browninge, Wil- 
liam Brenton, William Baulston, Francis Braiton, Nicholas 
Browne, John Briggs, James Badcock, Thomas Brownell, 
Thomas Burden, Francis Burden, William Baker, Thomas Cor- 
nell, Sr., Ralph Cowland, Thomas Cooke, Sr., Thomas Cooke, 
Jr., John Cranston, Gregorie Cole, John Cooke, Ralph Earle, 
Edward Fisher, Thomas Fish, John Ford, William Freeborne, 
Thomas Gorton, Thomas Gennings, Math: Greenell, Thomas 
Hazard, Richard Hawkins, William Hall, Samuel Jlutchiuson. 
William Havens, Robert Hazard, William James, Thomas Lai- 
ton, John Mott, Adam Mott, Sr., Adam Mott, Jr., John Mason, 
Richard Morris, William Morris, Jonathan Mott, Samuel Gen- 
nings, John Porter, George Parker, Arthur Paine, John Roome, 
Philip Sherman, Giles Slocum, John Sanford, James Sandes, 
Richard Sussell, John Sanl'ord, Jr., John Tripp, John Tift, 
Fred. Sheffield, Samuel Wilbore, Sr., Samuel Willson, Samuel 
Wilbore, Jr.. Thomas Warde, William Woodhill, James Weed- 
en, Sr., Robert , Henrie , Phliip Taber. 

The last name is on the list, though he appears not to have 
been admitted until 1656. 

The importance of the town of Portsmouth has already been 
shown by comparison. The examples quoted were special. We 
will add here another one, this one being taken from the regu- 
lar, settled schedule for ordinary purposes. In" 1675 the rate 
levied on the island was was for £4t)(). Of this the proportion 
of Portsmouth was £120. 

Taxes were levied on the people according to their property, 
but the committee appointed to apportion the taxes on the 
individual inhabitants found great difficulty arising from 
the absence of any well defined standards of valuation to apply 
to the matters in hand. To obviate somewhat this difficulty 
the people in town meeting, February 21st, 1680, set some ar- 
bitrary valuations on ratable property, as follows : 

Land, ratable, per acre, 40 shillings. 

Horses, above 1 year old, each 40 shillings. 

Cattle, above 1 year old, each 40 shillings. 

Swine, above 1 year old, each, 6 shillings. 

Sheep and lambs, each 4 shillings. 

All persons were required to give in to the officers called 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 627 

" rate makers" a true account of all their ratable estate, and if 

they neglected or refused lo do so, or gave in a false account, a 

'fine of 20 shillings was prescribed as a penalty for each offense. 

In 1695 the following valuations on ratable personal property 
were iixed by the assembly : 

Oxen, 4 years old and upward, each 3 pence. 

Steers, 3 years old and upward, each 2 pence. 

Cows, of all ages, each 2 pence. 

Cattle, 2 years old, each 1 penny. 

Cattle, 1 year old, each i penny. 

Sheep, 1 year old and upwai'd, per score, 5 pence. 

Swine, 1 year old and upward, each ^ penny. 

Horses and mares, above 3 years old, each 3 pence. 

Horses and mares, 2 years old, each 1 penny. 

Horses and mares, 1 year old, each ^ pence. 

Negro servants, men, each 1 shilling, 8 pence. 

Negro servants, women, each 10 pence. 

Houses of entertainment were among the early needs of the 
town. But the body corporate preserved a vigilant oversight 
lest the matter of keejMng such houses should become subject 
to abuse. In 1655 the general assembly ordered that two 
houses of entertainment should be kept in each town and in or- 
der "for ye certaintie of such houses of entertainment" the 
court should appoint two persons in each town to keep them. 
Such persons were required " to cause to be sett out a conven- 
ient signe at ye most perspicuous place of ye saide house, there- 
by to give notice to strangers that it is a house of publick en- 
tertainment; and this to be done with all convenient speede." 
The persons then appointed to keep such houses in this town 
were Ralph Earle and John Anthonie. 

Ordinaries,or houses of entertainment, were afterward licensed 
by the town. In 1675 five such licenses were granted. 

These were to Francis Brayton, William Correy, John Bor- 
den, Thomas Durfee, and Widow Mary Tripj). Licenses were 
granted on giving bonds and the payment of a fee of ten shil- 
lings, and they ran for a term of one year. The limit of the 
price of rum was fixed by the town at two pence a gill. 

The precautions that were taken to secnre the most desirable 

society were not sufficient to prevent disorderly persons from 

dwelling among the settlers. The drinking customs which have 

been hinted at in the preceding paragraph gave rise then, a^ 

40 



628 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

well as now, to frequent disturbances of the peace. Tlie drink- 
ing customs were tolerated, and as a consequence means had to 
be used to suppress and punish the results. The necessity be- 
came so great that in town meeting, August 1st, 1654, it was 
ordered that a rate be levied "for the buildinge of a prison in 
this towne."' 

The stocks and whipping post had already been established. 
Marriage relations were frequently disturbed, and such disturb- 
ances gave rise to much business, which was referred to the 
general court. Cases of adultery, fornication, divorce and fam- 
ily jars were frequent. One case is of such peculiar interest 
that we are justified in giving it at some length. May 3d, 1665, 
Peter Tallnian complained to the assembly of his wife commit- 
ting adultery, and she, being brought before the assembly, con- 
fessed the same. A divorce was accordingly granted him, and 
the following sentence was jiassed upon the criminal: 

"Upon all which the Court doe adjudge the said Ann Toll- 
man to receive the penalty that the law hath provided for such 
an offense; that is, whipping and fine, according to the law made 
May 22, 1655; which law doth determine that the person con- 
victed of adultery, if living on the Island, shall be whipt at 
Portsmouth, receiving hfteene stripes; and after a week respite, 
to be whipt at Newport, receiving hfteene stripes; and to pay 
a line of ten pound to the Generall Treasurer." 

The sentence still further specified that she should receive 
the iirst punishment at Portsmouth on Monday, the22d of May, 
and the second at Newport on the Monday following, in the 
meantime to remain in prison. She petitioned the court for 
mercy, but the assembly, after still further examining her case, 
declared " that they see noe cause to reverse the sentance for- 
merly gone forth against her." But she watched her opportunity, 
and before the time for executing her sentence came round she 
escaped from the prison and lied beyond the bounds of the col- 
ony. Two years later she ventured to returu, but the former 
sentence was not outlawed nor forgotten, and the assembly, on 
the 1st of May, 1667, issued a general warrant to any constable 
forthwith to arrest her and bring her before that body. Anthony 
Emery, a constable of the town of Portsmoutli, succeeded in 
apprehending the said "Ann Tolman " and bringing her before 
the assembly, which body then ordered that the officer should 
be supplied with " necessary provisions and drink," and also be 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 629 

" payed for his paines and travill therein," at the public ex- 
pense. The lapse of two years had somewhat softened the de- 
termination of the assembly to allow the law to be fully vindi- 
cated upon the culprit, and now the sentence is modified to the 
following form: "The Court doe agree and order, that one halfe 
of her punishment shall be remitted, soe that she shall be but 
once whipt with fifteene stripes, at the towne of Newport; and 
this sentence to be exicuted at thediscression andappojnitment 
of the Governor and Councill; and the line she was then fyned 
is wholly remitted." The record of the transaction here ceases, 
and it has not been learned whether this modified sentence was 
ever executed or not. 

It was not easy to enforce prohibitory laws then, any more 
than it is now. The town meeting in March, 1672, voted: 

" Whereas complaint is made to this meeting of great abuse 
and molestation to the inhabitants of this town by the Indians 
drunkenness which is much occasioned by the frequent prac- 
tices of sevei'al persons who are not licensed to sell strong drink 
to the Indians whereby the peace and quiet of many is much 
disturbed, and for the preventing the said abuses within this 
township it is ordered that for the future no jierson within this 
town shall sell directly nor indirectlj^ any strong drink as 
liquors, syder, wine or strong beer unto any Indian or English 
by retail but only such who are or shall be licensed thereto by the 
town: and if any shall be found transgressing this order upon 
complaint made and jirobation thereon by any person or per- 
sons unto the majestratesor majestrate in this town the ott'end- 
ing person shall forfeit and pay the sum of twenty shillings to 
the town treasury for each defect herein; and if any person as 
aforesaid do not forthwith pay the said penalty it shall be 
taken by distraint out of the estate of the offending person by 
warrant to the constable under the hand of the magestrates 
or magestrate." 

The stocks belonging to the town had become unsuitable for 
use, and January 11th, 17G8, it was voted, '"That Joseph 
Thomas Jun'r Make or Repair a pair of Stocks for this town, 
and to be paid out of This Town's Treasury." 

The great bulk of land belonging to the town was for many 
years preserved in a body and held in common, being mainly 
used for pasturage and the production of timber. Small parcels 
were granted to individuals for home lots and for cultivation. 



630 IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTS'. 

After dividing in this way and apportioning to individuals as 
they desired, small parcels from time to time for many j^ears, a 
general distribution was planned in 1674, and a competent sur- 
veyor, Major John Albro, was directed with the assistance of 
George Brownell, William Wodell and George Sisson to make 
an equitable survey of all such lands. These latids lay princi- 
j)ally in the south part of the town. 

Swine were found to be troublesome, running at large on the 
common land at unseasonable times. It 1682 it was voted "that 
if any swine be found on this Town's common which are above 
a quarter of a yere old between the midle of March next and 
the middl of June next after the owner hath sufficient warning 
and doth not take some spedy cours with them any free man 
hath libertie to kill them swine." Abuses of this kind, how- 
ever, continued and grew worse, until a decided action was taken 
by this town. This was brought about in response to the fol- 
lowing petition: 

" Wee whose names are here under written are free inhab- 
itants and freeholders of the town of Portsmouth, and seeing 
dayly many ereguler and dist)rderly actions by bass 111 minded 
persons in this Town, by tfencing andTakeing in our comonsor 
undivided lands contrary to order. They having no Right so to 
doe, also by turning or puting on many disorderly horse Kind 
on said comons, contrary to a fformer or-der made in this Town, 
against it, as also some giveing Libertie to fforiners not Inhab- 
itants in said Town to bring and turn on horses and sheep to 
Eate and devoure our grass to the great wrong of our ffree- 
holders: And also hog Island is flPuU stocked with sheep, horses 
and other catle, chiefly by those persons as hath very little if 
any Right there: to the great damage of this townes Rams the 
grass being devoured before the time of putting Rams there, 
which bass actions is a great damage to the more orderly and 
honestly minded free Inhabitants and also for suffering all swine 
to goe unyoaked and unringed which doe great damage by 
Rooting up and distroying the ffood to the great damage of all 
the Inhabitants of all which abovesaid ereguler and disorderly 
actions, wee doe Joyntly and unanimosly make this our just 
complaint unto Capt. Joseph Sheffield and Mr. Benjamin Hall, 
Assistants desireing them with all convenient speed to call a 
Town meeting of all the ffreeinhabitants in said town and when 
convened together to consider of some good method for the 



IIISTOUY OF NKWPOIJT COUNTY. 631 

Regulation ol" the above said disorders by making and provid- 
ing such and so many good and lawful! acts and orders as may 
bee for the prevention of all such 111 minded persons and ffor 
the flfntnre good and benititt of all the honest and well minded 
ffree Inhabitants in said towne. June 7th, 1701. 
" Daniel Lawtojst Giles Slocum 

Abraham Anthony " George Brownell 

John Sanford • John Borden 

Thomas Manchester John Anthony 

John Manchester George Sisson 

William Corie Caleu Arnold 

William Arnold John Ward 

William Potter Joseph Cook 

Isaac Lawton " 
The town meeting was called on the IStli of June, and a plan 
adopted for the correction of the abuses mentit)ned. This plan 
employed Captain Joseph Sheffield as an attorney to sue all 
who had illegally enclosed common lands, and reclaim such 
lands; and it inaugurated the office of field drivers, two of 
whom should be chosen annually to range the commons every 
month, and see that all horses were fettered and hoppled, and 
that no freeholder should turn but one horse on the commons. 
All horses found not coniplying with these provisions were im- 
pounded, and their owners charged a fee of one shilling and 
four pence on each. The field drivers were also to impound all 
sheep found not belonging to freeholders, and Hog island 
shonld be exclusively appropriated to the pasturage of the rams 
belonging to the town. Also, it was decreed that all swine 
found on the commons without yokes and rings should be im- 
pounded and held for a fee of four pence each. John Cogge- 
sliall, Jr., and George Cornell were chosen field drivers. 

Stringent measures were taken to preserve the timber grow- 
ing on the common land, which appears to have been frequently 
the subject of waste and useless destruction. In April, 1667, 
this abuse had become so flagrant as to call forth the action of 
the town. A committee of seven men was ai)i)ointed to look 
after the matter, and mature a plan of protection of the lights 
of the town and preservation of the timl)er. 

In October, lC)7r), the town granted to Hugh Cole the privi- 
lege of using such trees as he might find fallen by the wind, 
with which to build a small frame house, and also to use for 



632 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

the purpose .of making wheels for the townsmen, his occupa- 
tion evidently being that of a wheelwright. It was also voted at 
the same time that all green trees on the common lands that 
should fall should be carried away and used, not left on the 
ground longer than a month, the trunk to be used for timber, 
and the toj) to be trimmed out for firewood. In June, 1680, the 
town voted that no Indian should be allowed to cut any wood 
on the common lands on the* " first day of the week," nor in 
the night time. Any freeman finding Indians violating this 
order was authorized to seize the wood and have it for his own 
use. 

The freemen were in the habit of turning their cattle on the 
commons to pasture. Where large numbers of animals l)elong- 
ing to different owners were thus herded together, it was neces- 
sary that some distinguishing mark should be used by which 
every man could identify his own property. This was done by 
means of ear marks. On the tattered leaves of the ancient book 
of records, almost effaced beyond recognition, are the early 
entries of this curious and now obsolete class of records. They 
are numerous. Each man turning cattle on the commons was 
required to adopt some peculiar combination of marks as his 
"ear mark," which was to be registered in the town book, and 
the same mark cut in the ears of his cattle. Among the earliest 
that can now lie read are the following, which are given as 
specimens of their class: 

"The eare marke of Lefftenant Albro is a crope one ye Right 
Eare about the midle of ye Eare & a slitt downe from ye crope 
to ye Rout of ye same Eare and a liapeny one the fore side of 
ye left Eare of nere upon 80 yeares standinge and entered upon 
Record the 30th of november 1667 by me Richard Bulgar towne 
Clarke." 

"The Earemarke of Mr. Calleb Arnold his Cattell is a holl in 
Each Eare of 3 yeres standinge and entred upon Record the 
80th of November 16G7 by me Richard Bulgar towne Clarke." 

"The Eare Marke of the Cattell of Daniell Lawtons Cattle is 
two Nicks behinde the left Eare and one Nick one the fore side 
of ye Right Eare of 4 yeares standinge and is entred upon Rec- 
ord this 16th of Janauery 1667 by me Richard Bulgar towne 
Clarke." 

The customs of early times give a more or less clear picture 
of the character and sentiments of the people. Some of the 



HISTORY OF WEWPORT COUNTY. 633 

most curious, interesting and instructive will be noticed here. 
And in treating this subject perhaps no clearer idea can be 
given of the manner in which the young town did its busi- 
ness than to copy in full the record of one or two of its 
meetings. 

"At a meetinge of ye freeinhabitants Janawery y© 5th, 
1666, Mr. William Baulston wos chosen Moderator for that 
day. The General Courte orders published that day. John 
Pearce admitted that day a freeinhabitant of this towne. Mr. 
Smitten wos that day Receved as a suggener into this towne 
nntell furtlier order. Leflftenant John Albro presented a bill 
of debt about worke done at ye fort. Richard Bulgar pre- 
sented a bill of 30 shill wt wos aproved and past by the voat 
of ye towne." 



"At a Meetinge of ye freeinhabitants of the towne of Ports- 
mouth Aprill ye 23d, 1667. 

"Mr. William Baulston cho.sen moderator for ye day. The 
Generall Sargants worrant Reed in that assembly. Deputies 
chosen for searves in ye Generall assembly, 1 Mr. John Gard, 

2 Mr. William Wodell, 3 Mr. William Hall, 4 Mr. Robert 
Hazard. Grand Jurymen, 1 Adam Mott, 2 Giddion Freeborn, 

3 William Corry. Petty Jurymen, 1 William Cadman, 2 Dan- 
ille Greenell, 3 Thomas fBsh. 

"Voted that Mr. John Sanford, William Wodell, Lefftenant 
John Albro, Thomas Cooke, Senyor, John Tripp, Senyor, Mr. 
William Almy, William Hall, which seven and others that 
these 7 men may advise with are to consider of a way to pre- 
vent the destruction of wood and timber in the comons of this 
lowneship and to Ripen a way of Redres and to present there 
thoughts to ye next towne meetinge. 

"ffinis." 



"At a Meeting of ye ffreeinhabittants of ye towne of Ports- 
mouth Jun ye 3d 1G67. 

"Mr. William Baulston was chosen moderator for that day. 
Richard Bulgar was that day chosen towne Clarke for the 
yeare inshuinge and ingaged. The toAvne Counsell chosen for 
ye yeare inshuinge Mr. William Baulston, Capt. John Sanford, 
Lefif. John Albro, Mr. William Wodell. :\[r. R()l)art Hazard, 
Mr. Samuell Wilber. Ingaged all. Constables chosen John 



6;}4 inSTOKY OK NKWPOld" OOUNTV. 

Brings ScMiyor, cliosuii I'oi' y<' ywire & iii;j,:ig('il, [•"'niiiccs IJiiiitoii 
<!li().SHii for y»* yeare and (Migag^d, Thomas (Jonirll clioscii Tor 
yo yeai'B and ingaged, Tliornas (iinings was I hat, day chosen 
towne sai'gani foi i he yeare inshning and ingaged. Mr. John 
Sanford, Mi'. John 'I'lilip, Senyoi', an' chosen snrvayors of 
<!hattell for y6 yeare inshuinge. Mr. William Banlston chosen 
tresnrer for ye yere & ingaged. 'i'he llcccpricall Ingagenient 
AdniinesU'ed to ye olliceis. 

" nines." 



A ciiiioiis ceremony was that of pr(i(^lainiiMg llic ising, or in 
othei' words acknowledging in a pnblic manner the allegiance 
of llie (own lo the king. Of such a ceremony the records con- 
lain the following minute: 

" Charles the Second by y" grace of god King of Mngland, 
Scolliind, France* & Torland and llie Dominyons (hereof: was in 
a mos( sollem maiKM' pi'oclamed in llic (owne of Por(smontli: 
upon (hc::.'l(ii day of Otilober and in (he 12th yere of liis 
Majesties Raine. 

" (jiod Save (he Kinge." 

In early limes (a.xes were paid sometimes in produce, and 
other transactions wcrc^ adjusted by such, merchandise instead 
of money, cir(!iilatiiig medium ))eing then scarce in the (colony. 
OlliciTsof (he town were p;iid for their servi(H's in the same 
kind of properly. We (iiiod- an c.Mimplc from (he I'ecords 
<la(ed .luni! 2:U\, 1()71): 

" Voled Ihat Tiiomas Jennings shall Ikivc si.v pounds of 
wool jiaid him by ( he Treasurer which is for wainiiig of a Town 
meeting in October, 1(374." 

Some of (luMvcords of marriages and births are iiiteresling, 
Ixilh in regard lolheir foitn and the matter which they contain, 
as throwing light on the early histoi'y of some of (he old 
families of (he loc^ality. We (juote a few of the mosi inler- 
esting : 

"Portsmou(h the 7tli of June 168(;. These are lo declare 
that Thomas Nfanchesler and Margaret Mancliesier his wife, 
living both in (lui sai<l town of Poi'(smou(h declares upon 
oath that (hey heard and saw icdiabod Shellield was married 
Lawfully mariied (o Mary Porter, daiighler lo (Jtioi'ge! I'orier, 
living in the .said town by mr. William l>;iulslon majes(ral(! 
of (he said (own they being m:irried aecording lo law. This 



IIISIOltY OK NKWJ'OltT COUNTY. 636 

li(»in,<i,' tnk(Mi upon oafli l)ofore me Geoift'ci F.awton Assistanf. 
'I'lic hirlli of llin (^liildicii of llu^ ahovesaid Icilialxid SlitHlioM 
ami Mary liis wifn ai'(! afs rollovvclli. 

".loscpli Slii'dicld was born llie 22d day of Au^iimI, in llm 
yi^ar l(i(il. 

"Mary ShefliKld wa.s I)orn llie IJOIli day of Aprill in liio 
year Kili!. 

" Naliiaiiiel SiiL'liifid was l)oin liif Hlli day td' April! in llio 
year 1(J(57. 

" Iciialind Slicliicld was horn I hi' Cil ii day of March in I In; yt*ar 
ICOi). 

•'Amos Shefliold was Ixirn Hk; '2C){.U day of .huu' in I 1ih yeai' 
I07:i" 



" in i'orl union ill on Kliodn Island, in I Ih' (lolony of I Miudn Is- 
land and Providence Planlalioiis in New England lire nine and 
Twcnlielh day of Jannary in I Im year of the Lord one Thonsand 
six hundred s(!venly nin(! Ahiel Tiippof Porlsmonlli ar(»resaid 
Did lake to wife Deliverance liall of llie said I'oilsmonlh and 
lliey I hesaid Ahiel and l)eliv(uance wei'e lln'ii and Lhere.loyned 
together in marriage by me, 

".John AiJiiio Assistant." 

" Thomas Hish of tlie 'I'own of Porl,smoul,h .1 un'i' was mari'i(fd 
nnlo (iiizigon Strainge dangliler of John Strainge of t,he said 
Portsmoiilii Ihe Kith day of I)ecend)er in t,lie yeai' H508: tiie 
birlh of (he said Thomas and (fiizigoii lishis children ai'e as 
Ifolloweth; 

" tli(;ir danglil(!r: Alice flish was l)orn(i tin; l.Olli day of Sep- 
l<!mhei' in the y(*ar Hi?!: 

"(Jriz/.ili lish was boi nc I he I2lli day of Aprill in the year 
KiTii. 

" Hope flisli was borne Ihe Alh day of tnai(di in Ihe year lOTJ. 

" Preserved dish was borne Ihe |-illi day of AngusI in the 
yi;ar J(i7'J: 

" nielielabell flish was liorn Ilie22d day of .Inly in Ihe year 
1084." 



While speaking of family hislmy and marriage records, we 
will give a si)eciinen <if a curious marriage cerlilicale whicdi may 
lie found duly recorded in the town book. This singular form (jf 
ceremony, it appears, was required in the marriage of a widow, 



636 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUKTY. 

in order to absolve the second husband from any obligations on 
account of the previous associations of his wife. The follow- 
ing is copied from the record: 

" March the 11th day 17if 

"Then did Philip Shearman take the widow Hannah Clarke 
in her shift without any other apparrel as I could discern and 
led her aCross the liighway as the law directs in such Cases and 
was then married according to law 

"by me William Hall, Justice. 
" the above written 
" is a true Coppy Recorded 
" pr. Wm. Sanford Town Clerk." 

Among the early enterpiises of the people was the building 
of wharves for tiie accommodation of the commerce, which was 
an important factor in the prospective life of the settlement, 
and indeed one of i)roportionately greater immediate impoi'tance 
than now. In 1682 the town granted permission to diderent 
persons to build wharves against the shores of tiie island. 
Among such grants were the following: William Earle was 
granted permission to build a wharf " four rod northwardly 
from Abiel Tripp's wharf." It appears that some had begun to 
build wharves without apprehending that the town had any au- 
thority in the matter, but supposing that individuals might run 
out wharves from their own lands without permission from the 
town. The town, however, wished its authority to be properly 
recognized, whife no disposition appears to have been mani- 
fested to prevent the full development of all such individual 
enterj)rise as should appear. Liberty at this time was granted 
to John Borden and Abiel Tripp to finish the wharves which 
they had respectively begun. Permission was also granted to 
Joseph Anthony " to build a wharf against the house which he 
now dwelleth in." 

One of the first necessities that presented themselves to the 
primitive settlement was the need of some means of reducing 
the products of the grain fields to flour or meal. Nature must 
be appealed to for power in some shape to turn the stones 
which should grind the grain. Streams of water which, in most 
parts of the country, were numerous enough for this purpose, 
were very scanty on this naiTow island. Hence the winds of 
heaven, which always blew freely across these hills, offered a 
more available power for the most of this work. As an induce- 



IIISTOHY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 637 

ment for the erection of such a public convenience the town 
voted, October J2th, 1675, that "a windmill may have soemuch 
ground out of the Comon as the sweep carries round." Wind- 
mills, however, had already been established. As early as 1608 
William Earle and William Corry had a windmill on Briggs' 
hill. A water mill was, however, not an unknown thing on the 
island. February 17tli, 1082, the town considered and granted 
a petition from William Richetson to erect a water mill "for 
public use between the place where John Tyler's mill stood or 
near thereunto between that and Gideon ifreeborns land. And 
to that end to have liberty to make a damm or dams and also 
to make such trench or trenches as may be suitable in that Re- 
spect and also to grant him one acre of land near thereunto for 
his accommodation so long as he shall keepe and maintnine or 
cause to be kept and maintained a mill there." How long the 
site was occupied is not known, but with the clearing of the 
land the fountains of the few streams on the island were 
weakened, so that water power became a thing quite impractic- 
able here. The wind must furnish power to grind the grain. 

Among the mosl prominent features of Portsmouth land- 
scapes to-day are the great windmills, whose revolving arms of 
white are pictured against the darker clouds with an effect 
commanding the attention and admiration of every beholder. 
They occupy the high grounds, where they are seen from all 
directions, and from long distances. No traveler passes by on 
the waters of the bay who does not admire their picturesque 
appearance. There are five of them now in opei'ation in the 
town. These are operated by or upon the lands of Daniel 
Almy, William M. Manchester, Henry Anthonj', Job Soule, 
and Leander Royd. 

The connecting link between the town and the colonial gov- 
ernment was the committee, or deputies, or representatives, as 
they were variously called. These were numerous during the 
colonial period — too much so to be given in full here; but as 
the first half century was one full of interest, in its history and 
the men who figured therein, we shall give the names of those 
who represented the town in the councils of the colony during 
that period. These deputies were chosen for each session of the 
assembly, which met several times a year, two or more times 
statedly and as many more times as the temporary circum- 
stances required. 



638 HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Under the charter of 1648, organized in 1647, the first assem- 
bly convened at Portsmouth on the 19th, 20th and 21st of May, 
1647. This assembly was composed of the majority of the free 
inhabitants or landholders of the colony. Thus Portsmouth 
may boast the honor of being the scene of the first meeting of 
the colonial assembly, the birthplace of the organization which 
has since become the state government, in fact the first capital 
of the present state of Rhode Island. At that meeting it was 
voted that if the number of those jiresent should be reduced by 
the departure of men to their homes, to the number of forty, 
they should be a quorum, competent to continue the delibera- 
tions and transact the business of the body as though all had 
remained. A budget of acts was passed and the organization 
of the government effected. Under it the number of represent- 
atives from each town was fixed at six. Tliese rei^resentatives 
were constituted the general assembly of the colony, also called 
the repiesentative court, and it was enacted that this court 
should "consist of six discreet and able men chosen out of each 
Towiie for the transacting of the affaires of the Commonwealth; 
and being mett they shall have powre to make and establish 
rules and penalties for the ordering of themselves during their 
sessions." One of the first records found of the election of 
deputies is as follows: 

"May the lUth 1654. 

"At a towne meetinge of the Free Inhabitants of Ports- 
mouth it is agreed by voate to send a Committee of six men 
for this towne unto the General Court to be held at Warwick 
this present month of May." 

About the year 1671 there appear to have been some move- 
ments made in the colony to lessen the number of deputies 
from the several towns to the general assembly, and to increase 
their pay. This town was favoral)le to an effort to pay more 
promptly the expense of their deputies, but refused to accpiiesce 
in the i)lan of leducing the number. Evidently the people had 
greater confidence in the sapei'ior counsel of numbers. 

The following is as complete a list of the deputies represent- 
ing the town in the different successive sessions of the general 
assembly as records existing render it possible to make it: 

May, 1648: Captain Morris, John Tripj^ George Lay ton, Wil- 
liam Ahny, John Briggs, Samuel Wilbor, Jr. 



HISTORY OF NEWPOUT COUNTY. 639 

May, 1658: Jonathan Mott, Richard Snssel, John San- 
ford, Jr. 

Maj% 1054: Richard Rordin, John Briggs, Thomas Lawton, 
Edward Andros, .lolui Anthony, Siimuel Wilson. 

Augnst, 10.')4: William Baiilston, Richard Burden, John 
Roome, Thomas Cornell, John Briggs, William Mall. 

September, 1654: William Baulston, Richard Burden, John 
Roome, John Briggs, John Tripp, Thomas Cornell. 

May, 1655: William Baulston, John Roome, John Tripp,. 
John Briggs, Thomas Laighton, Thomas Brownell. 

June, 1655: William Baulston, John Roome, John Briggs, 
John Tripp, Thomas Laighton, Thomas Brownell. 

March, 1656: John Roome, Thomas Layton, William Alraie, 
Samuel Wilbore, John Briggs, John Sanford. 

October, 1656: William Baulston, Richard Burden, John 
Briggs, William Hall, William Woodell, James Badcocke. 

May, 16.57: William Alniy, Richard Burden, William Pree- 
boriie, John Sanford, John Greene, Edward Greenman. 

March, 1658: William Baulston, John Porter, Thomas Lay- 
ton, Samuel Wilbore, James Badcocke, John Sanford. 

November, 1658: Benedict Arnold, William Baulston, John 
Tripp, Henry Pearcy, John Almy, John Sanford. 

May, 1659: Benedict Arnold, William Baulston, Roger Wil- 
liams, Joseph Clarke, Samuel Wilbore, John Sanford. 

August, 1659: William Baulston, John Briggs, John Roome, 
John Porter, James Badcocke, John Sanford. 

May, 1600: John Porter, William Hall, Samuel Wilbore, 
Lieutenant John Albro, Edward Fisher, John Sanford. 

October, 1660: William Brenton, William Baulston, Benedict 
Arnold, Philip Tabor, Richard Morris, Jolin Sanford. 

May, 1061: William Baulston, John Roome, John Briggs, 
Thomas Brownell, Lieutenant John Albro, John Tripp, Peter 
Tallman. 

May, 1662: Peter Tallman, William Baulston, John Sanford, 
Robert Hazard, Francis Bi-ayt.on, Thomas Greene. 

October, 1062: William Baulston, John Brydges, JolinTriiip, 
Samuel Wilbore, John Sanford, Thomas Brownell. 

May, 1003: William Baulston, John Brydges, John Tripp, 
Samuel Wilbore, John Sanford, Thomas Brownell. 

October, 1663: William Almie.Lott Strange, William Woodall, 
Francis Brayton, William Hall, Philip Tabor. 



640 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

November, 1663: William Almie, Lot Strange, William 
Wodall, Francis Bray ton, William Hall, Philip Tabor. 

May, 1664: William Baulston, John Sanford, Robert Hazard, 
Thomas Cooke, Jolin Briggs, Thomas Brownell. 

October, 1664: William Woodall, Thomas Cornell, Samuel 
Wilbore, Joshua Coggeshall. 

February, 1665: William Woodall, Lott Strange, William 
Hall, Peter Tollman. 

October, 1665: John Sanford, George Lawton, Philip Sher- 
man, John Briggs. 

May, 1666: John Sanford, Thomas Lawton, William Wodell, 
John Albro. 

September, 1666: John Tripp, John Anthony, Lieutenant 
John Albro, John Sanford. 

October, 1666: John Card, John Sanford, Joshua Coggeshall, 
John Albro. 

May, 1667: John Card, William Wodell, William Hall, 
Robert Hazard. 

July, 1667: John Card, Philip Sherman, Edward Lay, John 
Tripp, Sr. 

May, 1668: William Hall, Left. John Albro, Joshua Cogge- 
shall, Capt. John Sanfoixl. 

October, 1668: John Sanford, John Briggs, John Tripp, John 
Albro. 

May, 1669: John Sanford, John Briggs, Sr., John Tripp, Sr., 
Lott Strainge. 

October, 1669: John Sanford, Samuel Wilbur, Francis Bray- 
ton, William Woodel. 

June, 1670; Joshua Coggeshall, Samuel Wilbur, Robert Haz- 
ard, Lott Strainge. 

October 13, 1670: Joshua Coggeshall, Robert Hazard, William 
Cadman, John Cooke. 

October 26, 1670: Joshua Coggeshall, William Woodell, Rich- 
ard Borden, John Sanford. 

May, 1671: Thomas Cornell, William Smyton, Joshua Cogge- 
shall, John Sanford. 

September and October, 1671: John Sanford, Robert Hazard, 
Caleb Arnold, Lt. Francis Bray ton. 

March, 1672: John Sanford, Joshua Coggeshall, George Law- 
ton, Thomas Cornell. 

April 2, 1672: John Sanford, John Tripp, George Lawton, 
Thomas Cornell. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 641 

April 30, 1672; William Wodell, William Hall, Edward Fish- 
er, Aiithonj^ Einry. 

October, 1672: Jolm Sanford, John Tripp, John Anthony, 
William Cadman. • 

May, 1673: William Hall, William Wodell, William Cadman, 
Robert Dennis. 

October, 1673: John Sanford, Edward Fisher, Adam Mott, 
John Borden. 

May, 1674: John Sanford, William Cadman, Lott Strainge, 
William Woodell. 

October, 1674; Jacob Mott, Daniel Lawton, Thomas Fisher, 
Sr., John Anthony, Jr. 

May, 1675: Captain John Albro, George Lawton, Gideon Free- 
borne, William Woodell. 

May, 1676: George Lawton, Samuel Wilbore, Gideon Free- 
borne, Lt. Francis Bray ton. 

October, 1676: William Woodell, Matthew Bordin, John 
Bordin, Daniel Lawton. 

May, 1677: John Sanford, Francis Brayton, Edward Lay, 
Thomas Wood. 

October, 1677: John Sanford, George Lawton, Caleb Arnold, 
Latham Clarke. 

April, 1678: John Sanford, Hugh Parsons, William Cory, 
William Wilbore. 

October, 1678: William Woodell, Robert Hodgson, Francis 
Brayton, Sr., Latham Clarke. 

May, 1679: George Lawton, William Cory, Francis Brayton, 
William Cadman. 

October, 1679: Latham Clarke, William Woodell, Pelleg 
Tripp, John Borden. 

May, 1680: George Lawton, William Wodell, William Cory, 
John Borden. 

October, 1680: William Cadman, Latham Clarke, Peleg 
Tripp, John Briggs, Sr. 

May, 1681: Latham Clarke, William Wodell, Peleg Tripp, 
Arthur Cook. 

October, 1681: John Sanford, Caleb Arnold, Arthur Cooke, 
Gideon Freeborne. 

May, 1682: ^Villiam Cadman, Latham Clarke, Henry Bright- 
man, William Wodell. 

October, 1682: Gideon Freeborne, Caleb Arnold, Joseph 
Nicholson, Robert Hodgson. 



642 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

May, 1683: William Wodell, John Albro, Latham Clarke, 
Thomas Cornell. 

June, 1083: John Sanford, Latham Clarke, Robert Hodgson, 
Pelt^ Tripp. 

Augnst, 1683: William Wodell, Caleb Arnold, Arthur Cooke, 
Latliam Clarke. 

October, 1683: John Sanford, Henry Brightman, Peleg Tripp, 
John Coggeshall. 

May, 1684: William Wodell, Francis Brayton, Caleb Arnold, 
Robert Dennis. 

May, 168o: Latham Clarke, Henry Brightman, John Cogge- 
shall, Joseph Nicolson. 

October, 1685: Matthew Borden, John Sanford, Thomas Cor- 
nell, Giles Slocum. 

May. 1686: William Wodell, John Coggeshall, Peleg Tripp, 
Robert Hodgson. 

October, 1686: Thomas Townsend, Isaac Lawton, Captain 
Robert Lawton, Latham Clarke. 

October, 1689: Christopher Almy, Isaac Lawton, Henry 
Brightman, Samson Shearman. 

February, 1690: Christopher Almy, Ichabod Sheffield, Henry 
Brightman, Latham Clarke. 

May, 1690: George Sisson, Gideon Freeborn, Henry Bright- 
man, Robert Lawton. 

September, 1690: George Sisson, Peleg Tripp, Giles Slocum, 
Ichabod Sheffield. 

May, 1691: Henry Brightman, Latham Clarke, William Cog- 
geshall, John Reese. 

February, 1692: Christopher Almy, Giles Slocum, Isaac Law- 
ton, Thomas Durfee. 

May, 1698: George Lawton, Jr., William Earle, Peleg Shear- 
man, Thomas Cornell. 

March, 1694: Thomas Durfee, George Sisson, William Wil- 
bur, John Ward. 

September, 1694: Isaac Lawton, Latham Clarke, George Law- 
ton, William Cory. 

May, 1696: John Coggeshall, Joseph Sheffield, William Cory, 
Isaac Lawton. 

, 1697: John Anthony, John Coggeshall, John Bor- 
den, Robert Fisli. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 643 

Januarj', 1698: John Coggeshall, John Borden, Gideon Free- 
borne, George Brownell. 

May, 1698: Latham Clarke, Isaac Lawton, Robert Fish, 
Robert Lawton. 

September, 1698: Joseph Cook, John Corey, John Borden, 
Daniel Pears. 

May, 1699: George Brownell, Benjamin Hall, Isaac Lawton, 
John Ward. 

October, 1699: John Borden, George Sisson, Joseph Cook, 
John Cory. 

May, 1700: George Brownell, Isaac Lawton, Benjamin Hall, 
John Ward. 

October, 1700: Daniel Lawton, Thomas Cornell, Jr., William 
Arnold, Matthew Borden. 

March, 1701: John Borden, Thomas Durfee, Benjamin Hall, 
Abraham Anthony. 

May, 1701: Giles Slocum, John Ward, Daniel Peai-ce, Ben- 
jamin Hall. 

October, 1701: John Cory, John Sanford, George Sisson, 
Thomas Dnrfee, Jr. 

March, 1702: Abraham Anthony, John Coggeshall, John 
Borden, Giles Slocum. 

May, 1702: George Sisson, Isaac Lawton, George Brownell, 
Robert Lawton. 

October, 1702: John Borden, Giles Slocum, Abraham Anthony, 
John Ward. 

November, 1702: Giles Slocum, John Borden, Thomas Cor- 
nell, Jr., Jeremiah Lawton. 

January, 1703: Caleb Arnold, Isaac Lawton, George Sisson, 
George Brownell. 

May, 1703: John Coggeshall, Abraham Anthony, Gideon 
Freeborn, John Ward. 

October, 1703: William Earll, John Anthony, John Bordin, 
John Coggeshall. 

May, 1704: Isaac Lawton, Joseph Cook, Benjamin Hall, 
Thomas Cornell. 

October, 1704: John Borden, Abraham Anthony, Gideon 
Freeborn, William Earll. 

May, 170.5: Isaac Lawton, George Sisson, Abraham Anthony, 
Benjamin Hall. 

June, 1705: John Borden, Jacob Mott, Jr., John Coggeshall, 
Jr., Jonathan Hill. 

41 



644 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUKTY. 

August, 1705: George Brownell, John Coggeslmll, Benjamin 
Hal], Isaac Lawton. 

October, 1705: John Borden, George Cornell, Giles Slocum, 
Jr., William Allin. 

March, 1706: George Brownell, Isaac Lawton, Latham Clark, 
Benjamin Hall. 

May, 1706: Caleb Arnold, Isaac Lawton, William Earll, George 
Sisson. 

June, 1706: Caleb Arnold, Isaac Lawton, Benjamin Hall, Wil- 
liam Earll. 

September, 1706: William Earll, Abraham Anthony, Ben- 
jamin Shearman, Jeremiah Smith. 

February, 1707: George Sisson, Benjamin Hall, Abraham 
Anthony, Joseph Cook. 

May, 1707; Benjamin Hall, William Arnold, Benjamin Shear- 
man, Abraham Anthony. 

During the trying times of the revolution this town, in com- 
mon with the other parts of the island, was occupied by the 
British. The remark has been made by a historian of this state 
that there were "a vast many tories in Rhode Island, particu- 
larly on the Island, at the commencement of the troubles." 
However true this might have been of other parts of the island, 
■we think it a distortion of the truth as far as the town of Ports- 
mouth was concerned. We have no reason to doubt but that 
the people of this town were alive to the duties of the hour, and 
as fully imbued with patriotic devotion as were the people of 
other New England towns. 

One of the lirst documentary evidences of the patriotic sen- 
timents of the people is found under date of January 11th, 
1768, when Portsmouth in town meeting considered the ques- 
tion of Biitish oppressions, and voted " that the inhabitants 
will comply with the same measures for the Promoting and In- 
couraging of Industry, Frugality & our own Manufactures 
that the town of Newport hath come into." The town council 
was also instructed to reply by letter to the communication of 
Newport in effect as stated. The i^eople of this town also par- 
ticipated in the subsequent events of the eve of the revolution 
with as hearty a zest as any, but their active and open patriot- 
ism was smothered by the island falling into the occupancy of 
the British soldiers. During the war the people suffered 
gi'eatly from the opi)ressions of the troops, their 2)roperty and 



•I 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 645 

their lives being at the mercy of a tyrant and his ruthless 
horde. During the summer of 1774 the liarbor of Newport was 
blockaded by the British squadron, and raids were made tlience 
on different points in the bay. In December they made a de- 
scent with about two liundred and fifty men upon the island of 
Prudence, belonging to this town. This attack had been antic- 
ipated and a force of militia had been stationed there to pro- 
tect the cattle, but they were too weak to do so, and were fortu- 
nate in saving themselves by making a successful retreat to 
Warwick neck. 

As the war clouds darkened, preparations were made to defend 
the island against the possible attacks of the Britisii. Golone' 
Barton, witii a force of militia, was stationed in Middletown. 
In May, 1775, the assembly, in order to prevent the danger of 
propei'ty being carried away by a sudden descent of the British 
army from the fleet upon Newport, resolved to remove the 
general treasury thence to Providence, and also the secretary's 
office. In the distribution of arms to the several towns for their 
protection, William Anthony, the town treasurer of Ports- 
mouth, whose office it was to receive them here, being a Quaker, 
would not receive them because of his religious scruples. The 
assembly then appointed the Honorable Metcalfe Bowler to re- 
ceive the proportion of the colony arms for this town. In Au- 
gust, 1775, the following officers were appointed by the assem- 
bly to command the company of minute men for this town: 
John Earl, captain; James Peckham, lieutenant; and Cook 
W^ilcox, ensign. A company of men was stationed on Pru- 
dence to protect the stock and hay that was stored there, but 
the assembly decided in January, 1776, that it was not safe to 
retain them there, so that body directed the removal of the 
property, and the transfer of the company to the defense of 
Bristol. 

From the peculiarly exposed position of the island it was 
deemed expedient to abandon the post occupied by Barton, and 
his force was transferred to Tiverton heigiits. On the 7tli of 
December, 1776, the British fleet anchored in the bay, and two 
days later the army, having disembarked without resistance, 
marched into Newport. A large number of them were soon 
quartered in the farm houses all over the island. The people 
■were, however, allowed to remove tlieir j^roperty and families 
from the island. In doing this tlie waters of Narragansett bay 



646 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

presented a scene the like of which was never seen before nor 
has ever been seen since. Everything that couki be put in re- 
quisition was employed to bring the jioor families off. Those 
who had nothing to lose by staying were the most anxious to 
flee, and the multitudes who thus left their homes on the is- 
land for some refuge on the main gave the waters a lively scene. 
But many of the people who had property to defend remained 
and endured tlie hardshijis, the oppressions, the robbery, the 
personal indignities and abuse, and the spoliation which the 
British troops, under the leadershij) of Preseott, were pleased 
to practice upon them. 

During the years of war which followed, this town was the 
scene of two events of national importance. These were the cap- 
ture of Preseott, and the battle of Rhode Island. The capture 
of Preseott was one of the most daring but well planned and 
completelj^ successful exploits in the annals of the war. It took 
place in the summer of 1777, the British General Preseott, then 
having charge of the island, being quartered at a house in the 
southwestern part of the town, on land now owned by Joseph 
Chase. The account of the exploit is given, as it was after- 
ward narrated by Greneral Barton, who conceived and led its 
execution to so successful a consummation. The account, in 
General Barton's own hand writing, is preserved in the cabinet 
of the Rhode Island Historical Society, and has never before 
appeared in print. By the kind permission of that society it is 
presented entire. 

"A narrative of the particulars of the capture of Major 
General Preseott and his aid de camp. Major Barrington. 

"In the month of November, A.D. 1776, a detachment of 
british troops took Major General Lee prisoner by surprise. 
Having a ver}'^ high opinion of the Generals abilities I was re- 
solved if ever an opportunity offered to surprise a Major General 
of the british army with the view to procure his exchange. In 
the month of December the same year the enemy took posses- 
sion of the islands Rhode island, Conannicut and Prudence. 
I then being in the service of this state was ordered to the post 
of Jamestown where I used the greatest endeavor to get intelli- 
gence Qf some british officer of the same rank with Major 
General Lee whom I might surprise and then effect an exchange 
of the great man. On the 20th of June 1777 a Mr. Coffin made 
his escape from the enemy on Rhode Island and was brought to 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 647 

my quarters; being examined where Major General Prescott 
quartered, he said, at the liouse of a Mr. Reuiington on tlie 
west side of the ishiud, and being requested gave a (les(!ri])ti(in 
of the house. I now entered verj'' seriously on the plan of sur- 
prising General Prescott in his own quarters. A few days after 
tins a deserter came off the island who gave the same intelli- 
gence with Mr. Coffin. I could not yet enter fully on the enter- 
prise there were so many obstacles presented themselves. The 
troops as well as myself were not long inured to service and 
never had attempted an enterprise of this sort, & I was sensible 
if this plan should be blasted, that my country would reprobate 
my conduct as rash and imprudent; but after some considerable 
struggle with these difficulties I determined to tlirow myself 
into the hands of fortune and make the attempt. I communi- 
cated my plan to Col'n Stanton the then commanding officer at 
this post, & requested his permission to i)nt it in execution. 
He very readily gave me liberty to go and attack the enemy 
when and where I pleased. I then selected several officers in 
whose abilities & secrecy from a long personal acquaintance I 
could confide. T then asked them if they were willing to go 
with me on an enterprise, but wliere and for what particular 
enterprise I could not then inform them. They all consented 
to go. The names of the officers were, Samuel Phillips, Capt. 
Joshua Babcock, Lieut. Andrew Stanton, Ensign John Wil- 
cocks. The next step to be taken was to procure boats, which 
was attended with some difficulty, as there was but two at our 
post, however in two or three days we obtained five whale boats 
and had them fitted in the best possible manner. All was now 
ready except the men who had not been procured for fear it should 
create suspicion. As I wished to have them all volunteers the 
regiment was ordered to be paraded. I then thus addressed 
them: Brother Soldiers I am about undertaking an enterprise 
against the enemy. I wish to have about forty volunteers, 
those who dare to risque their lives with me on this occasion 
will advance two paces in the front. At this the whole I'egi- 
ment advanced. I then thanked them for their willingness to 
go with me, but as it was not necessary to have the whole 
regiment beginning on the right I went through the regiment 
& whenever I came to a soldier who understood rowing & on 
whom I might depend I chose him out from the others. Hav- 
ing thus obtained the men and all things in readiness we em- 



648 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

barked on Mie 4(h of July, with an intention to proceed to 
Bristol. After we got into Mount Hope bay there came on a 
heavy storm of thunder and rain, by which I lost sight of all 
the boats but one; the two boats which were not separated 
pushed on with all speed and landed at Bristol 1 o'clock at 
night, being the 5th. I went to the commanding officers quar- 
ters where there was a deserter who had just made his escape 
from Rhode Island; taking him into a room by myself I ques 
tioned him concerning the enemy's position, whether there had 
been any alteration in the British encampment within a few 
days, he said there had not; I then asked him where the com- 
manding chief quartered; he very much surprised me when he 
answered in the town of New-port: I asked him if ever he 
went with such a guard as a sergeant & ten men to the west 
part of the island; he told me he had not; I again asked him if 
he knew of such a guards being detached from the grand par- 
ade every morning at 8 o'clock; he said he did. I was now very 
well convinced that part of what he said arose from his ignor- 
ance of the quarters. At 8 o'clock the other boats joined us. 
I then took the officers with me on a small island (called hog 
island) in plain sight of the British encampments and shipping, 
where, after we had viewed them some with a glass, I thus ad- 
dressed them: Gentlemen: the enterprise which I have projected 
and which I want your assistance to execute is this to go on to 
the island of Rhode Island, surprise Major General Prescott at 
his own quarters and bring him prisoner to the main. The 
officers who knew nothing of my intention seemed somewhat 
suri:)rised; I gave them all the intelligence which had been ob- 
tained, the situation of the house where the General quartered, 
the part each must act, & in short every particular of the in- 
tended enterprise. The officers then very readily consented to 
what I had proposed. After giving them the most solemn 
charge not to communicate to any one the least liint of our en- 
terprise we returned to Bristol where we staid till the 6th at 
night; then about 9 o'clock P. M. we embarked & crossing 
Narragansett Bay landed on Warwick Neck from whence we 
meant to take our de^rarture for the island. On the 7th the 
wind came into the E.N.E. which brought on a storm & retarded 
the execution of the plan. On the 8th the weather was fair 
but there were several new obstacles which hinderd our going. 
The next day being the 9tli the weather promising everything 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 



649 



appeared to invite us to the enterprise. The boats were now 
numbered & every one assigned his boat and seat, to every boat 
there was one commissioned officer besides one with me. Night 
now came. About 9 o'cloclv P. M., I formed my little party, 
consisting of forty-one men officers and men into a circle and 
thus addressed them. My fellow Soldiers, I think it my duty 
before you proceed on our intended enterprise to make you ac- 
quainted with it, with the importance and danger of it; to be 
brief my plan is to go on to the island of Rhode Island & 
marching to Major General Prescotts quarters, to make him 
prisoner. I wish not to deceive you: the enterprise will be at- 




THE UAPTUKE OF MAJOK GENKR.^L I'KESCOTT. 



tended with danger & it is probable some of us may pass the 
shades of death before it is accomplished. I will not ask you 
to encounter any hazard but what T sluill be exposed to equally 
with you. I pledge my honor that in any difficulty & danger 
I will take the lead. I paused for a moment when they all 
with one will cried out, we will go, we will go. I then said 
Soldiers you must be sensible how much the success of our 
enterprise depends on the strictest attention to order. I entreat 
you not to have the least idea of plunder for if that has over- 
thrown the greatest armies, what will it do with us who are 



6.0() HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

but a handful. I charge you not to utter a syllable «t when 
you come to the boats let each one place himself in his own 
boat and upon his own seat. If there is any one in the party 
who has been so improvident as to furnish himself with spiiitu- 
ous liquors I order him to leave it. I must entreat you as yon 
regard your lives and honor that you keep yourselves cool & 
at the same time firmly resolved to face any danger that shall 
attend us in our present undertaking. I doubt not that if you 
succeed yonr country will award j-ou if not you will be re- 
warded in the eternal world for we are endeavoring to get him 
that is bound in prison, viz. General Lee. As this may be the 
last time that lever shall have an opportunity of addressing 
^•ou all I offer up my sincere prayer to the Great Disposer of 
all events that he will be pleased to smile on our intended 
enterprise; if consistent with his will may success attend us and 
each one be returned to his friends. After this address we pro- 
ceed to the shore. I direct the commanding oflicer at this port 
to keep a look out, and if he should hear three distinct muskets 
to come on to the north end of Prudence to take us off for we 
had reason to fear tliat the men of war would send out their 
boats to cut us off from the main. We were now come lo oui' 
boats, that I went in was posted in the front with a pole about 
ten feet long & an handkerchief tied to the end so that my 
boat might be known from the others, and that none might go 
before it. We went between the islands. Prudence and Patience 
in order that the shipping which lay against Hope Isle might 
not discover us. We rowed under the west side of Prudence 
till we came to the south end where we heard the enemy on 
board the shijis crying out all is well. When we were within 
about three-quarters of a mile off Rhode Island we heard a 
noise like the running of horses. This threw a consternation 
over the minds of the whole partj'; but no one spoke as I had 
given the most ])ositive orders not to have a syllable uttered. 
In thinking on tlie matter for a moment I was sure lliat the 
enemy could not have the least knowledge of our design & con- 
cluded that it must be horses running as they often would do. 
We now pushed for the shore. There was a man left to each 
boat to keep them ready for a push for we ex[)ected that the 
enemy might try to impede our retreat. The party being now 
ready, we marched with the greatest silence in five divisions to 
the house were the General quartered. The entrance into it 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 651 

was by three doors, on tlie south, the east and the west. The 
first division was to attack the soutli door; the second the 
west; the third the east; the fourtli to guard the road; the 
fifth to act on emergencies. We left the guard house on 
our left, and on the right was a house where a party 
of light horse quartered, in order to carry orders from the 
General to any part of the island. When we opened the gate 
of the front yard, the sentinel who stood about twenty-five 
yards from us hailed who conies there, we gave no answer, 
but continued marching on, there being a row of trees between 
us and the sentinel, he could not so well discover our number, 
he again hailed who comes there, We answered friends, friends 
advance and give the countersign, I spoke as though in a great 
passion & said we have no countersign Have you seen anj' de- 
serters to night, Tiiis had been purposely contrived as a decoy 
which had the desired effect for before he suspected us to be 
enemies we had hold of his musquet, told him he was prisoner 
& if he made the least noise he should be instantly put to death, 
We asked him if General Prescott was in the house: he was so 
frightened that at first he could not speak, but at last with a 
faulteriug voice & waving his hand toward the house said yes. 
By this time, each division having got its station the doors were 
burst open. We first went into a chamber where we saw a Mr. 
Obering the General was not there; we entered into another room 
where was Mr. Obering' s son He said the General was not there. 
I then went to the head of the stair way & called for the 
soldiers to set the house on fire, for we was determined to 
have the General dead or alive. On this we went below and 
called for General I'rescot; we heard a voice saying what is 
the matter. I proceeded from whence it came & entering a 
room saw a man jnst rising out of bed clapping him on tiie 
sh(uilder asked him if he was General Prescott. He replied 
yes sir. I told him he was my prisoner. He rejoined, 
I acknowledge it Sir. I desired him to hurry, he re- 
quested he might stay to put on his clothes, I told him very 
few for our business required haste. In the mean time, Major 
Barrington the Generals aid de camp finding the house was at- 
tacked leaped out of the window, but by the time he was to 
the ground was secured a prisoner. After the General had 
slipped on a few clothes we marched for the shore. We de- 
sired the General to put one arm over my shoulder and the 



652 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

other over .one of the other officers that he might go with the 
greatest ease and dispatch. Major Barrington & the sentinel was 
kept in the middle of the party. In a little time we came to 
the shore. The General seeing the five small boats & knowing 
in what manner the shijDping lay, appeared much confused and 
asked me if I commanded the i)arty. I told him I did. He 
said, I hope you will not hurt me. I assured him whilst in our 
I)ower he should not be injured. Before we got into the Iwats 
we put on the General's coat, for as yet he had on only waist- 
coat, breeches, & slippers, we were very soon seated in our 
boats, the General in number 1. After we had gotten a small 
distance from the shore, we heard the cannon and saw three 
skyrockets which was the signal for an alarm. It was fortunate 
for us, that the enemy on board could not know the cause of 
it, as they might with ease have cut off our return to the main_ 
We proceeded on till broad day light, when we landed at War- 
wick Neck, near the place from whence we took our departure, 
having been gone six hours and a half. The General when on 
shore, turned towards the island and beholding the shipping, 
said to me. Sir, you have made a damed bold push to night. I 
replyed that we had been fortunate. We went to the nighest 
house, where the General and his aid de camp were asked if 
they would rest themselves with sleep which they did. In the 
mean time we sent to Warwick town for a horse and chaise with 
orders to the tavern keeper there to procure the best breakfast 
possible for the General and his aid de camp, and sent an ex- 
press to Major General Spencer at Providence communicating 
the success of our enterprise. It was not long before the ar- 
rival of a coach, which General Spencer had dispatched to con- 
duct the General Prisoner to Providence. I accompanied them 
and related to General Spencer the particulars of our successful 
expedition; he was pleased to express his approbation in the 
strongest terms. It is unnecessary to add that the principal 
object of the enterprise was afterwards effected in the exchange 
of General Prescot for General Lee. 

"End. Wm. Barton." 
The men who volunteered and accompanied Barton on this 
expedition, besides the officers whom he mentions, were Ebene- 
zer Adams and Samuel Potter, officers, and the following pri- 
vates: Benjamin Prew, James Potter, Henry Fisher, James 
Parker, Joseph Guild, Nathan Smith, Isaac Brown, Billington 



IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 653 

Crumb, James Haines, Samuel Apis, Alderman Crank, Oliver 
Simmons, Jack Sherman, Joel Bi'iggs, Clark Packard, Samuel 
Cory, James Weaver, Clark Crandall, Sampson George, Joseph 
Kalph, Jedediah Grenale, Richard Hare, Daniel Wale, Joseph 
Denis, William Brnff, Charles Havett, Pardon Cory, Thomas 
Wilcox, Jeremiah Tiiomas, John Hunt, Thomas Austin, Daniel 
Page, Jack Sisson and Wiiiting. 

After the exchange of Prescott for General Lee, the former 
was returned to command at Newport. But though nothing 
materially valuable was gained by the exploit, its effect was al- 
most magical upon the depressed American cause. The spirits 
of the army as well as of the people were roused by it, and the 
fires of hope and encouragement for the American cause were 
kindled with renewed brilliancy. When the news reached the 
northern army it occasioned great rejoicing and exultation. It 
even lifted the dark cloud which hung over the face of Wash- 
ington, and he at once sent a dispatch to congress announcing 
the capture of Prescott, and describing it as a "bold enter- 
prise." 

This town was, during the summer of 1778, the scene of mil- 
itary operations which attracted the attention of the whole 
country. The events that led up to it were briefly as follows : 
About the time of the capture of Prescott it was the desire of 
the colonies to concentrate a force in Rhode Island of sufficient 
strength to drive the enemy from this island. Massachusetts, 
New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island unitedly were 
to furnish five thousand men, to which one thousand continental 
troops were to be added. General Spencer was then in com- 
mand in this state, and Barton was in command of the fortifi- 
cations at Tiverton. Meanwhile the British were strengthening 
their position by the erection of earthworks on the east side of 
the island at Fogland ferry and on Butt's hill. In October, 
1777, an elTort was made by Spencer to drive the British from 
the island. The British force, numbering about four thousand, 
were statixmed at Newport, at Fogland ferry, on Windmill hill 
and on Butt's hill, while nearly nine thousand colonists were 
assembled at Tiverton, from which point the attack was to be 
made. 

An insufficient number of boats had been provided, and a 
l)r()tiacted storm set in just at the critical moment, and these 
combined circumstances so disheartened the men that the at- 



654 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

tack was abandoned. Another attempt was made during the 
following summer. General Sullivan was now in command in 
Rhode Island. An attack was planned in which the land forces 
were to be supported by a French fleet under command of 
Count d'Estaiug. The British occupied the island with about 
seven thousand men, and had besides a considerable fleet in the 
neighboring waters. The French fleet appeared on the scene 
about the end of July, 1778, and destroyed t!;e principal part 
of the British fleet. Land forces were concentrated at Tiver- 
ton until Sullivan's command there numbered ten thousand 
men, and with this force he began on the 9th of August to cross 
to Portsmouth. On his approach the British fell back toward 
Newport, and Sullivan occupied their al)andoned fortifications. 
At the same time four thousand French troops from the fleet 
landedon Conanicut for the purpose of co-operating with him. 
On the evening of the same day a British fleet of thirty-six sail 
appeared in sight, and the French troops re-embarked and the 
fleet put to sea to engage the other. A strong detachment 
pressed toward Newport, and it was expected to advance with 
the whole army on the following day, but a severe storm arose 
that night and continued two days, driving the ships of both 
squadrons to sea and disabling some of them. 

The army sufl'ered greatly from the exposure, but on the 
morning of the 15th advanced toward Newport, encamping 
within two miles of the British lines, which extended from 
Tonomy hill to Easton's pond. A cannonade was kept up for 
live days, and some of the outposts of the British were driven 
in, Sullivan's forces approaching so near as to occupy Honey- 
man's hill. D'Estaing appeared again on the 20th and Sulli- 
van hoped for his co operation in reducing Newport; but d'Es- 
taing at once determined to set sail with his fleet for Boston 
to rejiair his ships. This action so depressed Sullivan's troops 
that many of them withdrew, and at a moment when victory 
seemed Just ready to perch upon their banners Sullivan found 
his army reduced to about flfty-four hundred eft'ective troops. 
With these it was deemed expedient not to press the siege, but 
to fall back upon the fortified hills at the north and await the 
return of the French fleet. The Honorable Samuel G. Arnold, 
in narrating the scenes of the event, says: 

"The retreat began in the evening of the twenty-eighth, and 
by two o'clock that night thearmy encamped on Butt's hill, the 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 656 

riglit wing on the west I'oad and the left on the east road, with 
covering parties on eacli tiank. Colonel Livingstone's light 
corps was stationed on the east road, and another nnder Colonel 
Lanrens, Colonel Fleury and Major Talbot on the west road, 
each three miles in front of the camj), and in their rear was the 
picqiiet gnard under Colonel Wade. Such was the disposition 
of the American troops on the morning of the eventful day. At 
daylight of the 29th the British army, in two columns, marched 
out by the two roads. At seven o'clock the battle began. 

"A series of heavy skirmishes opened the engagement, and 
a regiment was sent to reinforce each of the two advanced corps, 
with orders for them to retire upon the main body, which 
was done in perfect order. The accounts vary as to which 
column commenced the fight, one attributing it to Major Tal- 
bot on the west road; but the most circumstantial points to a 
spot near the Gibbs farm, where a cross road connects the 
two main roads, and to the field now included between the 
east road and a middle road which here runs north from the 
cross road and jxirallel with the main road. A broad held en- 
closed by stone walls at this corner concealed a portion of the 
American picquet. The Union meeting house now stands at the 
southeast angle of this field. Here the twenty-second British 
regiment, Colonel Campbell, which had marched out by the 
east road, divided, and one-half of it, turning to the left into 
the cross roads, fell into the ambuscade. A terrible slaughter 
ensued. The Americans, springing from behind the walls, 
poured a storm of bullets upon the bewildered enemy, reloaded 
and repeated the desolating fire before the British could I'ecover 
from the shock. Nearly one quarter of the ill fated Twenty- 
second were stretched upon the field. Two Hessian regiments 
came up to their relief, but too late. The Americans, according 
to orders, had already retreated. A general assault was made 
upon the American left wing. This was repulsed by General 
Glover, who drove the enemy into their works on Quaker liill. 
Upon the highlands extending north from this hill the Hessian 
columns were formed. The American Army was drawn up in 
three lines, the first in front of their works on Butt's hill, tlie 
second in rear of the hill, and the reserve near a creek about 
half a mile in rear of tlie first line. Between the two hills the 
distance is about one mile, with low meadow and, at that time, 
woodland between. At nine o'clock a heavy cannonade com- 



656 IIISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

menced and continued the whole day. About ten o'clock the 
British ships-of war and some gun boats came up the bay and 
opened fire upon the American right flank. Under cover of 
tiiis fire a desperate attemjit was made to turn the flank and 
storm a redoubt on the American right. The Britisli right wing- 
had already been repulsed by General Glover. The enemy now 
concentrated his whole force upon the new point of attack. 
Tlie action became general, and for nearly seven hours raged 
with fury; but between ten o'clock and noon the fighting was 
most desperate. Down the slope of Anthony's hill the Hessian 
columns and British infantry twice charged upon the forces led 
by Major General Greene, which were composed of the four 
brigades of Varnum, Cornell, Glover and Christopher Greene. 
These attacks were repulsed with great slaughter. An' eye 
witness told me that sixty were found dead in one spot; at an- 
other thirty Hessians were buried in one grave. 

"To turn the flank and capture the redoubt was to decide the 
battle. A third time, with added ranks and the fury of despair, 
the enemy rushed to the assault. The strength of the Ameri- 
cans was well nigh sj^ent, and this last charge was on the point 
of proving successful, when two events occurred which turned 
the tide of battle. Two Continental battalions were thrown for- 
ward by General Sullivan to the support of his exhausted 
troops, and at the critic^al moment a desperate charge with the 
bayonet was made by Colonel Jackson's I'egiment, led by the 
gallant Lieutenant-colonel Henry B. Livingston. This furious 
bayonet charge, says an eye witness, immediately threw the 
balance of victory into the American scale. And now it was 
that the newly raised black regiment, under Cok^nel Christo- 
pher Greene, justified the hopes of its leaders and contributed 
In no small degree to decide the fortunes of tlie day. Headed 
by their major, Samuel Ward, and posted in a grove in the 
valley, they three times drove back the Hessians, who strove in 
vain to dislodge them, and so bloody was the struggle that on the 
day after the battle the Hessian colonel who had led the charge 
applied for a change of command, because he dared not lead his 
regiment again to action lest his men should shoot him for 
causing them so great a loss. 

" While the fight was raging on the right and centre of the 
line, the Massachusetts brigade, under General Lt)vell, attacked 
the British right and rear with complete success. Two heavy 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 657 

batteries brought forward to engage the ships of war obliged 
them to haul off. The desperate attempt to turn the American 
flank had failed, and the battle was already won by Sullivan. 

"The British retreated to their camp closely pursued by the 
victorious Americans, who captured one of their batteries on 
Quaker hill. Sullivan then desired to storm the works, but the 
exhausted condition of his troops, who had been for thirty-six 
hours without rest or food, and continually on the march, at 
labor or in battle, compelled him to abandon the attempt. The 
hand-to-hand fighting was over early in the afternoon, but the 
cannonade continued until night closed over the hard fought 
field. Of the five thousand Americans engaged only about fif- 
teen hundred had ever before been in action. They were op- 
posed by veteran troops superior in numbers and in discipline, 
and with an obstinacy rarely equalled in the annals of war. 
These facts justify the comment ascribed to Lafayette, that 
' the Battle of Rhode Island was the best fought action of the 
war.' The total loss of the enemy was one thousand and twenty 
three, that of the Americans two hundred and eleven." 

Sullivan received information on the. 30th that Lord Howe 
with five thousand troops from New York was approaching. A 
council of officers was held and it was resolved to quit the 
island. Sullivan's sentry was within two hundred yards of that 
of the enemy, hence the difficulty of moving without the 
knowledge of the enemy. To cover his design Sullivan had a 
number of tents pitched in sight of the British and set the 
greater portion of his men at work fortifying their camp.- 
While this was going on at the front, the heavy baggage and 
stores were being hauled down to the river in the rear and 
transported across. Thus the day was employed, and at night, 
under cover of the darkness, the array with their tents and 
light baggage passed down and crossed the river to Tiverton. 
Thus ended the martial movements which gave the beautiful 
hills of Portsmouth their baptism of fire and blood, and made 
then^ classic ground, sacred in the eyes of patriots as long as 
the American republic lives to remember the terrible conflict 
which gave it birth. 

Butt's hill remains as a landmark of the scene of slaughter. 
Upon ground now i)wned by Mr. Charles F. Dyer the remains 
of the earthworks cast up by the British are still visible. On 
the 29th of August, 1878, the anniversary of the event was appro- 



658 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

priately celebrated on the ground by the First Light Infantry 
Veteran Association of Providence, in whicli many invited 
guests also jiarticipated, prominent among whom were tlie 
Putnam Phalanx of Hartford. The line paraded in Providence; 
after which thej" took steamers to Bristol Ferry and marched 
thence, amid stirring strains of martial music, to the scene of 
the battle. Here they were joined by large numbers of the 
people, who had also decorated their houses with flags in honor 
of the occasion and in harmony with the spirit of their visitors. 
An immense tent had been erected on the old battle ground, be- 
neath which the literary exercises were to take place and prepar- 
ations made for the crowd of people to dine. Addresses of wel- 
come were made to the visitors in general by Mr. George Man- 
chester, sheriff of the county, and to those from Connecticut b\^ 
Governor Yan Zandt, after which Lieutenant-Colonel Henry 
Stai)les introduced ex-United States Senator Samnel G. Ar- 
nold, who delivered an appropriate oration. After this a 
clambake and speeches followed until the festivities closed 
and the people departed for their homes. The oration and sev- 
eral other documents throwing light on the battle and the 
movements of the army in detail were afterward published in 
a pamphlet by Sidney S. Rider of Providence. 

The island was evacuated by the British October 2i5th, 1779. 
As a fltting conclusion of the reign of tyrannical meanness and 
inhumanity which had characterized Prescott's rule over the 
island, for three nights previous to his departure he forbade the 
people to use any lights in their dwellings, and also gave orders 
that every one should keep within doors while his troops were 
marching down to embark. Liberated at last from the yoke of 
oppression wdiich had rested heavily upon them during the 
three years past, the people breathed free, but the rigors of one 
of the most severe winters ever known settled down upon them, 
and found them poorly prepared to withstand them. We refer 
to the winter of 1779-80, which was one of unusual severity, 
and the people, impoverished by the robbery to which they had 
been subjected, endured great hardship. 

The people now turned their attention toward repairing dam- 
ages and estimating their loss. War claims were presented for 
adjustment by the government of the United States. Under 
date of October 19th, 1789, the records of this town state that 
"William Anthony, Jun'r, is appointed to go to Providence in 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 659 

order to look up tlie estimate of Damage done the Inhabitants 
of this town by the Biitish troops and forward it to the Com- 
mittee appointed to state accompts against the United States, — 
And lil<ewise to carry forward all accompts for extra Bounties 
of soldiers, &o., that this town hath against the United States." 

The account of damages had evidently been made out, but by 
some means was lost. On the 14th of November following, it 
was voted bj^ the town that Thomas Potter should go to the 
clerk of the lower house of assembly and make inquiry for the 
document, "the original list or Estimate of the Damages done 
to the Inhabitants of this Town by the British troops, and if it 
cannot be found there that then the town appoints said Potter 
and William Anthony, Jun'r, a Committee to receive the origi- 
nal accompts from the Individuals and certify them agreeable 
to the proposals of the Commissioners appointed by the Gener- 
al Assembly to settle accompts between this state and the United 
States." 

The commission above set forth was accomplished, and April 
26th, 1790, the committee reported that they had failed to find 
the original copy but had gathered the several items of indi- 
vidual damages sustained and had presented them to the com- 
missioners. These estimates of damages were as follows, the 
items being classed in two columns, the first of which includes 
such damages as were wantonly committed, and the second 
those which naturally resulted from the ordinary prosecution 
of war. We presume the denomination is dollars, though the 
ancient document contains no mark to indicate whether dollars 
or pounds are meant. 

Wanton Usual 

Destruction. Prosecution. 

John Wilcox 3,059^^ 

Stephen Brownell, Jr 273 60 

Rebecca Burrington and children 430 77^ 

George Hall l,95o 250 

Thomas Cooke 1,219 60 

Daniel Thomas 98 

Joseph and Stephen Brownell 2,390 

Weston Hicks 2,473^ 300 

Joseph Brownell, Jun 66 

Elizal)eth Hicks 85J 

Nathan Chase ./ 2,086 

43 



G60 HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Thomas Cory 136 

Oeorge Brovvnell 426 

Thomas Brovvnell 360 

JobDnrfey 535^ 145 

Christopher Fish 967 

Daniel Lake, Jun 160 

Stephen Fish 14o 

Elijah Cobb 290 

Henry Lawton 639 67J 

Daniel Lake 545|- 

Clark Cornell 1,412 

Elisha Coggeshall ITOf 

John Holmes 80 

Samuel Lawton 1,212 

John and Samuel Bayley 1,200 

Giles Slooum 8,476 

Joseph Sisson, Jun 117J 

Benjamin Fish 1,203 

Richard Sisson 194i- 

Job Sisson 226 

James Bell 125^ 

Ruben Taylor 191 163 

Benjamin Chase 113 

John Alma, Tiverton 94 

Joseph Sisson, son of Josei^h 196^ 

Rescome Sanford 529^ 

School house. 30 

Oiles Lawton. y; 1,203^ 

Giles Lawton, Jun'r 42 

Rowland Allen 175 80 

George Lawton 577 

Robert Barker 523i 

Nathaniel Lawton 2,012 

Jonathan Danf orth 32^ 

Nathan Brownell 135^ 

Ruth Earl 2,665 60 

William Anthony 1,190^ 

Christopher Durfey 286 

John Earl 1,186 

Benjamin Talnian 789^ 

Stephen Burden 303 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Joseph Faulkner 2 

Thomas Faulkner 1 q2'i4 

Elizabeth Westgate.... .'^7^ 



661 



28 



s'^i^c 2 216 

William Burrington ' fi's^q, -^ 

Samuel Hicks.. f^f J^ 

Sarah Burrington -0 - , 

David Lawton .'.'■.'.'.■■■■ 271 

David Anthony a R«-yi nr^/^ 

T„K„ rp ., •' 5,567|- 200 

Jolin lallman gg^i 

Patience Brindley, in behalf of the heirs of 

Job Lawton, deceased g 099|- 

David GifiPord '" 4 014I 

Benjamin Hall .... ' g^^f 

William Hall... *'f 

William Cook .'.'.'.".'."."..'.'.'." .' ." .' .' " 46.5! 

William Shearman 225+ 

JosephCook .'."'.'.'"" 2 925 im 

Mathew Cook . . . . ':,,, l^^ 

Ebenezer Slocum ....';.■.'.■;.■.■;;.■■.■ 78o 

;.^^^HQldeA Chace .- .";;.'.'""" 4 019* 600 

^^hn Thurston, Esq'r 3 ggo* ^^" 

Peleg Layton ' " " ' '2^4 

Cotton Farm n^^ 

Christopher Shearman 1 981 

Giles Slocum, Jun '227 

Pardon Sisson ...'..'.'.'.'..'.'. '. '. '. '. 465 269 

Parker Shearman 2 862* 

Joseph Curley ' " ' g^T 

Samuel Collins ." . " ' 274* 

Joseph Ward 951 

William Greene "69* 

Joseph Shearman ."..'....".'..'.' 326 

Peleg Sisson '""'_' q^^j 

Richard Shearman . . 001 

^^^-'^t^i- :::::::::::::::::::: itli 

George Sisson jq., 

John Sisson . ^01 

Peleg Shearman, Jan., heirs 2 882 

Benjamin Shearman 244 

Sarah Almy g^2 



12 



662 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Mary Taylor 1,419 

Jonathan Cornell 518^ 

Job Cornell 161^ 

Jonathan Freeborn, Jun 62 

John J epson 416f . 

John Shearman 1,901 

Abraham Redwood 650 

Richmond Sisson 225|- 

Joseph Shearman, of Tiverton 2,510 17^ 

Joseph Martin 1,067 

Amy Cook 110| 

AVilliam Brightman 44^ 

Heirs of Robert Lawton 4,045i 

Robert Lawton 35| 

George Lawton, Jun 56^ 

Walter Brightman 274 

Mathew Slocnm 2,034 37^ 

Thomas Shearman 120 

John Cooke 124 

Elizabeth Shearman 189|^ 

George Tabour 682i 105 

Joseph Crandal 1,047 

Jonathan Albro 172 

John Wood 54 

Thomas Manchester 216 

Elisha Sprage 153^ 

Oliver Cornell 278 

Benjamin Cornell 1,000 

Town of Portsmouth 500 

Joseph Freeborn 2,545 

Lydia Durfey '.... 579 

Sarah Earl 164 

Isaac Lawton, Estate 2,068 137^ 

Joseph Anthony 122 

Oliver Arnold & Co 2,623 

Isaac Anthony 2,059 195 

Rowse Potter 2,859i 

Preserved Fish 307 

Joseph Borden l,292i 

William Lake 53 

James Albro 457 



HISTORY Oi' NEWPORT COUNTY. 663 

George Cornell 136 

George and Lemuel Allen 1,444 

George Allen 2(14 

James Allen ] ,722 

Jonatlian Allen 299 

William Allen 544 

Ebenezer Allen 706 

Joshua Allen 130 

Joseph Brightman 807 

Samuel Pearce, Jun 1,453 

Samuel Pearce, Esq 1,412 

Joseph Wanton's Estate 3,766 260 

John Allen 2,061 

John Tillinghast, Estate 3,230 

Ephraim Pearce 243 

Thomas Allen 113 

John and Arthur Dennis 2,696 

Rebeckah Wirdin 98^ 12^ 

John Cory 534 

Abraham Burrington 315 

David Lake 215i 

Isaac Lawrence 672 

Julin Fish 401i 

Hannah Cadman 2,086i 

William Burden 705 

Sarah Burden 46^ 

Benjamin Hambly 314^ 

Rebeckah Slocum 1,786J 

PelegHeadley 2,428 15 

Wanton Destruction 157,684f 3,780J 

Usual prosecution of War 3,780J 

Sum total 161,465i 

We can hardly feel satisfied to close our comments on the 
revolution without making some mention of the association of 
Lafayette with the scenes that were enacted in Portsmouth. 
Lafayette was associated with Sullivan and deeply interested in 
the intended plan of capturing the British army at Newport. 
When he visited this country in 1824, wherever he went the 
grateful American people — and among them the poet Bryant, 



664 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

" Stared at Lafayette, 
When, barehead, in the hot noon of July, 
He would not let the umbrella be held o'er him. 
For which three cheers burst from the mob before him." 

While on this visiting tour lie was escorted through Rhode 
Island by Honorable Zachariah Allen and others, and on that 
occasion Lafayette made the following statements: "In this 
State I have experienced more sudden and extreme alternations 
of hopes and disappointments than during all the vicissitudes 
of the American war. When the French lieet arrived in Rhode 
Island, in the year 1778, I was assured of the capture of the 
British army in Newport, from an arranged plan for a combined 
attack of the American and French forces. Just at the moment 
of preparation, it was suddenly announced that an English fleet 
had appeared off the entrance to the jiort. I then wen ton board 
of the Admiral's ship, and heard the question discussed, 
whether the fleet should remain to co-operate with the Ameri- 
can army in the proposed attack on the British army in New- 
port, or go out to sea to attack and drive away the British fleet 
from the coast. The council decided in favor of the latter plan. 
* * * * When I saw the French fleet sail out of the 
harbor, I felt the first great disappointment of my sanguine 
hopes; but then I immediately began to have them revived in 
the expectation of seeing the fleet speedily return, with some of 
the British ships as prizes. But a great tempest arose soon 
after the fleet went out upon the open sea, which dismasted 
several of the ships, and they all came back in a disabled con- 
dition. * * * * * When I again .saw the French fleet 
sail out of the port for the last time, and abandon the capture 
of the British army, I felt this to be the most bitter disappoint- 
ment of all, for I believe that this capture would have produced 
the same decisive result of speedily terminating the American 
war, as was subsequently accomplished by the capture of nearly 
the same army at Yorktown, by the successful co-operation of 
the French fleet under Count De Gras.se under similar circum- 
stances." 

Lafayette finished his narrative of the exciting events of his 
campaign in Rhode Island by paying that one hope still re- 
mained to him, that of inducing the French admiral to return 
to Newport with his fleet. To accomplish this he said that he 
had made the journey from Rhode Island to Boston, by relays of 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COTTNTT. 665 

horses, in the shortest time that it had evei' been performed. 
After this effort lie despaired. To add to his. chagrin, during 
his absence the battle of Rhode Island was fought, and he lost 
the chance of taking part in it. 

Two houses still standing in the town of Portsmouth have 
the honor of having sheltered Lafayette during his stay upon 
the island in the .summer of 1778. One of these stands on the 
east side of the village sti'eet of " Newtown," and is owned by 
George N. Dennis. The other stands near Bristol ferry, and is 
owned by Dennis Hall. 

The action of this town on some of the important questions 
of the time, when the government was settling itself into the 
republican system, will be interesting to posterity. First will 
be noticed the action on the financial questions of the day. At 
a town meeting October 28th, 1786, it was unanimously voted 
that " it is the sense of the freemen of this town that the draft 
of an act entitled an Act to Stimulate & give Efficacy to the 
Paper Bills emitted by this State in May last: Do not pass 
into a Law — and that the Representatives of this town vote and 
use their utmost influence to oppose the same at the next 
General Assembly." On the same day the representatives were 
also Instructed to use their utmost influence to bring up in the 
assembly the reports of the committee of ways and means at 
the previous session, '-and that they enforce the same as the 
sentiments of this town that acts be passed agreeable to the 
reports and proposals of the said committee." 

On the 18th of April, 1787, the town voted in regard to the 
consolidation of the four per cent, notes, instructing their dep- 
uties " to join with the amendment of the honorable upper house 
and that the said notes be settled as the said committee of three 
shall think to justice doth appertain." 

On the 28th of August following, the town instructed its dep- 
uties " to oppose any scale on the paper jnoney emitted by this 
State that may be offered. And likewise to oppose any bill 
that shall be offered for taking off the Tender on former con- 
tracts and make it answer all purposes agreeable to the face of 
the bills so as to give universal satisfaction between debtor and 
creditor." 

March 24th, 1788: "Voted by the Freemen that the Act mak- 
ing the paper currency a tender at par be not repealed nor any 
amendment made thereon. And the Representatives are directed 
to act accordingly at the General Assembly." 



666 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

" Voted that the act making void notes and book accounts 
within two years, from the passing thereof be repealed at the 
next General Assembly for the repealing of the same." 

The vote on the last resolution stood sixty-three for to eight 
against it. 

June 1st, 1789, the town "Voted that the Representatives be 
and they are hereby Instructed and Directed to vote and use their 
influence at the next session of the General Assembly against 
the calling of a State Convention, and also against the taking 
off the Tender on the paper ctirrency." 

The action and position of this town in regard to the adoption 
<)£ the federal constitution by the state is shown in the records 
from which the following quotations are given. December 
20th, 1788, the town instructed its deputies in the following 
language: 

" We the Freeholders of the town of Portsmouth, from a De- 
sire that this State may join in every measure which is condu- 
cive to the good of the United States consistent with the prin- 
ciples of good government, and as citizens of this State do not 
approve of the New Constitution in its present form, but we be- 
ing fully persuaded that it is the sense of the people at large in 
the State as well as the de.sire and desine of the General Assem- 
bly to sui)port and uphold the Union whensoever the United 
States do hit upon a form of Government which shall be con- 
sistent with the Constitution of this State, Do hereby Instruct 
you to use your Endeavours in the General Assembly to ap- 
point Delegates to meet the other States in a General Conven- 
tion whenever they shall meet in pursuance of Governor Clin- 
ton's Letter or the recommendation of any other State in order 
to amend the new Constitution or join in any other form of Gov- 
ernment which shall tend to the happiness of the people and 
the uniting the States in a good, just and I'ighteous govern- 
ment." 

October 19th, 1789, the town instructed its deputies as fol- 
lows: 

"At a town meeting held in Portsmoutii on the third Mon- 
day in October, A. D., 1789, specially called in obedience to an 
act of the General Assembly held on the fourth Tuesday in Sep- 
tember last past, at Newport, for the purpose of giving instruc- 
tions to the representatives of this town for the calling or reject- 
ing a state convention for the adopting or rejecting the National 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 607 

Constitution for the United States — Having met accordingly 
and talven the matter under mature consideration dotli instruct 
the representatives of said town to use their uttermost influ- 
ence against the calling a state convention, being sensible that 
the mode of cotaing taxes to their several states must prove 
ruinous to this state." 

In answer to the petition of a number of citizens a large meet- 
ing of the people of the town was held at the house of Robert 
Fish, February 27th, 1790, for the purpose of considering the 
new constitution of the United States, and to give instructions 
accordingly to their delegates to the state convention then to be 
lield at South Kingstown on the first Monday of the following 
March. Instructions were nnanimously adopted reminding the 
delegates of the grave importance of the occasion and the seri- 
ous consequences that might follow an unwise or hasty decision 
in the matter, and after a lengthy preamble, in which the situ- 
ation was reviewed at considerable length they instructed as 
follows: 

"Therefore you are hereby required and directed to proceed 
as speedily as may be to the said State convention to be held at 
South Kingstown aforesaid, then and there to use all your in- 
fluence and ability in order to accomplish the adoption of the 
said constitution, and that in as short a time as the nature of 
the Business will admit — so that the town you represent and 
the state at large may no longer suffer the injuries mentioned 
by the Legislature and which we too sensibly feel the truth of 
Witness the drooping state of our sea-ports, and the de- 
preciating value of our lands, these too evidently speak and 
loudly call for redress. In case an adjournment is proposed, 
which it is our desire to prevent, but yet as occasions may oc- 
cur which cannot be foreseen, and for which no previous in- 
structions can be framed, should any matter turn up during the 
setting of the convention which may make a short adjournment 
necessary (if the same appears so to you) we then authorize you 
to acceed. to the same, provided said adjournment is not for a 
longer term than rill the 1st of April next (the time when the in- 
dulgence granted by Congress ceases), if one for a longer time 
is proposed it is your instructions, and we require that you do 
not agree to the same, but endeavour to effect and accomplish 
the business you are sent upon as speadily as may be & with- 
out any adjournment at all. 



668 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNT f. 

"If after coolly deliberating upon said Constitution you shall 
think it may want any Amendments — ^further Checks or addi- 
tional Powers than is therein expressed, granted or admitted, 
that then for us, in our name and on our behalf you are hereby 
ordered & authorized to endeavour to have the same Drawn up 
and annexed to your Ratification in the same manner as has 
been done by the State of Massachusetts, and as pointed out & 
enjoined by the recommendation of Congress." 

The delegates first elected to represent this town in the con- 
vention held different views and refused to act under these in- 
structions, but the town determined to insure its sentiments 
being known to the convention. It accordingly appointed 
Samuel Elam to convey two copies of the resolutions and 
action to the scene of the convention, one copy to be given to 
the delegate that should appear to represent the town and the 
other to the president of the convention. 

An interesting side-light on the condition of the currency at 
that time appears in the further action of the town on the same 
day in regard to the pay of delegates to the convention. The 
following resolution shows the difference that existed between 
the value of silver or gold and paper. 

" Voted that the act passed at the last Town Meeting allow- 
ing the Delegates a hard Dollar a Day whilst attending the 
State Convention — be and the same is hereby' repealed, and — 
Voted that forty shillings of the paper money only be allowed 
them a Day whilst attending said Convention— And it is further 
Voted that a Copy of this vote be certified and sent to the Dele- 
gates with their Instructions." 

The Kingstown convention did adjourn to meet at Newport 
on tlie fourth Monday of May following. Town meeting con- 
vened here on the 26th of April and declared that the instruc- 
tions given the delegates to the Kingstown convention were 
continued to the delegates to the coming convention, with the 
additional injunction " that they do not by any means agree to 
another adjournment, but at said next meeting use all their 
Influence & Abilities to have the New Constitution as proposed 
by Congress, agreed to and Ratify' d by this State." 

The deep interest of the question called for another meeting 
of the people of the town on the 29th of May, while the conven- 
tion was in session at Newport. At this time the meeting 
declared its opinion " that it will be for the Benefit and Interest 



IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 6G9 

of tlie freemen thereof as well as of the good people of this 
State in General that said New Constitution proposed as afore- 
said should be adopted and Ratifyed — and in the manner re- 
commended by Congress^and that any Delay in Ratif^'ing & 
acceeding to the same either by an adjournment or Rejection 
thereof will in its consequences be very injurious to this State 
and particularly to the Interest of the Town of Portsmouth. 

" We therefore now order and direct (as far as in us laj's) 
that the Delegates for this town Do for us and in the name of 
the Town of Portsmouth, Ratify and acceed to in the present 
meeting of the aforesaid Convention, and that they do not agree 
to any other or further adjournment, but bring the decision 
thereof to as speedy a conclusion as i^ossible." 

We have noticed the town action on this matter at length 
because important consequences hung upon it. Had the town 
been less emphatic in urging the ratification of the constitution 
or had its sentiments been expressed adversely, as they were at 
the first, the small majority that finally secured the adoption 
of theconstitution in the convention might have been reversed, 
and the whole state arrayed in rebellion against the other 
twelve of the union. What consequences would have followed 
no one can tell, but they must certainly have turned the history 
of Rhode Island in an entirel}^ different direction from that 
which it has followed. The destinies of the state were tremb- 
ling in the balance, and the iuflnenceof the town of Portsmouth 
was sufficient to turn it this way or that. It may be seen by 
the foregoing extracts that the people of Portsmouth, whose 
wisdom has ever shown in their public acts, gave up the views 
which at first they held, and entered heartily upon the advocacy 
of sentiments which the history of a century has proved to have 
been more wise. 

We turn now to consider the developments of some of the 
public improvements of the town. One of the most important 
of these is the '• Stone Bridge," which connects this town with 
Tiverton. The site of this bridge was in colonial times occupied 
by a ferry called Howlaud's ferry. The first bridge was built 
by a corporation called the Rhode Island Bridge Company, 
which was incorporated by the legislature in February, 1794. 
The company at first consisted of Ciiristopher Champlin, George 
Gibbs, Caleb Gardner, Peleg Clarke, James Robinson, Samuel 
Vernon, Jr., John Cooke, Abraham Barker and Joseph Barker. 



670 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

The charter allowed the'company to impose a toll which should 
not exceed the toll rates established by law for, the ferry. It also 
required that a "good and sufficient Draw" should be con- 
structed, through which vessels could pass free of toll. An act 
of assembly in October, 1795, established the rates of toll. 

This bridge was a wooden structure, and it remained until the 
year 1815. The noted September gale of that year swept it 
away. In October of that year the legislature authorized the 
company to raise §25,000 by a lottery with which to rebuild the 
bridge, also to throw a temporary bridge over the draw while 
the work of repairs was going on. A substantial stone bridge 
was then constructed. This remains to the present time, though 
it has in part been rebuilt. It was again nearly demolished b}^ 
a terrific gale which occurred in September, 1869. By this 
casualty the bridge was so badly damaged that the company 
abandoned it, and the assembly provided for its reconstruction. 
For this purpose a commission of three, consisting of one from 
Bristol county and two from Newport county, was appointed 
to receive proposals and attend to the work. The proposals 
required that the bridge and the draw " shall be as safe and 
convenient for the public travel in every respect as the said 
bridge and draw were before they were carried away on the 8th 
of September last." The commissioners were authorized to ex- 
pend a sum not to exceed $15,000. After putting it in order it 
became the duty of the towns of Tiverton and Portsmouth 
jointly to provide forever a tender to open and close the draw 
whenever circumstances required it. The cost of preserving the 
bridge in repair was to be borne jointly by the towns of Little 
Compton, Tiverton, Portsmouth and Middletown, and the city 
of Newport. 

The franchise and property of the bridge company had been 
purchased by voluntary contributions for the sum of $6,000, 
subscriptions for the purpose having been received from the 
towns interested and others, as follows: Portsmouth, §2,000; 
Newport, $1,000; Tiverton, $1,000; Little Compton, $500; Mid- 
dletown, $500; Asa T. Lawton, $400; and the citizens of Fall 
River, $600. The commissioners organized under the act. May 
20th, 1870. The contract for reconstructing the bridge was 
awarded to George H. Reed for $13,000. Tlie commissioners 
were Samuel W. Churcli, Joseph Osborn and Pardon Stevens. 
The work was completed by March 22d, 1871, at which time the 



HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 671 

commissioners made their report of the-completed bridge, that 
it had been well and economically done, and that "the im- 
provement is well worth to the public what it has cost the state. 
The entire cost, including the pay and expenses of the commis- 
sion, was $14,961.83. Since its completion it has been a free 
bridge. It is in charge of a board of commissioners represent- 
ing the five towns concerned in its maintenance. These com- 
missioners at present are John Hare Powel, of Newport, George 
A. Brown, of Middletown, Lorenzo D. Tallman, of Portsmouth, 
Richard W. Albert, of Tiverton, and Nathaniel Church, of 
Little Compton. 

Closely associated with the stone bridge is the Charity Beach 
road, leading to it. The state assembly, in October, 1824, au- 
thorized the town of Portsmouth to raise |1, 000 by a lottery for 
the purpose of making a good road over this beach. The man- 
agers of the lottery were Christopher Barker, Samuel Clarke 
and Jose])h Child. The town was required to give bonds in the 
sum of $2,000 for the faithful discharge of the trust of the 
managers, and for the faithful application of the money so 
raised, to the making of the road and repairing the bridge. The 
lottery was carried out and the bridge built — a stone structure 
over a creek at the head of the neck on the road leading to the 
stone bridge. 

Boats propelled by oars and sails were used to transport pas- 
sengers and freight across the Bristol ferry from the tirst settle- 
ment. But some improvement on those methods seemed neces- 
sary. In January, 1824, the Rhode Island Steam and Team 
Boat Company was chartered to operate here. The company 
was composed of Stephen T. Northam, Charles Cotton, Christo- 
pher Fowler and Edward Brinley. They were permitted to 
issue stock to the amount of ten thousand dollars, and "in 
case the amount thereof may be usefully augmented" it might 
be increased to fifteen thousand. The stock of the company 
was to be vested in one or more boats propelled by horse- 
power or by steam, with all their necessary appurtenances and 
equipments, for the purpose of conveying pas.sengers and freight 
l)etween the towns of Portsmouth and Bristol in the neighbor- 
hood of a ferry which had previously been occujiied b\^ Jere- 
miah Gifford and William Pearce; "and in all such piers, 
wharves, walls, embankments and buildings as nuiy be neces- 
sary for the safe and convenient navigation of the waters be- 



672 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 



tween Portsmouth and Bristol, in the channel aforesaid." The 
exclusive right was given this comjiany of operating a steam or 
horse boat for the purposes mentioned, from a point to the 
eastward of the ferry landing then in possession of Jeremiah 
Giflford in a direct line from tlie main road on the island, and 
thence across the channel between Bristol and Portsmouth to 
the pul)lic road leading to the town of Bristol, to the eastward 
of Pierce's wharf, and this monopoly extended over the waters 
and shore a distance of one mile to the eastward and one mile 
to the westward from the ferry route described. John D' Wolf, 
Stephen B. Cornell and Darias Chace were appointed a commit- 




BRISTOL FERRY, PORTSMOUTH. 

tee to assess the damages that might be sustained by private 
property in establishing the ferry. A boat was built at the 
ferry, a square scow on deck, while the lower part was rounded 
at the ends. A large disk, e.xtending across the boat under tlie 
deck, formed the wheel, on the outer edges of which horses 
trod, being at the same time hitched to posts stationary in the 
deck. Two pairs of horses were emjiloyed, one on either side 
of the boat. This boat was operated until about the year 1845. 
Since that time sail and row boats have been employed, except 
that the Providence and Fall River steamboat stops here and 



JIISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 673 

and at Bristol, thus making one passage daily each way. No 
steamboat was ever employed on the ferry exclusively. 

The Rhode Island Turnpike Company, composed of Artemus 
Fish, Abraham Barker, Peleg Fish, Isaac Fish and others, was 
chartered by the assembly in February, 1805, and empowered 
to open and operate a turnpike road in Portsmouth " beginning 
at the fork of the East and West roads, near Mr. Job Durfey's, 
and from thence on a South Easterly course, until it shall meet 
Avith the East road, near the corner of the orchard, late belong- 
ing to Mrs. Bathsheba Fish." The capital stock was fixed at 
sixty shares at fifty dollars each. The charter allowed the com- 
l)any to set up a gate near the Methodist meeting house, which 
then stood on the northwest of the four corners where the pres- 
ent Dexter road intersects the " Turnpike." The turnpike was 
operated under the charter until November 14th, 1864, when, 
at the request of Mr. Gardner Thomas, who then owned it, the 
town council accepted it as a public road and the toll gate was 
abandoned. 

As has already been stated in the remarks on the geology of this 
region, the town of Portsmouth is underlaid witli extensive beds 
of anthracite coal. These have for many years been worked to a 
limited extent, though the hardness of the coal, and the difficulty 
of working the mines, on account of water, are circumstances un- 
favorable to any very extensive working of them. The poet 
Bryant warmed himself by a fire made of coal from these mines, 
and meanwhile the muses burned with inspiration, and he 
wrote: — 

" Darlv anthracite ! that reddenest on my hearth, 
Thou in tho.se island mines didst slumber long; 
But now thou art come forth to move the earth, 

And put to shame the men that mean thee wrong. 
Thou shalt be coals of fire to them that hate thee, 
And warm the shins of all that underrate thee. 

" Yea. they did wrong thee foully — they who mocked 
Tliy honest face, and said thou wouldst not burn; 

Of hewing thee to chimney-pieces talked, 
And grew profane — and swore, in bitter scorn, 

That men might to thy inner caves retire, 

And there, unsinged, abide the day of fire. 



" For thou shalt forge va.st railways, and shalt heat 
The hissing rivers into steam, and drive 
Huge masses from thy mines, on iron feet, 



674 HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Walking their steady way, as if alive, 
Northward, till everlasting ice besets thee. 
And south as far as the grim Spaniard lets thee. 

" Thou shalt make mighty engines swim the sea, 
Like its own monsters — boats that for a guinea 

Will take a man to Havre — and shalt be 
The moving soul of many a spinning-jenny, 

And ply the shuttles, till a bard can wear 

As good a suit of broadcloth as tlie mayor. 

" Then we will laugh at winter when we hear 
The grim old churl about our dwellings rave: 

Thou from that ' ruler of the inverted year,' 
Shalt pluck the knotty sceptre Cowper gave, 

And pull him from his sledge, and drag liim in, 

And melt the icicles from off his chin.'" 

The first efforts at mining tliis coal to any extent are believed 
to have been Tnade by tlie Rhode Island Coal Company, which 
was organized under an act of the state legislature in P^ebruary, 
1809. It was composed of Perkins Nichols and others, mostly 
capitalists from Boston, and the chai'ter gave them the privilege 
of mining coal and digging, selling and manufacturing any ores, 
minerals, metals or fossils which might be found with the coal. 
The base of operations was in the town of Portsmouth. The 
original articles of agreement under which the company was 
organized were dated December 9th, 1808. They were empow- 
ered to hold real estate to the amount of $.500,000, and personal 
property as much as should be necessary or convenient for 
their purposes. The charter and preliminary organization com- 
prehended a contract by which the company was to supply 
Joseph Herring and Abel Jones with coal from lands in Ports- 
mouth on board of ves.sel for SS.-'jO per chaldron. Under this 
charter they commenced operations on the east side of the 
island, at a point a little south of the head of the Stone Bridge 
road, on lands now owned by Peter D. Boyd and wife and 
Charles C. Hazard and wife. On the Boyd property there is 
standing a house which was built by one Gardiner, a former 
owner. Some thirty years ago a i)art of the cellar bottom under 
this house fell through into the pit over which it happened to 
stand. A barrel of pork which was standing in the cellar went 
down with it, and in the caving of the earth which followed was 
buried, and there it remains at the present time. The house 
withstood the shock with but little disturbance. The coal com- 



HISTORY OP NEWPORT COUNTY. 675 

pany' abandoned this spot in the early part of the century, and 
commenced operations on the west side of the island. The 
charter was amended in June, 1811, and under this the company 
was also permitted to carry on the work of melting, I'efining, 
making or manufacturing iron or other metals or minerals. Tlie 
term of this charter was t(; run sixty years from January Isf, 1812. 

Another company, under the name of the Portsmouth Mining 
Company, was chartered in January, 1840. Another charter in 
the same name was granted in May, 18G4, naming Benjamin 
Finch, Samuel West, Almerin Ackley, Samuel L. Crocher and 
William Cobb as incorporators. The purposes of this company 
were mining coal and smelting copper, zinc, iron and other 
metals, and their works were on the west side of the island at 
what is now called the " Coal Mines." The capital stock was 
$500, 000, and the charter was amended in 1868. The Ports- 
mouth Coal Companj'^ was chartered in June, 1842. These mines 
were worked until about the year 1883, since which time they 
have been abandoned and the settlement of miners deserted. 
In the days of their flourishing about thirty men were employed 
in the mines. A small Catholic church was built in their settle- 
ment. This is under the charge of a priest from Newport. 

The Taunton Copper Company having for several years used 
Rhode Island coal in some of their processes, decided in 1865 
to build smelting works near the Coal Mines at Portsmouth, 
and in February, 1866, the works were started. Coppei' ores 
and mattes from South America, Canada, California, Colorado, 
Utah, North Carolina, Maryland, Vermont and New Hampshire 
were largely treated here. The works were fitted with eight 
blast furnaces and twenty-two kilns, and employed sixtj' hands. 
Four thousand tons of copper ore and one thousand tons of 
matte were smelted annually and the production of copper 
therefrom was aboiit two million pounds. The duty on foreign 
ores stopped importation, and the susjjensiqn of several small 
mines and the erection of smelting furnaces at other mines 
caused a scarcity of ores and in 1883 the last ore was received 
here. The company purchased the property known as the 
"New Mine" in 1866. Some of the works remain, but they 
are silent and forsaken now, and the former scenes of activity 
are exchanged for the singing of the crickets and the creeping 
of an occasional reptile or the flitting of a bird among the grass 
and weeds that cover the grounds. 
43 



676 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

This town has no mannfactiires except that of fish oil and 
fertilizer. Thfs enterprise is largely carried on at the extreme 
nortliern end of the island by the Messrs. Church Brothers. 
This firm not only carry on here the work of manufacturing, 
but own outfits of fishing vessels and apparatus, operating by 
steam and sail. Thej^ employ a large number of men, and their 
vessels are cruising in the waters of this and neighboring states 
and out on the ocean. The first vessel built by them for the 
jiurpose was named in honor of the firm, the " Seven Brothers." 
To the enterprise of these gentlemen many of the people of this 
town and Tiverton are indebted for employment, and the public 
in both towns in general for the liberal improvements which 
they have inaugurated or been largely instrumental in sustain- 
ing. 

Fish factories have for many years been in operation upon 
the shores about the north end of this town. Chapter 499 of 
the laws of 1864 forbids making oil from menhaden or any 
other fish on any vessel, or depositing offensive matter from 
such manufacture upon the shores or in any of the waters of 
the state, but excepts from this injunction the water between 
the railroad bridge and the stone bridge, against this town. 
The Rhode Island Oil & Guano Company was incorporated with 
a capital stock of $100,000, for the purpose of manufacturing 
oil and guano from fish, and to carry on its operations in this 
town. The incorporators were Jesse Boynton, Caleb Farnum, 
Charles Emerson and Phineas S. Fiske, with their associates, 
and the date of their charter was May, 186i5. 

The Boyd mill was built in 1810 by a Mr. Babcock who com- 
pleted it after one Brayton had failed. They both were em- 
ployees of John Peterson who came from Bath, Me., about 
1800 and kept a hotel and bowling alley in the house now 
owned by Mr. Boyd, south of his residence. Peterson's heirs 
sold this propertj' to William Boyd about 1830. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

TOWN OF PORTSMOUTH (Concluded). 



Tlie Outlying Islands. — Churches of Portsmouth. — Societies. — Henry C. Anthony. 
— John F. Chase. — Robert D. Hall. — Thomas Robinson Hazard. — Tliomas 
Holman. — William M. Manchester. — Isaac M. Rogers. — Alfred Sisson. — 
William L. Sisson. — Personal Paragra^jhs. 



THIS town is entirely insular. Besides the main part of it, 
whicli lies on the island of Aquidneck, there are several 
smaller islands in the bay which belong to it. The largest of 
these is the island of Prudence, which is about six miles long, 
and in the widest part more than a mile in width. It is said 
that this was the first land purchased of the Indians within the 
present limits of this county. More full particulars of this 
are given in the part of this work devoted to the general history 
of the county. The Indian name of the island was Clubachu- 
wesa. About the year 1036 it appears to have been given by 
the Indians to Roger Williams. In 1669 we find it, or a part 
of it at least, in the possession of John Paine and William 
Allin, who were admitted free inhabitants of this town June 
7th of that year. There were several persons living upon it 
then or soon afterward. In 1671 the inhabitants of this island 
could not agree amongst themselves as to the proportion of tax 
each should pay. Complaint was made to the town, and a com- 
mittee, composed of John Sanford and John Tripp, was ap- 
pointed to go over and adjust the rates. In 1681 William Allin 
and John Pearce, both of whom were said to be inhabitants of 
Prudence, were appointed " surveyors of cattle" for that island. 
No oflBicers of this name or kind had been heretofore 
appointed for that island. A constable was also regu- 
larly chosen. The island was, as all the records show, 
largely devoted to grazing, and in that use it has 
always been employed. Within a few years past a summer 
resort has been started. Grounds have been laid out, and 
several cottages have been built. At the commencement of the 



678 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

revolutionary war a considerable number of stock were pastur- 
ing on the island, and a company of state trooixs was stationed 
there to guard them, but a raid of the British drove them away 
and seized and carried olf a large amount of property. 

Patience island, lying on the west side and near the north end 
of Prudence, contains about two hundred and ten acres. It 
was joined to the town of Portsmouth by an act of assembly, 
October 26th, 1664, which was in the following words: 

'' Ordered that the Island called Patience is added and ad- 
joyned to the towne of Portsmouth." 

Hog island lies west of the north end of the town, about one 
mile from Bristol Ferry. It contains two hundred and twelve 
acres and is devoted to grazing. The circumstance of its being 
occupied by swine in early times doubtless suggested the name. 
It was claimed to have been included in the purchase of Aquid- 
neck, but the claim was disputed by Massachusetts, and con- 
troversy over it was sharj"), but this town has held it in jurisdic- 
tion and possession. The name is always spelled in the old rec- 
ords with only one g. By what authority it is now sometimes 
spelled with two g's does not ajipear. The island was annually 
leased by the town about the year 1675, and for several years 
before and after. The contest over the ownership became so 
strong that in 1687 Massachusetts arrested John Borden, who 
was exercising possession of the island under lease from the 
town. The light which the following records throw on the sub- 
ject will be of more interest than a condensed abstract would 
be; hence they are inserted. 

At a town meeting, September 1st, 1687: 

"Major John Albro and John Borden are chosen and ap- 
pointed to go to Boston and Rightly Inform his excellency con- 
cerning the affairs of Hog Island for which now John Borden is 
arrested." 

June 28th, 1682, the assembly voted: 

" Whereas, this Court having been informed that the Collony 
of New Plymouth, or some one of their Assistants, doth claime 
jurisdiction of Hog Island, by declaring in a warrant under the 
hand of James Browne, Assistant, the same to bee in New 
Plymouth Collony, this Assembly doth thereupon desire the 
Governor to write unto the authority of New Plymouth about the 
same, and to acquaint them of our just Pattent right thereunto; 
as allsoe the settlement of his Majesty's Commissioners of the 



HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 679. 

same; and that the Governor lett tlie Commissioners' acts be 
coppyed out, attested and sent unto tliem; and allsoe to lye in 
the records of Portsmouth, under the seale of the Collony." 

Something of the other side of the question is seen in a peti- 
tion to Grovernor Andros, December 22d, 1686, in wliicli one 
Richard Smith declares, "That there having been long hanging 
in contest and suit between some the inhabitants of Rhode Is- 
land and your petitioner, a claim and pretence of title made by 
them, unto a small Island lying near the town of Bristol, com- 
monly called Hog Island, alias Chesawanock, which your peti- 
tioner many years since purchased of the Indian natives, and 
iiad contirniation thereof from the General Court of New Plym- 
outh. But of later time hath been forcil)ly kept out, and in- 
terrupted in his peaceable possession and improvement thereof, 
bj- the Rhode Islanders, from which tii-esome contest and un- 
just molestation, your petitioner hopeth, by your Excellency's 
happy access to the government, speedily to be relieved, and to 
have a just and final issue put thereto." 

The "just and final issue" prayed for left the island in pos- 
session of the town of Portsmouth, and at a special town meet- 
ing called for the purpose, January 17th, 1674, it was "voted 
that Hog Island shall be divided." This vote, however, does 
not seem to have been carried out at that time, but the custom 
prevailed for many years after of turning the rams belonging to 
the townspeople upon it. In ]7(»1 complaint was made 
that many persons were in the habit of turning cattle and 
other stock upon it in violation of the town's order resiiecting 
its use. When the island was sold by the town has not been 
learned; but in time it passed into private possession, and now 
appears in the name of Herbert M. Howe. 

Hope island lies west of Prudence, nearly abreast of the cen- 
tral part of the town. It was also among the early purchases 
of Roger Williams. A deed from Miantonomi to Williams for 
it was exhibited by the latter to the asseml)ly at Portsmouth, 
March 13th, 1658. We have no other clue to its title, but it is 
now in possession of Mr. Hiram B. Aylesworth. It contains 
about sixty acres. 

CiiuKCHES. — The first ecclesiastical body in the town was that 
of the Quakers or Fritmds, as they are now called. Their re- 
cords, especially such as appertain to genealogical matters, 
marriages, birth and deaths, are very complete and voluminous. 



680 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

They liave ever maintained a name and a standing among the 
people of the town, thongh never aggressive in their character 
or liabits. Tliej' stand today with perhaps no more strength 
tlian they possessed two liundred years ago. Tlirongh tlie 
generous patronage of a wealthy member of the sect the society 
has no lack of material support. The old meeting house, which 
stands against the fork of the East and Middle roads, near the 
summit of Quaker hill, has recently been put in excellent re- 
pair by the expenditure of several thousand dollars, and ser- 
vices are regularly maintained in it. This quaint structure is a 
curiosity in its way. A plain, .square building, without cornice 
or other ornamentation, but of liberal size, its upright siding 
as well as its hipped roof are covered with substantial shingles, 
and a lean-to on the side toward the road forms a vestibule 
which is entered by two large plain doors. The large square 
windows, above and below, contain each twenty to tliirty 
squares of glass of a small size. The interior has been refitted 
and refurnished in a style almost out of harmony with the pro- 
verbial characteristics of everything pertaining to the sect. 
The grounds have been nicely graded, and ample sheds evince 
the consistent character of the Friends in observing the scrip- 
tural adage that a " merciful man is merciful to his beast." 

Behind the meeting house, that is on the western side, in an 
enclosure of half an acre, surrounded by a neat and plain stone 
wall, sleep the forefathers of the Friends. A rigid plainness 
marks the spot. The older graves are marked only by unhewn 
slabs of native stone, devoid of any semblance of ornamentation, 
polish or inscription. It is only the later generation that have 
ventured to place smooth stones with inscriptions upon them 
at the graves of their dead, and these, though neat and substan- 
tial, are mostly of the plainest sort. Art has been forbidden to 
desecrate the ground with any attempt at ornamentation, even 
to the planting of flowers, trees or shrubs of any kind. Nature 
has, however, strown the ground with tansy and wild flowers, 
which, in the sombre days of autumn, lift their modest faces 
awhile before the early blasts of winter lay them in the dust 
with those whose graves they cover. Among some of the in- 
scriptions are the following: AnnaD. Wing, died 1854, 7th mo., 
28 d., age 61 yrs.; Hannah Dennis, died 1852, 7th mo., 24 d., 
age 83 yrs.; Jonathan Dennis, died 1850, 9th' mo., 17 d., age 
83 yrs.; Asa Sherman, died 1863, 12th mo., 29 d., age 84 yrs., 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 681 

7d.; Elizubetl) Sherman, died 1858, 4th mo., 22 d., age 75 y., 6 
mo., 5 d.; Robert A. Sherman, son of John and Mary Sherman, 
died 1884, 5th mo., 11 d., age 62 v., 7 m., 1 d.; Peter Chace, 
died 1876, 5th mo., 9 d., age 83 yrs.; Catliarine T., wife of John 
C. Mott, died 1859, 12tli mo., 14 d., age 26 y., 9 m.; AnnaMott, 
died 1876, 6th mo., 17 d., age 78 y., 11 mo., 19 d.; Eliza, wife of 
Jacob Mott, died 1858, 12th mo., 2 d., age 52 yrs.; Anna Borden, 
died 1861, 3d mo., 25 d., age 66 yrs.; Mary, wife of Jolin Ham- 
bly, died ]861, 7th mo., 25 d., age 63 yrs.; John Hambly, died 
1874, 10th mo., 16 d., age 72 y., 8 d.; Isaac Borden, died 1870, 
2d mo., 9 d., age 82 yrs., 5 mo. ; Julia, wife of Edward Anthony, 
and daughter of Benj. T. and Mary Sheffield, died 1849, 3d mo., 
11 d., age 40 yrs.; Salome, wife of Thomas S. Anthony and 
daughter of Rev. John Burnett, died 1875, 6th mo., 15 d., age 
27 yrs.; Benjamin F. Chase, died Oct. 3, 1884, age 72 yrs.; Ben- 
jamin C. Sherman, died March 25, 1876, age 79 y., 2 mo., 23 d.; 
Levi Almy, died 1886, 7th mo., 15 d., age 76 yrs.; Samuel Cory, 
died Aug. 26, 1885, age 88 yrs.; Lydia, wife of Samuel Cory, 

died , age 34 yrs; George Hathaway, died 1827, 7th mo.,- 

27 d., age 59 3a's.; Susanna, wife of Geo. Hathaway, died 1857, 
4th mo., 8 d., age 76 yrs.; Isaac Hathaway, died 1878, 6th mo., 
13 d., age 73 yrs.; Isaac Sherman, died 1817, 10th mo., 5 d., age 
81 yrs.; Margaret, wife of Isaac Sherman, died 1798, 5th mo., 1 
d., age 51 yrs.; Hannah, wife of Isaac Sherman, died 1835, 8th 
mo., 23 d., age 90 yrs.; Mary Hathaway, died 1854, 11th mo., 
18d., age 88 yrs.; Charles H. Carr, son of Richmond and Jemima 
F. Carr, died 1885, 4th mo., 30 d., age 71 yrs.; Parker Hall, 
born 1784, 7th mo., 29 d., died 1859, 1st mo., 14 d.; Hannah, 
wife of Parker Hall, born 1787, 10th mo., 6 d., died 1871, 10th 
nio., 5 d.; Rebecca Chace, died 1858; Shadrach Chase, died 
1841; Zacheus Chace, died 1876, 5th mo., 3 d., age 87 yrs.; 
Hannah, wife of Isaac Almy, died 1869. llfh mo., 22 d., age 92 
v., 8 m., 16 d.,; Susan, daughter of Isaac and Hannah Almy, 
died 1872, 11th mo., 31 d., age 65 yrs. 

The facts contained in the following paragraphs concerning 
the history of the Friends in Portsmouth have been furnished 
by Ml-. Isaac B. Macomber, whose untiring devotion to the in- 
terests of the sect is well known to the people of the town. 

In 1672 George Fox, the founder of the Society of Friends 
visited the island, attending a "Yearly Meeting" at the house 
of William Coddington, at Newport, and another meeting in 



682 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

the old Mott house on the west side of the town of Portsmouth. 
Meetings of the society were originnlly hekl at the houses of 
Friends, very frequently at the houses of John Easton, Matthew 
Berden and Jacob Mott. In the early part of 1692 a lot, two 
and a half by six rods in size, with a house upon it, was pur- 
chased of Robert Hodgson for seven pounds. Necessary re- 
pairs were made, which swelled the cost to thirty jiounds, 
eighteen shillings, one pence. 

Under date of^ mo., 17, 1699, is found this record: "Friends 
have laid out and api)ointed the place where the meeting house 
shall stand, and have brought great stones and other stones to 
lay the foundation." About April, 1700, the old meeting 
house was sold to Joseph Mosey for eleven pounds, fourteen 
shillings, and the proceeds applied to the new meeting house. 
The new house was probably so far completed as to be used 
within a year or two after the date last mentioned. In 1703 
John Warner, a Friend from North Carolina, kept a private 
school in the meeting house. Sheds for horses were provided 
near the house in October, 1701, at which time it is probable 
the house was in use. Ajjril 19th, 1705, the "Monthly Meet- 
ing" granted liberty to the Portsmouth Friends to build an ad- 
dition to their house "for the convenience of the women's 
meeting." 

It may be ajipropriate to say that the organization of Friends 
consists of a "Yearly Meeting" which comprehends a large 
section of this part of New England, and embraces a num- 
ber of "Quarterly Meetings," which in turn embrace "Month- 
ly Meetings," and tliese are subdivided into " Preparatives." 
Tile Rhode Island "Monthly Meeting" is composed of the 
" Preparatives " of Newport and Portsmouth. 

Some of the original mnmbersof the Portsmouth Preparative 
whose deaths are recorded previous to 1688 are as follows: Alice 
.Cowland, Ralph Cowland, Thomas Cornell, Mary Freeborn, 
William Freeborn, Nathaniel Brownell, Sarah Brownell, Rob- 
ert Dennis, Richard Berden, Rebecca Cornell, Abraham An- 
thony, Alice Anthony, John Anthony, Mary Woodle, William 
Woodle, Joshua Coggeshall, Sarah Freeborn, Gideon Freeborn, 
Adam Mott, Mary Mott, Giles Slocum, Joan Slocum, Sarah 
Sanford, Samuel Sanford, John Anthony, Mary Anthony, Joan 
Berden, Mary Freeborn, Gideon Freeborn. 

Under date of 12 mo., 30, 1776, is found— 




h 

J 

s 

a 

UJ 
Q 
Z 
< 
> 

D 

J 
W 
Z 

E 


u 



>• 

H 



H 

o 

00 



a, 

< 

Q 
< 



< 

o 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUKTY. 683 

" As our meeting house luith at this time a number of sol- 
diers in it renders it inconvenient to proceed to business, there- 
fore tliis meeting is adjourned to the breaking up of tlie meet- 
ing for worship at Newport next Hth day." 

The Friends addressed a memorial 1 mo., 2, 1777, to Lieut. 
General Henry Clinton, then in command of the British forces, 
asking for protection. The record, 8 mo., 25, 1778, speaks of 
communication between Newport and Portsmouth Friends being 
"obstructed." On the 9tli of tlie 9th month the meeting was 
very small, on account of the " difficulties remaining." Jacob 
Mott, who died 1 mo., 24. 1779, was not l)uried at the Friends' 
burying ground because it and the house were "occupied 
by a number of German troops." Tradition states that the 
American troops also occupied the house at one time. This was 
doubtless true when Sullivan and liis army vs^ere upon the island 
just before the memorable battle of August, 1788. 

The Friends' yearly meeting boarding school was founded at 
this house November Stli, 1784. It was reopened at Providence 
January 1st, 1819. To this school each monthly meeting of the 
yearly meeting was entitled to send one " charity scholar." The 
centennial of the founding of this school was celebrated three 
years ago in Providence, at which time photographs of the ex- 
terior and interior of the old meeting house here were taken. 

The present officers and ministers of the Rhode Island monthly 
meeting are as follows: Clerk, Joseph E. Macomber; recorder 
and corresxiondent, Isaac B. Macomber ; overseers, William H. 
Beale, Ruth Wetherell, Joseph S. Anthony and William 
Weaver, of Newport, and Lydia K. Chase, Margaret Sherman, 
Charles E. Boyd and Isaac B. Macomber, of Portsmouth; re- 
corded ministers, William Jacob, Annabella E. Winn, Thomas 
B. Buffum and Mary Alice Gifford, of Newport, and Abner 
Potter, Jr., of Portsmouth. The present membership of the 
monthly meeting is one hundred and forty-seven, of which about 
seventy belong to Portsmouth. 

The Rev. Jesse Lee was the first Methodist preacher that 
traveled in New England. He preached in Newport June 30th, 
1790, and at Bristol July 2d of the same year. In 1791 there 
was occasional preaching. The Providence circuit, established 
that year, comprehended nearly all the towns on the Narra- 
gansett bay, and the Rev. Lemuel Smith was placed in charge. 
It is supposed that Portsmouth was a station on this circuit as 



684 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

early as 1792, and that a class was formed in 1793, when the 
circuit was being traveled by Rev. E. Mudge. The inhabitants 
were in great need of a house in which to hold religious services, 
and after a while subscriptions were obtained for the purchase 
of a house which had been raised and partly finished for other 
purposes. They then appointed six men to take the deed for 
the property and hold it as trustees for the subscribers. The 
house was linished and used for a meeting house. It was soon 
found to be too-small, and in 1806 it was enlarged and made 
more convenient. It was again re[)aired in 1834. 

Among the first members of the society in this town were 
Matthew Cook and Mary his wife, John Earle and Deborali his 
wife, Peter Barker and his wife, John Anthony, an exhorter 
and class leader, Nathan Brownell, and a colored woman by 
the name of Violet, who belonged to the family of Matthew 
Cook. Mr. Cook lived in the old ferry house which stood a 
little east of the present house. This humble dwelling, which 
was consecrated by the prayers and labors of such men as 
Bishop Asbury, Jesse Lee, John Chalmers. Zadoc Priest, Daniel 
Ostrander, John Broadhead and George Rich, all of blessed 
memory, was afterward removed to the road leading to the 
stone bridge. It is a small, one-story, gambrel-roofed house of 
the style of the revolutionary period, entirely unpretentious in 
appeai'ance, but rich in historic associations and honored above 
its fellows as the cradle of Methodism in Portsmouth. 

The first house of worship owned l)y the members, of which 
mention has been made, occupied a lot on the turnpike nearly 
opposite the cemetery, and was fitted in the interior with gal- 
leries on three sides. This humble temple served the purposes 
of the society for forty-two years. 

In 1825 this church was joined with Little Compton in one 
circuit. An intei'esting and iirofitable revival occurred during 
the labors of two brothers. Reverends Newell S. and Nathan 
B. Spaulding. A flourishing class then existed on Prudence 
island, which had probably been formed by Reverend Joel 
McKee as early as the year 1823, at which time a great revival 
had s])read over the town. This class has long since become 
extinct. Another class was at one time in existence at Stone 
Bridge, and a weekly lecture was sustained there. In 1800 the 
whole society numbered fifty-four members. 

In 1838 a new board of trustees was elected according to the 



HISTORY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 686 

discipline ol' tlie ^fethodist F4iiscopal clnirch. They were: 
Oliver Browiiell, Jonathan Tallmau, William E. Cook, John 
B. Cook, John Tallman, Joseph B. Corey, Benjamin Tall- 
man, John S. Brownell and Barzilla Pish. They decided to 
erect a new honse of worship and appointed a building com- 
mittee consisting of Reverend Jonathan Cady, John B. Cook 
and William E. Cook. They purchased the present lot of Haw- 
kins Greene for $120.50, the deed being dated September 13th, 
1838. The frame was raised October 9th, and the completed 
house was dedicated on the 25th of December following. The 
house is very conveniently .situated, facing the east, is furnished 
with a tower and bell and cost $2,020. Besides the revivals 
already noticed, others occurred in 1829, 1843, 1853, 1857 and 
1858. The membership in 1809 was seventy-seven; in 1840 it 
was forty-seven; in 1850 it was lifty; in 1855 it was seventy-two; 
in 1870 it was fifty-seven, and in 1887 it was eighty in full 
membership and seventeen probationers. 

In 1871 some improvements were made on the church, and 
about $500 were spent in wiping out the debt, leaving the church 
free from a burden which had rested on it for more than thirty 
years. A ladies' benevolent society was organized that year, 
and has done efficient service. Through their efforts in the 
year 1875 a parsonage was purchased at a cost of $1,400. The 
society was incorporated under the state law in May, 1871. 
The present value of the church building is estimated at$3,000, 
and that of the parsonage $1,700. A Sunday school numbering 
one hundred and twenty-five is connected with the church. 

Previous to the year 1806 the church was a part of a large cir- 
cuit, which was " ridden" by a number of ministers, who fol- 
lowed each other around it. Since the date mentioned the 
chuich has been either a charge by itself or a station on a much 
smaller circuit. The ministers serving it from that time to the 
present have been: 1806, Levi Walker ; 1807, Joshua Crowell ; 
]8()8-9, Levi Walker; 1810-11, Nehemiah Coye; 1812, Asa Kent 
and E. Wilie; 1813, Benjamin F. Lambord; 1814, Edward Hyde 
and William Marsh; 1815, Benjamin R. Hoyt and Jason Wal- 
ker; 1816-17, John Lindsey; 1818-19, Nathan Payne; 1820. 
Daniel Dorchester; 1821, Isaac Stoddard; 1822, the same and J. 
W. Case; 1823, Daniel Webb and Milton French; 1824, Joel 
McKee; ]825, Newell S. and Nathan Spaulding; 1826, David Cul- 
ver and Ashabal Otis; 1827-8, Reuben Ransom; 1829, John W. 



686 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTT. 

Case and William Livesey ; 1830, Thomas W. Tucker and 

Samuel Heath; 1831, Onesiphorus Robbins; 1832, ; 

1833, Geo. W. Winchester; 1834, ; 1835, J. G. Standish, 

a few weeks; 1836, Josiah Litch; 1837, Proctor Marsh; 1838-9, 

Jonathan Cady; 1840, Chester W. Turner; 1841, ; 1842, 

Charles Noble; 1843, George M. Carpenter; 1844, Ebenezer 
Blake; 1845, George W. Wooding; 1846, William Cone; 1847, 
George Burnham; 1848, Lawton Cady; 1849-50, Nathan Paine; 
1851-2, J. B. Weeks; 1853, Charles Hammond and George C. 
Bancroft; 1854, George C. Bancroft ; 1855, Asa N. Bodfish ; 
1856, Henry Mayo; 1857, Silas S. Cummings; 1858-9, Caleb M. 
Alvord; 1860, George M. Hamlen; 1861, Henry H. Smith; 1862, 
S. W. Coggeshall ; 1863, T. B. Gurney ; 1864, C. M. Alvord ; 
1865, S. Y. Wallace; 1866-7, John E. Gilford; 1868, Wm. O. 
Cady; 1869, Paul Townsend; 1870-71, Oliver H. Farnald; 1872, 
Elijah F. Smith; 1873, D. M. Rogers; 1874-6, J. G. Gammons; 
1877 8, J. T. McFarland; 1879-81, S. P. Snow; 1882, no pastor; 
1883, Hefflon S. Smith; 1884 5, W. H. Allen; 1886, C. T. Hatch; 
1887, James Tregaskis. 

The Rhode Island Union Societj^ was incorporated by an act 
of assembly in June, 1821, and the charter was amended in May, 
1824. The original charter recites that " Peleg San ford, Rich- 
aid Field, Giles Manchester, James Durfee, Jr., and others have 
represented to this Assembly that they have formed themselves 
into a religious society upon liberal and tolerant principles, and 
are about to erect a house for public worship, which shall be 
open to the moral and devout teachers of every Christian de- 
nomination." A charter was granted in accordance with the 
petition. A majority of those contributing to the erection of 
the meeting house were of opinion, as in their articles of incor- 
poration they declare, that the names by which churches and 
religious societies are commonly called have a tendency to 
divide the Christian community into sects pernicious to pure 
and undefiled religion, therefore they agreed to call their church 
the Union meeting house. No member of the society which 
should use the church was required to make any other confes- 
sion of faith than of a belief in the Scriptures of the Old and 
New Testaments, and every member was accorded the right to 
give such an interpretation of the words of Scripture as best 
agreed with his own understanding of the truth. The house 
was made open and free to religious teachers of all deuoiniiia- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 687 

tions, provided they were men of unblemished moral chanioter 
and disposed to promote peace and charity among the different 
sects of Christians. The care of the house was confided to a 
committee of three persons or more, annually to be elected, 
who should decide questions as to who should be permitted to 
occupy it. The payment of five doUars constituted any one a 
member of the society and the owner of a share in the meeting 
house. 

The society thus incorporated soon built a chnrch. In those 
days lotteries were very popular. They were considered a good 
financial lever, convenient and appropriate to the moving for- 
ward of any laudable enterprise of a public character. Hence 
it did not appear so incongruous in the eyes of the people of 
that day as it might at the present time, that a lottery scheme 
should be planned and carried out, from the proceeds of which 
to build this meeting house. This, then, was the method em- 
ployed, and a house of worship was erected in the south part of 
the town, on the site now occupied by the Christian church, 
which has become the successor of the Union Society. 

Another society, under the title of the " Christian Church In 
the town of Portsmouth." or perhaps more proi)erly the same 
society under a new name, was incorporated in January, 1861, 
agreeable to the general act contained in Chapter 125 of the Re- 
vised Statutes. A new house of worship was built a few years 
later, on the site of the old Union meeting house, the latter 
meanwhile having been sold and moved oft" to a neighboring lot, 
where it is still standing, the purchaser being Mr. Edward S. 
Sisson. The incorporators of this society were: William Miller, 
Samuel Clarke, John Manchester, 2d, Jonathan W. Coggeshall, 
Edraond Arnold, Nathan I). Main, Edmund S. Sisson, Joseph 
Anthony, Peleg T. Potter and their associates. The society 
employs a minister regularly, and has done so most of the time 
since its organization. Baptism by immersion is mainly prac- 
ticed, and hence the society is sometimes called the "Cliristian 
Baptists." Elder Miller was their minister for a considerable 
time. The present minister is Reverend A. Augustus Morton. 
The chnrch stands on the corner of the East road and Union 
street. 

St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal church is a handsome gothic 
structure, occupying a beautiful site on the elevated jilateau 
overlooking the East river, in the village of "Mevvtown." The 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

society was chartered in June, 1834, the cliarter being amended 
in January, 1844, and again in January, 1864. By the hist 
amendment the corporation were empowered and authorized to 
levy a tax on the pews of the church, which tax could be col- 
lected in manner prescribed by the by-laws of the society, either 
by sale of the pews or otherwise, for the purpose of making re- 
pairs on the house of worship or for the payment of the salary 
of the rector. The present rector of the church is Reverend J. 
Sturgis Pearce. 

St. Mary's Protestant Episcopal church is located at South 
Portsmouth. It has no resident i^astor, but is in charge of a 
minister from Providence. The society was chartered in Janu- 
ary, 1868. Hobart Williams, Albert Coggeshall, Robert Cliase, 
John B. Gould, William H. Gilford, Christopher Sherman, 
Noel Coggeshall, Samuel G. Sherman and Peleg T. Coggeshall 
were prominent supporters of it. The church occupies a beau- 
tiful site, affording a magnificent view of the surrounding land- 
scape, from an elevation of two hundred and fifty feet, being on 
the northern slope of Slate hill. A considerable field of valu- 
able land is also owned by the society. 

Societies.- -There are sevei'al benefit and other societies in 
the town. The most important of these are Sea Side Lodge, 
I. O. O. P., and Oakland Lodge, L O. O. F. The latter, bearing 
the number 32, is located at South Portsmouth, and was organ- 
ized January 1st, 1874. The cliarter members were : Charles C. 
Slocum, Samuel G. Arnold, Peleg L. Thurston, Joseph B. Slo- 
cum, Albert S. Walker, Truman C. Main, William H. Sisson, 
Constant W. Chase, Joseph Endicott, Herbert Chase, William 
M. Sisson, Josiah C. Gifford, William D. C. Main, Peleg A. 
Carpenter, John G. Barker, Henry Anthony, Edward A. Cog- 
geshall, Benjamin Sherman, Isaac M. Grinnell, and Rev. George 
W. Morrill. A commodious hall was built during the winter 
of 1874-5, on land bought of William B. and Ann Maria Law- 
ton. The hall was dedicated July 1st, 1875. The first officers 
of the Lodge were : Charles C. Slocum, N. G. ; Samuel G. Ar- 
nold, V. G. ; Herbert Chase, R. S. ; Constant W. Chase, T. ; 
Edward A. Coggeshall, W. ; Albert S. Walker, C. ; Truman C. 
Main, I. G. ; Isaac M. Grinnell, O. G. ; Joseph Endicott, William 
M. Sisson, William D. C. Main and Peleg A. Carpenter, sup- 
porters to N. G. and V. G. ; AVilllam H. Sisson, R. S. S. ; Jo- 
seph B. Slocum, L. S. S. ; Josiah C. Gifford, chaplain. The 



IIISTOMY OF NEWrOUT COUNTY. 689 

office of noble grand lias lieen held successively by the follow- 
ing : Charles C. Slocnm, January to July, 1874; 8amuel G. 
Arnold, Jnljs 1874, to January, 1875 ; Joseph Endicott, Janu- 
ary to July, 1875; Joseph P. Barker, July, ]87o, to January, 
1876; Edward A. Coggeshall, Januaiy to July, 1876; Peleg L. 
Thurston, July. 1876, to July, 1877 ; Benjamin VVyatt, January 
to July, 1877; John Croucher, July, 1877, to January, 1878; 
James E. Wyatt, January to July, 1878 ; Josiah C. Gifford, 
July, 1878, to Januarj% 1879 ; Lyman Barker, January to July, 
1879 ; William D. C. Main, July, 1879, to January, 1880 ; Free- 
born Manchester, January to July, 1880 ; William J. Barker, 
July, 1880. to January, 1881 ; Nathaniel Peckham, during 1881 ; 
William M. Sisson, 1882 ; John T. Brown, 1883 ; John O. C. 
Peckhani, 1884; Jonathan A. Sisson, 1885; Albert S. Walker, 
1886 ; Charles I. Coggeshall, 1887. The lodge is in a flourish- 
ing condition, having at present fifty-eight members. It meets 
regularly on Saturday nights. 

Sea Side Lodge, No. 17, is located at '"Newtown," Ports- 
mouth. It meets from May 1st to November 1st on Saturday 
nights; during the remainder of the year on Thursday nights. 
The lodge was instituted January 25th, 1871. The first in- 
stalled officers were the charter members, as follows: Benjamin 
Tallman, N. G.; Joseph T. Tallman, V. G.: Lewis R. Hazard, 
R.S.; Oliver G.Pierce, P.S.; Edward W. Fish,T.; Henry C. Fish, 
R. S. to N. G.; Lewis J. Munroe, L. S. to N. G. The follow- 
ing have held the office of N. G. for the terms beginning with 
the dates given: Joseph T. Tallman. January, 1872; Oliver G. 
Pierce, July, 1872; John B. Cornell, January, 1873; Christopher 
D. Albro, July, 1873; James B. Ashley, January, 1874; John H. 
Chace, July, 1874; Edward W. Fish, January, 1875; Alanson 
Peckham, July, 1875; John W. Franklin, January, 1876; Job 
R. Can-, July, 1876; Thomas Hallman, January, 1877; John 
Rabers, July, 1877; William Smith, January, 1878; John W. 
Watis, July, 1878; John A. Franklin, January, 1879; Henry C. 
Anthony, July, 1879; Edward W. Fish, January, 1880; Edward 
C. Faulknor, July, 1880; Leander W. Franklin, January, 1881; 
William T. Harvey, January, 1882; Dwight E. Cane, January, 
1883; Carmi Harrington, January, 1884; Alexander G. Man- 
chester, January, 1885; Charles C. Hazard, January, 1886 and 
1887. The membership of this lodge was reduced in January, 
1874, by the withdrawal of twenty-three members to form Oak- 



690 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

land Lodge. The present membership is twenty-nine. The 
lodge occupies by lease the hall belonging to Mr. A. G. Man- 
chester. 

Eureka Lodge No. 22, F. <*t A. M., was chartered under the 
general laws of the state in January, 1871. Its incorporators 
were Edward F. Anthony, Benjamin S. Anthony, William P. 
Mott, Constant C. Chase. Philip B. Chase, Frederick Chase, 
Charles G. Thomas, Benjamin Tallman, Jr., George B. Cogge- 
shall, George Manchester and William E. Cook. Its member- 
ship includes some of the most intelligent, respectable and 
substantial citizens of the town. For awhile tlie lodge tiourished. 
but the formation of other lodges in the neighborhood checked 
its rapid increase in numbers. It is, however, abundantly able 
to maintain its existence, though not at pre,sent growing in 
menibershi}). It owns a large hall in the upper story of which 
its meetings are held, the lower story being rented to private 
parties for commercial purposes. The hall stands on the east 
side of the village street in "Newtown," on the bluff over- 
looking the beautiful waters of the Seconnet and the picturesque 
hills of Tiverttm. Soon after its organization a chapter of Royal 
Arch Masons was organized among its memliership. This is 
known as Aquidneck Chapter, No. 9. It occupies the same 
lodge room. The first members of this chapter were Edward 
F. Anthony, Benjamin S. Anthony, William P. Mott, Constant 
C. Chase, Frederick Chase, Charles G. Thomas, Benjamin Tall- 
man, Edward F. Dyer, Benjamin Carr, Doctor Benjamin Green 
and Richmond Carr. In January, 1872, an incori)oration was 
effected under the general state law as contained in chapter 125 
of the revised statutes. 



Henry C. Anthony. — Both the paternal and maternal ances- 
tors of Mr. Anthony were among the first settlers in the nor- 
thern portion of the ishxnd. His grandfather, Seth Anthony, 
was born July 27th, 1765, and married Abagail Clarke, whose 
birth occurred May 25th, 1772. Their four children were 
Joseph, Samuel, Hannah (Mrs. Joseph Thomas), and Seth R. 
The last named son, born August 9th, 1812, married, in 1835, 
Abby, daughter of William Freeborn, whose family are among 
the oldest in the county. She was born September 12th, 1815. 
Their children are : Henry Clay, born June 10th, 1852, and 
Sarah E., wife of Charles H. Dyer, born May 1st, 1854. Henry 





>^^^^»^ ^ C^^^^ZiCC 



VVAftTiS^,, t. %^^V>=jAv;)-\ ■ 



IirSTORT OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 691 

Clay Anthony is a native of Portsmouth, and has always resided 
on the farm where his birtli occurred. He received a thorough 
Englisli education, and tlien prepared for business by a course 
at Scofield's commercial college in Providence, Rhode Island. 
He was bred to the occupation of a seed grower, and continuing 
this pursuit, eventually inherited a portion of Ills father's estate. 
Mr. Anthony was married on the 27th of December, 1876, to 
Eldora Jane, daughter of Joseph "Wilcox, of Attleboro. Massa- 
chnsetts. Tiieir children are: William B., born November 19th, 
1877; Ralph H., August 12th, 1879; Joseph G., May 13th, 1881; 
Jenny Louisa, January 17th, 1884, and Alice Wilcox, March 
24th, 1886. 

Mr. Anthony devotes his time exclusively to the growing of 
seeds and the raising of vegetables in their season for the mar- 
ket. He has established a rei^utation for the excellence of his 
products, is one of the largest growers in the country, and finds 
a ready market in all parts of the United States and Canada, 
his individual shipments amottnting to thousands of pounds. 
His seeds are deservedly popular as a result of their purity, and 
the care taken in their production. Mr. Anthony represents 
that class of men whose .sagacity, restless energy, and strict in- 
tegrity, place them in the foremost rank in their special dejjart- 
ment of commerce. While alive to the public interests of the 
day, he has not participated actively in politics, but regularly 
voted the republican ticket, and habitually refused all offices. 
He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and master of Eureka 
Lodge, No. 22, of Portsmouth. He is also past grand of Sea 
Side Lodge, No. 32, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 

John F. Chase is a grandson of Daniel Chase, who was a 
leading farmer in Portsmouth township. An influential citizen, 
he was prominent in the administration of local affairs, and 
served for fourteen years in tiie state legislature, where he 
earned the sobriquet of the "Quaker member." He married a 
Miss Lawfon and had children: Darius, George, Daniel, Sally, 
wife of Humphrey Chase; Mary, married to Rouse Potter; Eliz- 
abeth, and Ruth, wife of William Coggeshall. 

Tlieir son Daniel was born in Portsmouth, where he devoted 
his life to the labors of a husbandman, and by judicious manage- 
ment acquired a large property. He married Hannah, daughter 
of Nathan Chase, of Tiverton, and had cliildren: Charlotte (Mrs. 
James Douglas, of Portsmouth), Daniel, Perry, Albert, Robin- 
44 



692 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

son, Hannah (Mrs. John Gordon, of East Greenwich), Ruth, 
Ann (Mrs. Charles E. Boyd, of Portsmouth), Caroline E., John 
F. and Eliza V. (Mrs. Benjamin Hall, of Portsmouth). The 
death of Mr. Cliase occurred March 12th, 1861, and that of his 
wife December 16th, 1860. 

John F. Chase was born September 1.5th. 1829, in Portsmouth, 
and pursued his studies at Fall River, Bristol and Middleboro, 
Massachusetts. Returning to Tiverton, the home of his jiarents, 
he was for awhile employed as clerk in Fall River, and also en- 
gaged in teaching. On the 28th of November, 1854, he was 
married to Adeline T., daughter of Hamilton Chase, and grand- 
daughter of Abner Chase, of Portsmouth. Their children are: 
Arthur C, Carrie C. (wife of Rafus C. Bennett), John F., Jr., 
and Addie T. Mr. Chase, after his marriage, gave his attention 
to the homestead farm, of which he subsequently became owner. 
This farm was for many years his residence. In 1876 he pur- 
chased his present attractive site in Portsmouth, and there con- 
tinues the congenial pursuit of an agriculturist. In his polit- 
ical predilections Mr. Chase is a repulilican, and has been an 
active worker in the party ranks. He has held various town- 
ship offices, and filled the position of superintendent of schools. 
He was elected to the senate of Rhode Island from Tiverton in 
1877-78-79, and again to the house of representatives for the 
years 1884-85-86-87-88, being at present the incumbent of the 
office. He continues his allegiance to the faith of his ancestoi'S 
and worships with the Friends' meeting. 

Robert D. Hall is of English ancestry. His grandfather, 
George Hall, resided on the farm in Portsmouth now owned by 
his grandson, where he followed his trade of shoemaking and 
was also a prosperous farmer. His wife. Charity Fish, was the 
mother of thirteen children, among whom was David Hall, who 
was born on the homestead, succeeded to the ancestral land and 
married Hannah, daughter of Robert Dennis. Their children 
were: Isaac D., Darius. Edward, Gardner, Robert D., David 
F., Han-iet A., Jane (deceased) and Ruth D. (deceased). 

Robert Dennis Hall was born on the homestead farm June 
18th, 1820. and has devoted his life to the pursuits of an 
agriculturist. He attended the paid schools of the day, and 
being the only son who remained at home, at an early age was 
pressed into the service as a helper to his fatlier. On the death 
of the latter in 1847, he inherited a sliare in the farm, and se- 





n 





,iftT»V\. \, »\>»Mmi ». ■^. 



HISTORY OF NEWPOUT COUNTY. 



693 



curing the remainder by pnrcliase, became sole owner of tlie 
property. His attention has been given to general farming, 
though the raising of vegetables for market has been found es- 
pecially profitable. Mr. Hall married, in June, 18.56, Mary A., 
daughter of Albert G. Cook, of Portsmouth. Their children 
are: Robert D., David F., married to Abbie Chase ; Albert C, 
Hannah C, wife of Alfred Gr. Sisson ; Ruth D., Emma E., Alice 
D., and two deceased, Isaac D. and William G. Mr. Hall in 




RESIDENCE OF ROBERT D. HALL, PORTSJIOUTII, R. L 

liolitics supports the principles of the republican party. He 
has held vai-ious township offices and been for years a member 
of the town council, where his judgment and ability have been 
made available in the administration of local affairs. His re- 
ligious belief is that of the Society of Friends, the faith of his 
maternal ancestors. 

Robert D Hall, Jr., born 1857, married Sarah Howland Smith 
of New Bedford, and since 1876 has been in Boston with L. G. 
Burnham & Co., coal dealers, 75 State street. 

Thomas Robinson Hazard. — A history of Newport county, 
or, indeed, of the state of Rhode Island, would be incoinplete 
without at least a slight sketch of tiie life and acliievemenls of 



694 HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Tliomas Robinson Hazard, who, for nearly half a century, and 
UY) to the time of his death in 1886, was a resident of the town 
of Portsmouth. 

Mr. Hazard was a lineal descendant of Tliomas Hazard, who 
settled in the same town about the year 1638, and who was 
one of the original incorporators of the town of Newport. Born 
of Quaker ancestry, at Tower hill, in South Kingstown, Wash- 
ington county, Rhode Island, January 8d, 1797, he was trained, 
from early years, to the business of woolen manufacturing, wiiich 
his father had established at Peace Dale in the same town, and, 
at the age of sixteen, he engaged in the same business on his 
own account. In this he continued, through all tiie vicissitudes 
incident to the establishment of an infant industry ou a firm 
basis, until 1842, when, having a few years before purchased 
the fine old country-seat called "Vaucluse," in tlie town of 
Portsmouth, he retired from active business, and devoted much 
of his time to agricultural pursuits, of which he had always 
been extremely fond. 

Although never holding political office of any kind, Mr. 
Hazard always took a deep interest in every movement in the 
direction of reform and improvement of the conditions of life, 
and was ever ready to use his pen, without fear or favor, in aid 
of any cause which he believed to be just. He was the first in 
the state to establish an evening school, in 1821, in his factory, 
and he built, largely at his own expense, in Portsmouth, the 
first school house on the improved plan in any country town in 
Rhode Island. He also joined in writing the call for the first 
large meeting ever held in behalf of educational interests in 
Providence or the state, at which the Rhode Island Institute of 
Instruction was organized. He visited every public poorhouse 
in the state, except on Block island, made a full report of their 
condition to the general assembly, and succeeded in bringing 
about a thorough reform in their management. He began an 
agitation in behalf of the insane poor, and did not abandon the 
cause until after the Butler hospital was in successful operation. 
It was through his application to the general assembly that fixed 
appropriations were made for the maintenance of the insane, 
and for the education of the deaf and dumb and the blind. It 
was through his untiring efforts, and the influence of a report 
compiled and written by him, that tiie legislature abolished 
capita] punishment in Rhode Island by a majority of four in 





■ 




H 


^^^f <^^^ 


Hfer A^ ' 




lu 




B 


■BHHJJI^^SBtsi^ssdK 


1 






V1l>0\1*%., \ %\%*MVQ\ V X 





^i>^ 




mTtt-^-is^, t. %\^*^^v^-\ U- •( 



HISTORY OF NEWPOItT OOUNTY. 695 

the senate, and afterward by more tlian two to one in the house. 

Mr. Hazard also took an active interest in the work of the 
African Colonization Society, and always maintained that, if 
the aims of this organization had been adequately aided by the 
general government, the great question of slavery would in all 
probability have been settled without bloodshed. In politics 
he was an ardent whig and an earnest supporter of lleiu-y Clay 
and his American system of protection to home industry; and 
in the wisdom and benehcence of this principle he was, to the 
day of his death, an unfaltering believer. In aid of tlie whig 
campaign of 1840 he wrote and i:)ublishedin the Newport papers 
of the time a series of articles entitled, "Facts for the Laboring 
Man," which the New York Courier and Enquirer, tJien the 
recognized organ of commercial and financial interests, referred 
to as being " the best exposition of the financial policy of the 
present (Van Buren) administration that has appeared." 

During the latei' years of his life Mr. Hazard spent much of 
his time in compiling a very thorough genealogical record of 
the Hazard and Robinson families, prefaced by many interest- 
ing recollections of olden times, and he also published in the 
newspapers a series of articles entitled, " Jonny Cake Papers," 
relating to the early customs and traditions of the state. These 
were afterward printed in book form, and, together with his 
volume of "Miscellaneous Essays and Letters," make a valua- 
ble contribution to the historical, literature of his state and 
time. 

Thomas IIoi.man is descended from English ancestry. His 
grandfatlier, John Holman, was a miner at Grwinear parish, 
Cornwall, England. His son, Peter Holman, was also employed 
in the copper and tin mines at the same point. He married 
Grace Pryer, of the parish of Wendren, in the same county. 
Their children were : Grace, Mary, Peter, Absalom, John, 
David, Francis, Thomas, Henry and William. 

Thomas Holman was born Septeml)er l.")th, 1818, in the parish 
of Gwinear, wiiere he remained during his youth. His time at 
the age of eleven was devoted to labor in the copper mines, leav- 
ing little time for education, which is more the result, with Mr. 
Holman, of observation and retlection than of time devoted to 
books. He continued at work in the inities until 1840, the date 
of his emigration to America, wiieii lu^ came direct to Ports- 
mouth and found his services in demand at the coal mines 



696 iiisTortY OF Newport county. 

located in that_to\vnsliip. Mr. Holman, by his skill and knowl- 
edge, soon made his presence felt, and later obtained an inter- 
est, at the same time acting as snperintendent of the mines, and 
meanwhile making varions pnrchases of real estate in the im- 
mediate vi(!inity. In 1860 he acqnired his present farm, on 
which the famil}^ now reside. In 1877, having abandoned min- 
ing, he settled on his land, and has since that time been engaged 
in farming. 

Mr. Holman was, in 18413, married to Mary D., danghter of 
Benjamin C. Sherman, of Portsmouth. Their children are : 
Thomas H. (deceased), Rosalette (widow of Charles A. Briggs), 
Lav'inia (deceased) and Cordelia (Mrs. Albert W. Lawrence). 
Mrs. Holman died in 1856, and in 1859 he was again married 
to Anna B., daughter of Oliver Albro, of Portsmouth. Their 
children are : Frederick William, Fannie Lavantia, and Her- 
man Thomas. Mr. Holman casts his vote with the republican 
party, but aside from his membersliip on the school committee, 
prompted by his interest in the cause of education, has declined 
all otfices. He is in his religious belief an Episcopalian, and a 
member of St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal church of Newtown. 
He is one of the vestry, and has been delegate to the diocesan 
convention. 

Frederick W. Holman, son of Thomas Holman, was born in 
Portsmouth, and married Emily A. Davol, of this town. They 
have three sons: Clifton T., Charles A. and Merle. 

WiLLr.\M Madison Manchester is a grandson of John 
Manchester, who was a soldier of the revolution and partici- 
pated in the battle of Rhode Island. He married Mary Fish, 
of the same township. Their children were four sons : Edward, 
William, John and Isaac, and four daughters: Mary, Luc}% 
Meribah and Freelove. William, of this number, was born in 
Tiverton, and after his marriage removed to Portsmouth. He 
lived to an extreme old age, and in the many positions, both 
local and state, which he tilled, enjoyed the confidence of the 
public. He married Elizabeth, daughter of William Fish and 
Martha, his wife, a lady of nuuiy accomplishments. Their two 
sons are AVilliam Madison, and Isaac, who died in early man- 
hood, sincerely niourned by his many friends. 

William Madison, the surviving brother, was born August 
2.')th, 1814, in Tiverton, and in infancy removed with his parents 
to Portsmouth, where he has since resided. His early advan- 



■*ll 




^Ku/^^ct^r^ /h, ^/hci^n.cA.e.<yCe>>^ 




-^. 




X 




' -^^ 



"^"''^^^ 






"HIOTIV^^ % *\^*^\VM\ ^ 



IIISTOKY OF NKWPOIiT COUNTY. 697 

tages were limited, liis boyhood being devoted to work. While 
engaged in farming, Mr. Manchester, being of a speculative 
turn, dealt largely in poultry, and in later years found a larger 
field for his ventures in real estate and lauded property, much 
of the fortune he has accumulated being invested in tlie latter. 
In youth he labored under man}' disadvantages, which by per- 
severance and industry were finally mastered. He has filled 
many offices of trust. He has served his township in various 
capacities, and in 1860 and 1861 was elected to the state legis- 
lature, where his course was marked by an unswerving regard 
for the right. In religion he is liberal. Mr. Manchester has 
not lived for himself alone, but by many unostentatious acts of 
kindness has added to the happiness of others. At his death 
tins branch of the family of Manchester becomes extinct. 

Isaac M. Rogers is a son of John Rogers who was born in 
South Portsmouth, where his active life was passed as a farmer. 
He enjoyed a well deserved reputation as a man of excellent 
judgment and much enterprise. He was a director of the Bank 
of Rhode Island, and interested in all measures affecting the 
public welfare. Mr. Rogers married Ann Manchester, of the 
same township. Their children are: Isaac M., Sarah M., wife 
of Noah Coggeshall; Thomas G., married to Eliza Maria Peck- 
ham; Ruth, who died in early life; Fannie B., deceased; Lewis 
II., deceased; Joseph, residing in Texas; and Patience, wife of 
Benjamin B. White. 

Isaac M. Rogers was born October 9th, 1819, in Portsmouth, 
wliicii township he made his lifetime residence. On concluding 
Ills school da\-s he engaged in farm labor with his father and 
elsewhere, and later became a fisherman. This pursuit he con- 
tinued for many years, ultimately inheriting the farm upon 
which his widow now resides, where the remainder of his life 
was spent as a farmer. Mr. Rogers was, in 1852, married to 
Harriet A., daughter of David Wliite, of Little Compton. 
Their children are: Lizzie W., wife ot' Pitt S. Littlefield; Isa- 
bell, married to Sylvester B. Tallman; and Jolin E., deceased. 
Mr. Rogers was in his political sentiments an early whig, and 
afterward a republican, but never an aspirant for office. lie 
was a regular attendant of the services of tlie Clirislian Baptist 
cliiuch of Portsmouth. His death occurred on the 16th of 
March, 1887, in his sixty-eighth year. A leading journal paid 
tlie following tribute to his memory: 



698 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNT ST. 

"In the death of Mr. Rogers, his family, consisting of his 
widow and two daughters, lose a kind and affectionate husband 
and father, whose delight it was to do everything that lay in 
his power to render their lives pleasant and happy. His loss to 
the community is also one that will be sevei'ely felt, as he was 
a neighbor always ready to oblige and accommodate and to do 
kindly offices for those in need, without a seeming thought as 
to whether he should be recompensed in kind or not, and con- 
sequently many that took their last look at the familiar features 
as they lay in life-like naturalness in the casket, felt that they 
had lost a true friend, as indeed he was." 

Alfred Sisson is a son of Moses Sisson, a farmer and mar- 
ketman, who resided in Portsmouth township. He married 
Phebe Dennis of the same township and their children were: 
Alfred, Albert, Amy Jane (deceased) and Adeline (Mrs. Brown). 

Alfred, the eldest son, is a native of Portsmouth, where he 
was born August 2otli, 1822. With the exception of two years 
in New Bedford as clerk, all his life has been spent in this 
township. He received a thorough training in the elementary 
English branches and began his business career at an early age, 
first engaging in the fishing trade and later in farming. In 1860 
he leased the Bristol Ferry house, located at Bristol ferry on the 
Narragansett bay, and became a successful and popular land- 
lord. This property, with about fifty acres of land, he pur- 
chased in 1872 and having rendered it a favorite resort, still 
conducts the house, which is filled during the summer months 
with a class of patrons that find the spot sufficiently attractive 
to warrant their I'eturn from year to year. He is also engaged 
in fishing and to some extent in agriculture. 

Mr. Sisson in 1842 was married to Mary T., daughter of James 
Faulkner, of Portsmouth. Their children are: EmmaS., Annie, 
Jenny A., and six who are deceased. In politics Mr. Sisson is 
identified with the republican party of which he has been an in- 
fluential representative. He has declined all local offices but from 
1871 to 1874 represented his constituency in the assembly, and 
from the latter date until 1878 in the senate, where he was an 
able representative of the fishing interests. In his religious 
views a Methodist, he is a member and trustee of the Methodist 
Ejjiscopal church of Newtown. 

William L. Sisson is a grandson of Moses Sisson, who was 
one of the prosx^erous farmers of Portsmouth. His children 




^ 




tr^/ 




^^^^-T^L^ 



\X\^\\^\^ K %w%.%-\\.\i\ *.. 






k/Idir? 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 699 

were: William B., Ruth, Hannah and INfary Ann. The eldest 
of this number, AVilliam B., was born in the above township 
which, with the adjacent township of Middletown, was the 
scene of his active labors as a farmer and liutclier. An en- 
terprising and intluential citizen, lie represented his district in 
the legislature and filled various local offices. He married 
Mary T., daughter of James Uurfee, of Portsmoutli, whose 
children are: Mary J., wife of Nathaniel Vars; William L., 
Anna E., widow of Simeon S. Coggeshall; James M., married 
to Mary A. Elliott; Josephine D., wife of Edward A. Mason; 
Ruth I)., married to John C. Barker, and Hetty C, wife of 
George W. Sherman. The death of Mr. Sisson occurred De- 
cember 30th, 1886. 

His son, William L., was born May 24th, 1837, in Poi'tsmouth, 
and in early youth removed with his parents to Middletown. 
He enjoyed only such opportunities for education as the public 
schools afforded, and early engaged in farming. Endowed with 
indomitable will and an equal amount of energy and self- 
reliance, these qualities have with Mr. Sisson been synonyms 
of success. After a period of service given to his father, he in 
1860 rented the farm, and inherited the property on the death 
of the latter. He was married on the 5th of December, 1860, to 
Sarah A., daughter of Leonard Brown, of the same township. 
Louie S. is their only child. Mr. Sisson is an active supporter 
of republican principles. He represented his constituents in 
the assembly from 1882 to 1881, and in the latter year was 
elected to the senate of Rhode Island, which office he still fills. 
In his official relations, as in business, he enjoys the confidence 
of the i)ul)]ic. 

PERSONAL PAR.VGRAPHS. 

Charles Albro is a son of David Alltio, the assessor of Mid- 
dletown. He was born in lSo3 and in 1876 was married to 
Sarah M. Anthony, of Middletown. The older of their two 
children is Arthur Albert. Mr. Albro is a dairy and stock 
farmer in Portsmouth. 

Joseph F. Albro, born in 1836, son of Freeborn Albro, mar- 
ried Jane E., daughter of Hon. Nathaniel Peckham, of Middle- 
town. They liave one son, Lester Franklin Albro. Mr. .\.ll)ro's 
business is house carpentering and wagon building. 

William Gilbert Albro, born 1859, is the son of David Albro 



700 mSTOlIT OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

of Middletown, and gTandson of Peleg Alhro. He married 
Mary E., daughter of George Hazard. Mr. Albro is a farmer. 
, John Allan, who has been superintendent at ''Oakland" 
since Novembei-, 188G, as successor of Robert Elliott, is a native 
of Edinburgh, Scotland. He was educated there and in the 
north of Ireland, and at eighteen years of age came to the 
United States. Prior to 1886 he was superintendent for Mrs. 
James G. King, at " Highwood" in New Jersey. 

Elisha Allen, son of Benjamin and grandson of Elisha Allen, 
was born in Middletown in 1827. His wife was Martha W., 
daughter of Sylvester R. Perry, who was a cousin of Commodore 
Perry. Mr. Allen has one son, Augustus Perry Allen. Mr. 
Allen has never cast a ballot in any ballot-box for any officer — 
state, local or national — mn- on any constitutional or appropria- 
tion question. 

Edward Almy, born in 1844, is a son of Edward (1808—1883) 
and a grandson of Peleg Almy. His wife is Frances R., young- 
est daughter of Noel Coggeshall of Middletown. Their chil- 
dren are Annie Rebecca and Katie Fales. Mr. Almy was 
elected in 1887 for his fourth term as councilman. He is now 
serving his seventh year as commissioner of the town asylum. 
He is considered one of the best fai'mers in Portsmouth. 

Susan Hazard Anthony, daughter of Atherton Wales and 
granddaughter of Doctor Peter T. Wales, is the widow of Levi 
Almy, who was born in 1809. His father was Jacob and his 
grandfather Holder Almy. Mr. and Mrs. Almy had five chil- 
dren: Charlotte, now widow of Christopher Southwick of Mid- 
dletown; Jacob, Henry W., Robert B., and Holder. At the 
age of sixteen Levi Almy took a whaling voyage around Cape 
Horn. He was married at the age of twenty-four, and from that 
time to his death engaged in farming. 

Henry W. Almy, born in 1841, is a son of Levi Almy, de- 
ceased. His wife is Mary Bemis of Troy, New Hampshire. 
She was a teacher here prior to their marriage in 1866. Mr. 
Almy worked at "Oakland" when a lad, and had charge of the 
greenhouses there two seasons. He was eighteen years in the 
fishing business. He has two children, Frederick W. and Fan- 
nie Gertrude. 

Robert B. Almy, a son of Levi and Susan H. (Wales) Almy, 
was born in 1843. At the age of seventeen he began fishing, in 
whicli he has been very successful, especially in scuj^p trapping 
and menhaden pursing. 




HISTORY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 701 

Philip Alniy is a son of Peleft- Alniy, who died in 1887, leav- 
ing seven children. Philip's wife is Sarah Sherman. His grand- 
father, Peleg, was bt)rn in 1761 and died in 1853. He wasason 
of John Almy. One of Peleg' s sisters, Bridget, born in 1791, 
died in 1880, was the mother of George B. and Peleg A. Cogges- 
hall of Portsmouth. Philip's children are: Edna, :iow Mrs. 
Clinton Hale of Providence; George M., and Mary, now Mrs. 
E. Louis Clarke of Providence. 

George B. Anthony is a son of Samuel Anthony and grand- 
son of Seth Anthony, whose father, Isaac, lived during the 
revolution in the old Anthony house, on the West road, 
south of Butt's hill. This house, now belonging to Henry C. 
Anthony, is on the scene of some of the hardest fighting in the 
battle of Rhode Island. Near here is the "Hessian Hole," a 
spot in the swamp between Butt's hill on the north and Turkey 
hill on the south, where tradition says several hundred Hessians 
were buried after tlie battle. The house was riddled with bul- 
lets, and one cannon ball entering over the front door, left its 
track through the entire building and out at the north side. 
The grandfather, Seth, then a young man, was taken prisoner 
by the British. George B. was elected representative at 23 
years of age, and in the following year was promoted to the 
state senate. His wife was a daughter of Samuel Green, of 
Newport. Their children are: Abbie S., Hattie G. and Seth. 

George Anthonj^, son of Rev. Gould Anthony and grandson 
of Jonathan Anthony, was born in 18;55. He married Lucy 
Coggeshall, who died in 1883, leaving one daughter, Mary C. 
Mr. Anthony's present wife, EUie M., is the daughter of Wil- 
liam E. Coggeshall, of Middletown. They have one child, 
Gould Anthony. Mr. Anthony's business is fanning. 

Robert W. Anthony, sou of Joseph, grandson of Jonathan 
and great grandson of Gould Autliouy, was born in 1847. His 
mother is a daughter of Charles Wilcox, of Tiverton. Mr. An- 
thony has been postmaster at South Portsmouth since 1877. 
His fatlier held the olhce for twelve years before his death. 
William Henry GilYord was postmaster two years previous. 
The first postmaster here was Moses Lawton. 

Orlando L. Baker, son of William Baker, was born in Tolland 
County, Connecticut, in 184.'). Mr. Baker was in the wholesale 
produce business at Providence until 1886, when he came to his 
coal mine farm of 90 acres. His wife. Alpha J., is a daughter 



70-2 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

of George W. Baton. They liave four children : Charles H., 
Cora E., Walter O. and Flora. 

Christopher Barknr, born in 1818, is a son of Christopher 
Barker and a grandson of David Barker, wlio had fourteen 
children. The younger Christopher married Ruth, daughter of 
John Hambly and granddaughter of Benjamin Hambly, of Tiv- 
erton. They have one son, John Barker, of Newport, and one 
daughter, noMr Mrs. John L. Borden. Mr. Barker was engaged 
with his father at menhaden fishing as early as 1829. His father 
was one of the earliest to "try" the menhaden for oil. The 
elder Christopher Barker kept a store in a house next south of 
the town clerk's office, in Portsmouth. This old merchant was 
representative in the legislature once, and was an officer in the 
Second Baptist church at Newport. 

William Borden, ex-president of the town council, was born 
in New Ham])sliire in 1826. His father was Asa Borden, his 
grandl'atiier .John Burden. He married Susan E., daughter of 
Clark Chase. Mr. Borden's business was formerly that of tailor 
in Newport and Piv)vidence. In 1819 he gave that up and 
went to California, remaining three or four years. Tiien he re- 
turned and kept a store on the premises where he now lives. 
They have three children: Herbert W., who married Sarah E., 
daughter of Benjamin Brown (They have one child, Charles 
Howard); Ella M., now Mrs. John L. C. Harrington, who has one 
daughter named Rebecca; Arthur L. Borden, whose wife is a 
daughter of George C. Fisli. 

Benjamin F. Borden, born in 1833, is a brother of William 
Borden. He married Ruth H., sister of Parker Hall Sherman. 
Their children are: Alfred H., Alonzo E. and Minnie F. Mr. 
Borden has served several years as school trustee. He is prin- 
cijially engaged in farming. 

Alfred H. Borden.' (Benjamin F. Borden," Asa Borden," 
John Borden,'"' Joseph') married Hannah C. Collins of South 
Kingstown in 1884. She has taught school here as did also her 
father Peleg Collins and her niotlier, Mary (Hawkes) Collins. 

The Bordens of Fall River and vicinity, according to a fam- 
ily tradition, are descended from a brother of Josepli. 

Byron D. Boyd, twelfth child of John and a grandson of 
Stephen Boyd, was born in 1831. His wife Amy A., is a daugh- 
ter of James S. Chase. They have three children: Myra, Harry 
and Ethel. Mr. Boyd has been a marketman for forty years. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 703 

His house is an liistoi'ic building, built originally at the ferry, 
where it was owned by Peter Barker, and served as a place of 
meeting for the early Methodists. John Boyd moved it here 
alx)ut 1822. On Mr. Boyd's place are remains of one of the 
original cellars of 1638. 

Charles E. Boyd was born in 1819. He is a son of William 
Boyd, who was a brother of Byron D. Boyd's father, John Boyd. 
His wife Ruth Ann, is a daughter of Daniel Chase. Their chil- 
dren, Annie C, Emma F. (Mrs. Clark Chase of Fall River), 
Mary Alice (Mrs. Samuel D.Howland) and William R. areallliv- 
ing. Mr. Boyd owns the farm on which is " Hessian Hole." 

Harriet N. Bourn, widow of B. N. Bourn, late wholesale and 
retail provision dealer of Providence, is a daughter of Jonathan 
Tallman. Her only child is Mary B., the widow of William P. 
^lacomber, who has one child, Marguerite. 

Benjamin Brown, deceased, was born in 1821, and was a son 
of Isaac and grandson of Gideon Brown. He was married to 
Emeline B., daughter of Samuel Coggeshall, of Portsmouth. 
Their daughter, Emeline H., is the wife of Herbert W. Borden 
of Portsmouth. Mr. Brown was killed on his farm by a horse 
in 1887. 

Leonard Brown, son of Samuel and grandson of Gideon 
Brown, was born in 1815. He learned the wheelwright trade, 
bought a blacksmith shop and made a lucrative business by 
comi)ining fiie two trades. He is now one of the best farmers 
in town. He formerly raised poultry and during the winter 
season he bought pork which, with his poultr}^ he marketed at 
New Bedford, Mass. His wife is Sarali, daugliter of Cook 
Wilcox. They have six children: Anna (Mrs. William L. 
Sisson), Edward P., William J., Etta (Mrs. William Cogge- 
shall), Hattie N. (Mrs. William Tallman), and Eliza G. 

William P. Carr, deceased, son of Richmond Carr and grand- 
son of Robert Carr, was born in IS )7 and died in 1885. His 
widow, Martha C, is a sister of Edward Sisson. Mrs. Carr has 
had five children, four of whom are living: Sarah (now Mrs. 
Nathaniel Brown), Orleana (]\Irs. William Weaver of Middle- 
town), Martha C. (Mrs. John B. F. Smith of Newport), William 
Franklin (whose wife is Frances E., daughter of Asa Cory) 
and Jane M., who died in 1861 aged 17 years. 

Eleanor Carr, widow of Job R. Carr, is a daughter of Richard 
and Lucy (Manchester) Fish of Tiverton. Her grandfather was 



704 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

John Manchester. Mr. Carr, son of Kichtnond Carr, was born 
in 1820 and died in 1877. He was a member of Sea Side Lodge, 
No. 17; initiated December 21st, 1871; installed noble grand 
of that lodge in July, 1876, and admitted into the R. W. 
Grand Lodge of Rhode Island February 6th, 1877. He had five 
children, four of whom are living: Lucy (Mrs. Asa Coggeshall), 
Charles, Laura G. (Mrs. W. T. Tallman) and Alfred. Charles' 
wife, Cynthia, is a daughter of the late Lewis J. Thurston. 
Their two children are Charles and Althea Richmond Carr. 

Abraham C. Chase, born in 1841, is a son of William Chase 
of Middletown. His wife, Eunice C, is a daughter of Asa J. 
Fisher, whose wife was Eunice Coggesliall. Mr. Chase's chil- 
dren are: Fannie F., Florence M., Ellie F., and Mary C. Mr. 
Chase is a farmer. 

Constant W. Chase, born in 1826, is a son of Clark, grandson 
of Isaac, great-grandson of Zacheus, and great-great-grandson 
of James Chase. His wife, Susan, is a daus'hter of Slocum Col- 
lins. Their children are: Herbert, Isaac and Emma. Mr. Chase 
is a farmer and owns what is called the Bowler farm. The old 
part of the house was built more than two hundred years ago, 
and what is known as the new part was built in 1730. The 
farm was then owned by the Bowler family, who sold it to Dan- 
iel Chase, who in 1808 sold it to Isaac. On this farm is an old 
stone barn, once a greenhouse, and in it was raised the original 
Rhode Island greening, from a slip brought from England in a 
potting tub. The barn is very old; the plaster in it is like that 
of the stone mill. Herbert Chase married Eliza G., daughter of 
Joseph C. Dennis. Their family consists of four boys and three 
girls. 

Alfred S. Chase, brother of Constant W. Chase, was born in 
1822. He. is better known as Captain Chase. At twelve years 
of age he went to sea, and for about forty iive years he was sail- 
ing the main. Over thirty years master of a vessel, he made 
eight trills around Cape Horn and four around Cape of Good 
Hope. He was master of a vessel during the Mexican war. He 
was married in 1853 to Susan G. Murray, of Boston. 

James S. Chase, born in 1816, is a son of Abner, grandson of 
Holder, and great grandson of Thomas Chase. The family tra- 
dition is to the effect that about 1634 William Chase, Thomas 
Chase and Aquilla Chase, three brothers, from England, be- 
came the jirogenitors in America of the New England families 



mSTOUT OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 705 

bearing this name. Mr. Chase's wife, Mary Fish, died leaving 
three daughters: Amy, Fannie and Laura. His present wife, 
the mother of his son, Luther Paul Chase, is Hannah P., daugh- 
ter of Pierce A. Faulkner. 

Alfred Clark Chase, born in 1833, is a son of Clark Chase, a 
grandson of Holder Chase, and a great-grandson of Nathan 
Chase. Nathan's father was Benjamin and his grandfather was 
William, and William's father was the original William 
Chase, the ancestor of this family in America. Mr. Chase's 
wife is a daughter of W^illiam Anthony, a son of Judge 
William Anthony. Their children are Edmund and Maud 
A. His business is with Joseph Church & Co., as a me- 
chanic. Clark Chase's wife was Ann Borden. Benjamin 
Chase's wife was Amy Borden. 

Borden Chase, of Fall River, is brother of Alfred Clark Chase. 
He began the coal business at Fall River in 1871, established 
the Fall River Coal Company, removed there in 187.5, and is now 
interested in the Globe Coal Company. Mr. Chase was born in 
1816. His wife is Elizabeth A., daughter of Joseph Thomas, a 
brother of Gardner Thomas. 

Philip B. Chase, the town clerk of Portsmouth, is a brother 
of Alfred C. and Borden Chase. 

One of Borden Chase's sons, of Fall River, is Simeon B. Chase. 
He was born in Portsmouth, left there in 1866, and has been 
treasurer of several cotton mills in Pall River. As financial 
manager he is credited among mill men with large success. 
Since 1885 he has been treasurer of the " King Philip." 

William Alfred Chase, born in 1834, is a son of Alexander 
Hamilton Chase and a grandson of Abner Chase, a son of Holder 
Chase. His wife, Sarah C, is a daughter of Joseph and Han- 
nah (Anthony) Thonuis. Their family of six children are: Clara 
M., Fannie T. (Mrs. Edward R. Anthony), Abbie T. (Mrs. David 
Frank Hall), William A., Jr., Walter Bradford and Evelyn B. 
Mr. Chase's farm of about one hundred and forty acres on 
"The Neck " was the scene of some of the most stirring events 
of the revolution. The early generations of this Chase family 
in Portsmouth were Friends. 

Josiah Chase, son of John and grandson of Zacheus Chase, was 
born in 1804 and is a farmer. He married Elizabeth, daughter 
of Benjamin and granddaughter of Jonathan Freeborn. She 
died leaving two children, Benjamin F. and Hannah. Benjamin 
F. resides at Brockton, Massachusetts. 



706 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

John H. Chase was born in Portsmouth in 1835, and is a son 
of Levi, grandson of John, and great-grandson of Zacheus. 
John H. Chase was married in 1859 to Mary, daughter of 
Charles H. Carr and granddaughter of Richmond Carr. They 
liave two sons, George 11. and Jolin R. Mr. Chase is engaged 
in the market farming business. 

Mrs. Eliza Chase, widow of Jacob Chase, was born in Dart- 
mouth, Massachusetts. Mr. Chase, who died in January, 1884, 
was a "Friend." He was well known as a contributor to a 
local papei'. Mrs. Chase now owns and resides at the Cherry 
or ytone House farm, near A. W. Lawrence's. 

Charles A. Chase, born in 1841, is a son of Jacob Chase, born 
18('2, died 1884; a grandson of Shadrach, died 1841; and a great- 
grandson of Zacheus, whose father was James Chase, the Eng- 
lish ancestor of a numerous family in New England. Mr. Chase 
is married to Abbie J. Boyce, of Massachusetts. Their children 
are Herbert and Lizzie. 

Mr. Chase is one of the successful farmers of this town. His 
place is near Lawton valley in Portsmouth, where Zacheus Chase 
settled when a young man. 

C. C. & C. E. Chase are now doing business in the store 
erected by Benjamin Tallman in 1866 and 1867. Philip B. 
Chase in 1857 erected the building now the residence of A. Q. 
Manchester, and E. F. Dyer occupied it as a store for fifteen 
years, and was postmaster during thirteen years of that time. 
He was succeeded by Albert F. Sisson and George F. Thomas. 
These gentlemen, after running the business one year under the 
firm name of Sisson & Thomas, took O. C. Manchester as a part- 
ner, and the firm became Sisson, Thomas & Co. This firm built 
the store now A. G. Manchester's, and conducted it three years. 
In 1876 the new store and the residence (formerly store) passed 
into the hands of A. G. Manchester, the present proprietor. 
His son, O. C. Manchester, was postmaster from 1876 to 1886. 
Benjamin Tallman conducted his store for two years, and in 
1869 the firm of C. C. & C. E. Chase began, the junior partner 
having once been clerk for E. F. Dyer. C. C. Chase was post- 
master at Portsmouth Grove during the war. In 1868 he went 
to Europe as agent for the Walter A. Wood Mowing Machine 
Com])any. C. E. Chase was local agent for the same company 
from 1865 to 1868, and since that time the firm have been agents 
here. The Messrs. Chase have been successful and prosperous. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 707 

They ran one wagon from the start, and for the last four years 
have had two wagons. During eighteen years they have missed 
but five trips to Bristol ferry with wagon service, abetter record 
than the mail service. Mr. C. E. Chase was married in 1847 to 
Ella F., only daugliter of William Henry Faulkner. They have 
one son, Frank Henry. 

Asa Coggeshall, son of Abner Coggeshall, was born in Tiver- 
ton in 1841, and was married in 1S6G to Lucy F., daughter of 
Job R. and Eleanor Carr. They have four children: Nellie F., 
Grace Edna, William H. and Eugene Lamont. At the age of 
16 Mr. Coggeshall started on a trip around Cape Horn, whaling> 
and was gone four years. He made a second trip, from which 
he returned about two years before his marriage. He was em- 
ployed by the government during the war on a government 
transport. His present business is farming. 

Dennis Coggeshall, son of Samuel and Abagail Slocum Cogge- 
shall, was born in 1822. He is now engaged in farming on the 
homestead farm where his father and mother died, aged re- 
spectively 81 and 85 years. 

Edward Alton Coggeshall, son of Edward, grandson of Simeon 
and great-grandson of Josiah Coggeshall, married Mary Cath- 
rina, daughter of Cyrus Peckham and granddaugh ter of Timothy 
Peckham. They have one son, Elmer Russell. Mr. Coggeshall 
has been house carpenter for thirty- three yeai'S. His grand- 
father, father and brother, Peleg T;, all of whom are dead, were 
also carpenters. 

Fillmore Coggeshall was born in 1856, and is a son of George 
C. Coggeshall, of Middletown, whose portrait and biography 
are given in this work. Fillmore Coggeshall is married to Lizzie 
M., daugliter of William H., granddaughter of Isaac, and great- 
granddaughter of Gideon Brown. Their children are : Mary 
Julia, Frederick William, Gertrude A. and Fillmoie, Jr. Mr. 
Coggeshall was elected second councilman in 1887. On state 
and national questions he votes with the democratic party. 

John Pardon Coggeshall was born in Portsmouth in 1830, and 
is a son of Abraham C. Coggeshall, deceased, of Middletown. 
He was married to Elizabeth Roddy, by whom he has had three 
children: Matthew, Annie M. and Rosalie. Mr. Coggeshall has 
always been a farmer. 

Joseph Coggeshall, brother of John P., was born in 1826. 
His wife is Mary A., daughter of Parker Lawton. They have 

45 



708 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

live children: Celia S., Charles, Martha, John R. and Fiederick 
A. Mr. Coggeshall has been a member of the school board 
twenty-four years. Besides farming he has been engaged in 
contracting and building for about thirty-five years. He has 
erected a large number of buildings, including twenty-four for 
E. J. Anderson, of Newport. 

Peleg A. Coggeshall, born in 1822, is a son of Peleg, who was 
the only child of George Coggeshall, a son of Joshua. Mrs. 
Peleg A. Coggeshall is Lucinda, daughter of Samuel Ayles- 
worth, of North Kingstown. Their only child is Charles P, 
Coggeshall, of Boston. Mr. Coggeshall has been assessor of 
taxes several years. He is a farmer. 

George B. Coggeshall, brother of Peleg A., has been repre 
sentative two years and state senator four years. His father, 
Peleg, was a soldier in the war of 1812. His widow, who died 
in 1866, at the age of 95 years, was a pensioner. 

William Earl Cook, the oldest man living in this town, was 
born in 1797. His father, George Cook, was a son of Matthew 
Cook. Mr. Cook learned the blacksmith trade, at which he 
still works, before he was twenty. In 1819 he went to Cuba, 
where he resided two years, when he returned to Portsmouth. 
His wife, Eunice Sherman, was born in New Bedford, in 1800. 
Their only child, Sarah B., is Mrs. Philip B. Chase, who has a 
family of nine children : William C, Eunice A., Philip S., Re- 
becca, Nancy, Constant C, Charles E., Isaac S. and Hannah. 

John Corcoran was born in the central part of Ireland. He 
came to New York in 1839. He came to Portsmouth in 1840 as 
engineer in the coal mine. When the coal mine was abandoned 
he bought a farm here, including the house which had been 
built for a summer residence. His children are John J. and 
Elizabeth A., now Mrs. Timothy Connelly, of Taunton. Mrs. 
John J. Corcoran was Elizabeth Kennedy. They have one 
child, Ellen. 

Abner B. Cory is a son of John Cory and a grandson of 
Thomas Cory, a brother of Samuel Cory, who aided in the cap- 
ture of General Prescott in the revolution. This Thomas was 
in the English army before the revolution, in the campaign 
against the French in Canada. Mr. Cory's wife is Ruth, a 
granddaughter of George Mall. Several years of Mr. Cory's 
early life were spent in Little Coinpton, under the strict dis- 
cipline of poverty. His business here now is dealing in seeds 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 709 

and agricultural implements. Mr. Cory is now one of the com- 
missioners of the asylum. 

Asa Cory, farmer, born in 1818, is a son of John and grand- 
son of Thomas Cory. This Thomas and his two brotliei'.s, Sam- 
uel and Pardon, came to Portsmouth in 1747 and settled on the 
farm now owned by Joseph E. Macomber. This Samuel Cory 
was the one who helped capture General Prescott on this island 
in the revolution. Mrs. Asa Corj^ is Mary, daughter of Hicks 
Cornell. They have two children : Frances E. (Mrs. William 
F. Carr) and Charles W. 

Levi W. Cory, deceased, was born in 1807, married Catherine 
O'Donnell, a native of Ardara, Ireland, in 1877. Mr. Cory was 
a successful farmer. In politics he was an uncompromisiiig 
democrat. He was at one time assessor of taxes. He died in 
1883 leaving a handsome property. 

William II. Cory, son of Joseph and grandson of John Cory, 
was born in 1834. His wife was Emily Doty of Bristol, R. I. 
Their children are: Helen J., Mary E., Sarah D. and Harriet A. 
The farm home of Mr. Cory has been owned by the Cory 
family nearly half a century. This Joseph Cory is a brother 
of the Asa Cory mentioned in this chapter. 

John H. Cross, born in 1833, is a son of John Cross, who was 
a native of Columbia, Dutchess county, IS. Y. Mrs. Cross is 
Henrietta, daughter of John G. Child.s, and granddaughter of 
Lieutenant-Governor Joseph Childs. They have seven children: 
M. Emeline (Mrs. Hezekiah Gilford), Carrie E. (Mrs. J. Archie 
Sisson), Edith (Mrs. William Clark), Etta A., John A., Jo.seph 
H. and Fritz Carl. Mr. Cross has been a member of the school 
board and town treasurer. 

William J. Croucher was born in 18.")2 and is a son of John 
Croucher. The latter was born in 1814 and died in 1880. Mrs. 
William J. Croucher is a daughter of Charles Slocum. 

•Joseph G. Dennis, editor of the Portsmouth Chronicle, is a 
son of Jonathan Dennis, grandson of George Dennis, born in 
1707, and great-grandson of Robert Dennis, born in 1727. His 
wife is Clara E., daughter of Edmund D. Barker, granddaughter 
of Peter Barker and great-granddaughter of Matthew Barker 
of the Middletown family. Their only child is a daughter, 
Fannie P. 

William R. Dennis, farmer, son of John Dennis and grand- 
son of Robert Dennis, was born in 1822. lie has been actively 



710 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

engaged in tlie scupp and menhaden fisheries. His wife was 
Abbie Fields.' Their only son, William C, married Susan F. 
Brownell, and has two children, a son, Albertie S., and a 
daughter, Martha F. 

George A. Faulkner, born in 1838, is a son of Joseph, grand- 
son of George and great-grandson of Thomas Faulkner. His 
wife was Fannie E. Van Nostrand. They have one son. Walter 
I. Faulkner. Mrs. Faulkner's grandfather lived to be 100 
years old, and an uncle died at 108. Mr. Faulkner's business 
since he was 18 years old has been trapping and pursing. He 
has been an owner in steamers, schooners and sloops. 

Parker H. P. Faulkner is one of the fifth generation of 
Faulkners in Rhode Island, descended from Thomas Faulkner 
through George Faulkner, George Faulkner and Pierce A. 
Faulkner. He was born in 1830. His wife is a daughter of 
Solomon P. Snow, a former pastor of the Portsmouth Method- 
ist Episcopal church. Mr. Faulkner learned his trade of sheet 
iron worker, tinner and plumber at New Bedford, and from 1873 
to 1885 followed that business here. 

William Field, born 1817, son of Richard, and grandson of 
Richard Field, is the oldest man in Glen street who was born 
here. His first wife was Mary Mitchell ; his present wife, Mary 
B., is a daughter of Henry J. Hudson. Their house was rebuilt 
from one of the earliest houses here. Mr. Field is a carpenter 
by trade and helped build the first house on Bellevue avenue, 
JN'ewport, before the avenue was opened beyond Narragansett 
avenue. He was a member of the artillery company in the 
Dorr war. 

Thomas M. Field was born in 1818. His father, Richard 
Field, was born and educated in England, and at the age of 25 
was master of a ship. He died here in 1833. Thomas M. built 
the blacksmith shop at the head of Glen road in 1859. He 
learned his trade of William Earl Cook and has worked at it 
fifty years. His wife, Jane E., is a daughter of Andrew and 
Jane (Seabury) Cory. Her maternal grandfather is Cornelius 
Seabury, of Tiverton. Their onlj^ child is Frederick A., whose 
wife, Harriet, is a daughter of Deacon William Henry Gardner. 
They have one child, Frederick Harold. 

George C. Fish, born in 1830, is a son of Joseph W., and grand- 
son of Job Fish. His wife, Lucinda A., is a daughter of Albert 
G. Cook, who died in 1886 at the age of 86, having served as 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 711 

town coiincilnian and as deputy sheriff of fliis county. Mr. 
Fisli was engaged in 2)urse and trap fisliing I'oi' twenty years 
jirior to 1870, and since then in farming. His only child is 
Henrietta J., now Mrs. Arthur L. Borden. 
• William F. Freeborne, son of Charles S., and grandson of 
Stepiien Freeborne, was born in 1840. He was united in mar- 
riage with Lutetia, daughter of Benjamin Tallman here. For 
twenty-one years prior to ISSfl Mr. Freeborne was extensively 
engaged in jjurse iishing, since which he has devoted his time 
to the different branches of "scnpp" trapping. Has also given 
some attention to farming. 

Solomon Gardner was born here in 1835. He was a son of 
Thomas Gardner who was a native of Jamestown. He married 
Elizabeth G. Manchester, daughter of the late John S. and 
granddaughter of John Manchester of Tiverton. They have 
one son, John T. Gardner, whose wife was Georgie Lawton. 
Mrs. Gardner's mother was a daughter of Williams Durfee of 
Tiverton, a relative of Judge Dni-fce. 

^Villiam H. Giftord, son of William H. and grandson of Jer- 
emiah Gifford, was born in 1836. His first wife was Sarah 
Heath, sister of James M. Heath of Middletown. She died leav- 
ing one son, Ralph E. Gifford of Providence. The present wife, 
Harriet Eebecca, is a sister of John H. Manchester, of Middle- 
town. Her father was born in the old Manchester house, now 110 
years old. He died at 92 years of age. Mr. Gifford was engaged 
in teaching school from 1859 to 1886. He is a prominent officer 
in the Episcopal church here. 

Josiah C. Giff'ord, brother of William H., was born here in 
1832. His wife is Julia A. P., daughter of Gardner T. Slocura, 
of Middletown. They have three sons living: William Gardner, 
Barclay Hazard and Charles. Mr. Giff'ord is a farmer and has 
been on the Hazard farm " Vaucluse,'' eight years. 

Jonathan C. Gould, born in 1824, is a son of Thomas Gould, 
whose father was also named Thomas. Mrs. Gould, Josephine 
E., is a sister of J. Lawrence Durfee. Their only child, Mary 
P., is the wife of Kestcom P. Manchester, and iicr only child is 
Jonathan Gould Manchester. Mv. Gould was cautain of the 
Portsmouth company of Rhode Island militia. 

Doctor Benjamin Green, son of lion. Isaac and Eliza (Kenyon) 
Green, was born in Exeter, R. I., in 1833. His father was rep- 
resentative in the general assembly at one time. His grand- 



712 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

father was Hon. Benjamin Green of Coventry, R. I. In 1859 
Doctor Green graduated fi'om University Medical College of 
New York city. In liis lodge he is now worshipful master. He 
has been high priest of the Chapter and was once grand king of 
the Grand Chapter of the state. He was married in 1860 to 
Eunice A., daughter of Philip B. Chase. They have two cliil- 
dren: Iva Eunice and Isaac Philip. 

Cornelius S. Green is a son of Benjamin, son of Hawkins 
Green. His wife, Amelia A., is a daughter of Wanton Sher- 
man. Their children are : S. Lizzie and Frank Winslow. Mr. 
Green's farm, called the "Captain Wild's" place, was pur- 
chased by his father in 1863. 

Clinton Hale, of Providence, whose wife is Edna, daughter 
of Peleg Almy, is a descendant of Nathan Hale and Sir 
Matthew Hale. He has two sons, Frank C. and Dwiglit A. 
Hale. 

Benjamin Hall was born in Portsmouth in 1827, and is a son 
of Parker Hall and a grandson of George Hall. He was state 
senator in 1862-63 and town treasurer two or three years. He 
married Eliza Chase, a sister of Hon. John F. Chase. She died 
leaving four children : George P., Benjamin Jr., Herbert F. and 
Mary C. His present wife is from Fall River. His business is 
farming. 

Parker Hall was one of the friends of Governor Dorr in the 
Dorr war, he being a member of the legislature. Lafaj'ette 
used to make his stops frequently at the home of George Hall, 
who then lived in the house where Charles G. Thomas now re- 
sides. During his last visit to America he called on Hannah, 
who was a sister of George Hall. \Vhile Lafayette was tend- 
ing her by an open window in 1776 it fell and hurt her hand, 
and so the general came to see her when both were old and to 
ask if her hand was injured. George Hall was a leading man 
in the town, as was also his son, Parker Hall, in his life. The 
latter was associate judge in the court of common pleas. 

David Franklyn Hall, son of Robert Dennis Hall, was born 
in Portsmouth, and married Abbie T. Chase, daughter of Wil- 
liam Alfred Chase. They have a son, Harold Borden Hall. 

William Hathaway was born in Middletownin 1810, and mar- 
ried Mary Manchester, a sister of Deacon John Manchester, late 
of Portsmouth. Mr. and Mrs. Hathaway have three children 
living: George, John and Lucy (Mrs. Moses Brotherson). The 




HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 713 

fiiiuily are Quakers. William's father was George, who came from 
Freetown, Massachusetts. The hitter's father was John, a son 
of Ephraim. This Ephraim, with two brothers, came from 
England. 

John Hedly was born in 1800. His father, Henry, was a son 
of Peleg Hedly, who was killed by the British here in the war 
of the revolution. Peleg's father was Henry Hedlj'. John has 
been a merchant here since 1829, and has some of the old goods 
still. His niece, Esther M., a girl of eighteen, daughter of 
David Hedly, keeps house for him. Mr. Hedly is a staunch 
republican, and was a fedei'alist during the existence of that 
party. He belongs to the society of Friends here. 

Robert Hicks was born here in 1820, and married Emily Green. 
Their children are: Emma Francis, Oliver Green, Grace R., 
George R. George R. is married to Minnie Potter, of Central 
Falls, R.I., and is one of the school committee now, and has been 
school trustee. Ou Robert Hicks' farm are the remains of an 
old cellar, and near by is an old well, and no one living knows 
how or when they were put there. 

Julia Ward Howe, whose " Battle Hymn of the Republic " 
has been " marching on" with the author's fame towards the 
appreciation of a whole people, has written many exquisite 
poems, thoughtful and strong as Emerson's, sweet; as 
Whittier's, and welcome as herself to those who know her. She 
has been called the Browning of Ainerica, but Elizabeth and 
Julia do not strike one lyre. Americans may be pardoned for 
preferring the author of "Passion Flower," " Words for the 
Hour," and "Later Lyrics." There is a drama, also, "The 
World's Own," which is poetic; and are not her prose works 
full of poetry ? "The Trip to Cuba," so redolent with memo- 
ries of the scholar and preacher, Theodore Parker, then an in- 
valid fellow voyager; " From the Oak to the Olive," so rich in 
fancies and fine descriptions. One is at a loss to know whetlier 
to call Mrs. Howe poet or philosopher. In later years she has 
added the title of reformer, and shown herself worthy of her 
place by the side of Samuel G. Howe, the philanthropist, whose 
"Memoir," for the u,se of the blind and others, the faithful 
wife has just prepared. That she is the daughter of Samuel 
Ward, a New York banker, that her mother, Mrs. Julia Ward, 
was a poet, and that she was finely educated, with other facts, 
may be learned from the volume called " Eminent Women of 



714 IIISTOIJY OF NEWPUKT COUNTY. 

the Age," and, since it is there to be found, less may be said 
liere. May it be many a day before lier biography in full shall 
be penned; for the world hath need of such as she, and our 
country can ill afford to lose a woman at once so sweet and 
strong, so loving and wise. Julia Ward Howe has traveled ex- 
tensively in the old world, and her books telling of classic 
scenes, or of unfamiliar, lovely spots in the tropic islands of the 
sea, are full of thrilling interest. She is editorially connected 
with the " Womari s Journal^ She is mentioned among women 
who occasionally preach. With Julia Ward Howe crossing the 
ocean to preach the gospel of peace in England, and inaugurating 
mother's day on each June 2d, for the world, whereon mothers 
will specially pray that war may not come to slay any other 
mothers' sons. She lectures on literary and philosophic themes 
and for reforms. 

William M. Hughes, born in 1852, is a son of Charles H. and 
Anna Lawton Hughes. Mr. Hughes' father died in 1882. Wil- 
liam M. married Annie H., daughter of General John Gould of 
Middletown. They have two children: Charles M. and Harriet C. 
Mr. Hughes is a member of tlie National Gun Club and the 
Miantonomi Gun Club of Newport. His great grandfather, Peter 
Hughes, forged the first link of tlie blockading chain across the 
Hudson in the revolutionary war. A part of this chain is in 
Redwood Library. 

Albert W. Lawrence was born in 1847. His father, Luke 
Lawrence, was born in Troy, N. H., in 1820, and he came to 
Portsmouth in 1843. He married Mary, daughter of Asa Borden. 
Mr. Lawrence is the onh^ child. He married Cordelia A., daugh- 
ter of Thomas Holman. They have two children, William A. 
and Mary A. Albert, in his ycninger days, made several sea 
voyage.s, including a trip to the West Indies on board a tea ship, 
and one between New York and China. 

Borden Lawton, born in 1820, is a son of Adam Lawton and 
grandson of Giles Lawton. His mother was a daughter of 
Giles Slocum. Mr. Lawton's wife is Anna, daughter of Jethro 
Mitchell, of Middletown. Her grandfather, Richard, and his 
father, Richard, lived in the old Mitchell house, a landmark 
still standing east of the Slate Hill road, near the Portsmouth 
and Middletown town line. Mr. Lawton has two daughters: 
Mrs. Charles S. Sisson and Mrs. Isaac Cha.se. 

Joseph E. Macomber was born in 1822 in Vermont, and 



IIISTOItY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 715 

came here a single man about 1845, and engaged as a teacher. 
He married Finis G. M., daughter of Isaac Borden. Theii' 
children are: Isaac B., Lizzie W., EUwood G., Anna B. and 
Richard R. The eldest of this generation was born in 1852, 
and married Abbie A. Cuslunan, ol Plymouth county, Mass. 
They have three children: Carleton H., Maurice E. and Ger- 
trude E. The family are pronunent members of the Society 
of Friends. Isaac B. Macomber is the recorder of the society 
here. The family is descended from William Macomber, who 
settled in Marshfield, Mass., about 1634-36. Joseph E. is the 
sixth generation from this William. 

Nathan D. Main was born in Brooktield, N. Y., in 1812. He 
was married in 1837 to a daughter of Simeon Coggeshall. Their 
family consists of three boys: William D. C, Truman C. and 
Abner S. The latter's wife is an English lady named Cope- 
land. Their children are Bertha L. and Nathan C. 

Truman Claik Main, boin in 1842, is a son of Nathan J). Main. 
His wife was Jemima Northup. They have but two children: 
William Carr and Lottie Frances. Mr. Main has for sixteen 
years been superintendent of the Barstow farm called " Green 
Vale." From 1861 to 1871 he was engaged in seine fishing. 

A. G. Manchester, son of Jeremiah Manchester, was born in 
Tiverton in 1831. His wife, Fannie A., is a daughter of John 
Cook of Tiverton. They have one son, Oscar C, who began in 
the mercantile business here in 1876. He was postmaster here 
for ten years, 1876-86. His wife, Ruth C, is a daughter of 
Cook Manchester. A. G. Manchester's mother was Esther, a 
daughter of Borden and granddaughter of Thomas Wilcox. 
His wife was a granddaughter of William Cook, son of Judge 
Walter Cook, who served as judge until in his 90th year. 

John Manchester, of Poi'tsmouth, deceased, was bcjrn here in 
1817, and died January 1st, 1885. He was a son of Edward and 
grandson of John Manchester, of Tiverton. His life was passed 
here, where he was twenty-three years deacon of the Christian 
church and several years treasurer. He has three children liv- 
ing : Ann Augusta, Bertha (Mrs. Stephen Burdick, of New- 
port), and Clara (Mrs. Abram Rathbonel. Mr. and Mrs. Rath- 
bone have one child, Edith. Deacon Manchester was treasurer 
of tile Christian church at the time of his death, and also at the 
building of the new church in 1865. 

Thomas Manchester was born in 1839. He is a sou of Isaac 



716 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Manchester and grandson of Thomas Manchester. Thomas, sen. , 
was a brother of Giles Mancliester, the grandfather of John H. 
Manchester, of Middletown. 'J'homas Manchester's wife, Mary 
A., is a daughter of Freeborn Albro. Mr. Manchester's business 
is farming and house painting. 

John C. Mott is a direct descendant of Adam Mott, who came 
from England to Boston about 1634. Jacob, son of Adam, was 
born in Roxbury, Mass. The family came early to Portsmouth 
and took up the farm now owned by John C. and Jacob Mott. 
This farm has never been deeded. The early generations of the 
family were Friends The line of descent to our subject is as 
follows: Adam, Jacob, Jacob, Jacob, Jacob, Benjamin, Jacob, 
John C. John C. Mott maiTied Catherine, daughter of William 
Borden, who died leaving one son, William B. His present 
wife is a daughter of Isaac Gary. They have one son, Alfred. 

William B. Mott, son of John C. Mott, was born in 1859. In 
1883 he was married to Annie Louisa Fish. His farm is the old 
Joseph Thomas farm, near Newtown village. Mr. Mott's mother 
was a daughter of the late John Borden. 

Dennis Murphj^ was born in 1860. His father, Dennis Mur- 
phy, came from County Cork, Ireland, living at different periods 
in Wales, in the Southern states and in New Jersey. In 1844 
he came to New England, spending seventeen _years in Maine as 
a farmer. He came here again in 1871, and died in 1884, leaving 
eight children : Mary (now Mrs. Sullivan, of Newport), Katie, 
Dennis, Elizabeth A., Michael J., Agnes, Patrick F. and Anna. 
The younger Dennis is a farmer, dealing in vegetables, poultry 
and butter. 

Abram T. Peckham was born in 1819, in Newport. He is a 
son of Joshua, grandson of Joshua, and a great-grandson of 
William Peckham. His mother was Eliza R., daughter of 
Abram D. Tilley. Abram T. Peckham was in business in New- 
port as a contractor and carpenter for twenty-five or thirty 
years, after which he bought his present farm in Portsmouth. 
His sons (now deceased) were extensively engaged in the grain 
business in Boston. The father is largely interested in grain 
trade. He was in the city council of Newj^ort. His wife was 
Mary G., daughter of John W. Oman, and sister of Mrs. Abra- 
ham Coggeshall, of Middletown. They have had six children, 
four now living : Emma F. (Mrs. Elbert A. Sisson), Laura (Mrs. 



HISTOKY OF NEAVPOirr COUNTY. 717 

Winfield S. Sisson), Mary R. (Mrs. John Rogers, of Newport), 
and Nellie. 

Nelson R. Reed, butcliei', was born in Westport, Mass., in 
1847. He married a danghter of John Lawton, of Westport, 
one of the old families of the town. Mr. Reed came here ia 
1883 and began running teams over this town and Middletown, 
living meanwhile in Tiverton. In 1886 he moved to Newtown, 
opening the meat market where W. H. Faulkner had formerly 
been. His family consists of four daughters. 

Sherman. — In a very old manuscript belonging to Margaret T. 
Sherman we find a record showing that Philip Sherman was born 
in England in 1610, and that his children were: Eber, born 1684; 
Sarah, 1036; Peleg, 1638; Mary, 1639; Edman, 1641; Sampson, 
1642; William, 1643; John, 1644; Mary, 1645; Hannah, 1647; 
Samuel, 1648; Benjamin, 1650; and Philip, 1652. This remark- 
able family probably came to New England in 1638 or 1640. 
Doubtless all the Shermans mentioned in this chapter are de- 
scendants from this ancestor. The farms owned by Steidaen T., 
Charles L., Elijah B.,John, Benjamin C. and Frederick M. 
Sherman belonged to Philip (1610). 

Stephen T. Sherman is a son of Richard Sherman, grandson 
of Richard Sherman, and great grandson of Thomas Sherman. 
He married Ann Louisa Perkins, of New Hampshire. They 
have three children: Perkins B., George W., and Warren R. 
Mr. Sherman was one of the school committee for twenty 
years prior to 1886, and at one time was assessor. His father, 
Richard Shei-man, was town clerk for twenty years. 

Charles L. Sherman, farmer, brother of Stephen T., was born 
in 1841, and in 1866 married Emma P. Coggeshall, daughter of 
Josiah and granddaughter of Simeon Coggeshall. 

Elijah B. Sherman, son of Peleg, grandson of Levi, who was 
a brother of Stephen T. Sherman's father, Richard, was born in 
1836. His wife, Deborah H., to whom he was married in 1856, 
is a daughter of Hicks Cornell, a son of Samuel Cornell. 

Parker Hall Sherman was born in 1849. His father was Ben- 
jamin C. Siierman, grandfather Samuel Sherman, great-grand- 
father John Sherman, and great-great-grandfather John Sher- 
man, born in 1696. Parker Sherman married Annie, daughter 
of the late Charles Carr, of this town. They have two children: 
Alton P. and Liilie May. Mr. Sherman's occupation is farm- 



718 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTT. 

ing. His mother was Waite, dangliter of Parker Hall, who was 
a brother of 'David Hall. 

Benjamin C. Sherman, born in 1841, brother of Parker Hall 
Sherman, married Abby, daughter uf Benjamin Almy, grand- 
daughter of Andrew Almj^ and great-granddaughter of Job 
Almy. Their family consists of five children: Frank P., Ellen 
W., Fannie I., Arthur A. and Benjamin C, Jr. Mr. Sherman 
owns the old homestead, whose covering of cedar, still sound 
and held in place with the hand-made nails of 1750, is rid- 
dled with bullet holes from sill to cliimney. This old laud- 
mark testifies in eloquent silence that "Quaker Hill" in 1776 
was esteemed a prize worth fighting for. 

Margaret T. Sherman, widow of Robert A. Sherman, was 
born in New York state, although her father was a Ports- 
mouth man. He was William Hall, one of the thirteen chil- 
dren of George Hall. Eobert Sherman was born in 1822. He 
was a son of John Sherman, and grandson of Samuel Sher- 
man. At Mr. Sherman's death he left three children: Mary A., 
John and Annie C. 

Charles Sumner Sisson is a son of William Henry, a grand- 
son of Jabez, and a great-grandson of Barney Sisson, wlio was 
drowned in the river off Fogland point. Charles S. was married 
in 1878 to Cornelia, daughter of Borden Lawton, of Portsmoutli. 
Their children are: Marion S. and Borden L. In politics Mr. 
Sisson has been a radical republican as opposed to the trading 
schemes of the strikers. His business is farming. 

Winfield Scott Sisson, son of William H., grandson of 
Jabez and Eliza (Ward) Sisson, and great-grandson of Barney 
and Barbara Sisson, was born in 1862. Tliis Barbara Sisson was 
a great-granddaughter of the original Richard Sisson, wiio early 
settled at Mintvvater Brook. W. S. Sisson was married in 1883 
to Laura, a daughter of Abraham T. Peckham of this town. 

Alfred Green Sisson is a brother of Wintield Scott Sisson. 
His wife is Hannah C, daughter of Robert Dennis Hall. Tliey 
were maiTied in 1888. His farm is called the Slocum farm. On 
one of the farms operated by iiim, called " the Bull lot," are the 
remains of an old fort and earthworks, rifle pits, and breast- 
works four feet high, overgrown witli grass. 

Jonathan A. Sisson, born 1833, is a son of Edmund S. Sisson 
(born 1809 and died 1885) and gi'andson of Barney Sisson, who 
in 1810 was drowned off Fogland. His wife is Jane H. Davey, 



HISTORY OF NEWPOltT COUNTY. 719 

and their cliildren are: Ellsworth, Grace A. and Annie E P. 
Mr. Sisson as a republican has filled several town offices and 
for three years represented this town in the legislature. In 
1870 he was a member of the republican state committee. 

Edward Sisson was born in 1811, and is a son of Pardon and 
a grandson of John Sisson. Pardon Sisson was a pensioner of 
the war of 1813. He died in 1806, aged 91 years. Edward Sis- 
son was married in 1834 to Mary CI., daughter of Stephen Stead- 
man. They have five children, all married : William M., Sarah 
E., Edward P., George E. and Elbert A. Mr. Sisson was a 
member of the town council six years, and was manager of 
the town farm as commissioner of the town asylum. His daugh- 
ter, Sarah E., is the wife of Martin E. Bartless, of Auburn, 
N. Y. She has one son, Edward S., who is married to Adella 
Foot. 

"William M. Sisson, born in 1835, is a son of Edward Sisson. 
He married Lovisa H. Northrup. Their children are: MaryE., 
Jennie, William H., Elmer Burnside, Nellie B. and Annie B. 
Mr. Sisson' s residence is the old Edward Sisson homestead. 
The fire-place in it has the engraved date, 1797. 

George E. Sisson, son of Edward, was born in 1849, and is a 
farmer. He was married in 1872 to Laura E. Sweet. They have 
two children : Flora S. and Clara S. Mr. Sisson learned car- 
pentry and worked at it five or six years. 

Elbert A. Sisson, son of Edward, was born in 1853, and mar 
ried Emma Florence, daughter of Abram T. Peckham. Their 
only child is Ethel Peckham Sisson. Mr. Sisson has been clerk 
of the Christian church in Portsmouth since 1879. 

Charles Collins Slocum', whose direct ancestors were Samuel 
E.,' Stephen," Giles,' Giles,* Giles,' Giles' and Anthony,' was born 
in 1824, and was named in honor of Governor Collins, of Rhode 
Island. His wife is Lydia Jane, daughter of Asa Borden. The 
Slocums of the ninth generation are : Clara L. (Mrs. George H. 
Taylor, of Providence), Mary B. (Mrs. George W. Sherman, 
Newport), Rowena A. (Mrs. William J. Cioucher) and Mattie 
Slocnm. 

Frank Slocnm, son of Abial T. and Mahala H. (Sisson) Slo- 
cum, was born in 1838. His wife, Maria R., is a daughter of 
William Henry Brown and granddaughter of Isaac Brown. 
They have two children, Walter A. and Oscar E. His business 
is farming and poultry raising. 



720 HISTORY OP NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Job Sowie, born in 1836, is a son of George W. and grandson 
of Job Sowle, a native of Westport. His wife Lydia, is a 
daughter f)f Samuel Cory, who was largely identified with local 
politics, being a member of the town council several years prior 
to his death in 1885, at the age of 88. Her grandfather, also 
named Samuel, was the hero mentioned among those who 
•captured Geneial Piescott. The grave of the old hero is on the 
farm where Mr. Sowle resides. 

Elbridge I. Stoddard was born in Massachusetts in 1840, and 
in 1867 came here and was eleven years employed at the copper 
smelting works at "Coal Mine Farm." From 1877 to 1884 he 
was I'ailroad agent and had charge of the coal mine and farm. 
In 1884 he began business as a merchant and coal and grain 
dealer at Bristol ferry, where he is agent for the Providence 
i(nd Fall River Steamboat Company. He was a non-commis- 
sioned officer in the Twelfth Massachusetts Regiment three 
years, 1861-65. 

J. Henry Stoddard, a native of Massachusetts, came to Ports- 
mouth in 1866, and served as superintendent of the copper 
smelting works until their abandonment in January, 1887. 
Prom 1882 Mr. Stoddard was live years in the town council, 
being president during tlie last three years of this time. He has 
also been an efficient member of the school committee. 

Benjamin Tallman, born in 1846, son of Benjamin, grandson of 
Thales and great-grandson of Nicholas Tallman, is part owner 
and master of one of the fishing steamers of the Church system. 
His father probably deserves the credit of one of the most im- 
portant inventions in the present plan of deep water seineing. 
He was largely interested in the menhaden and scupp fishing 
until his death in 1883. His son, Benjamin, married Eleanor, 
■daughter of David and granddaughter of George Fish. 

William T. Tallman, born 1851, is a son of Benjamin, grand- 
son of Thales, and great-grandson of Nicholas Tallman. He 
"was married in 1875 to Laura G., daughter of Job R. Carr. Mr. 
Tallman's mother was Sarah Ann (Dennis) Tallman. His busi- 
ness is fishing, as mate with his brothei-, Captain Benjamin 
Tallman. Each of these brothers has a snug, comfortable home 
in Newtown village. 

Gardner Thomas, deceased, well known as a merchant here 
for many years, was a son of Richard and Anna (Brownell) 
"Thomas. His first wife was Eleanor, dauijh.ter of John Borden, 



HISTORY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY, 721 

who at her death left two daughters, Sarah A. and Mary E. 
Mary E. became the wife of John D. Clark, and at her death 
left three children : Elnora (now Mrs. Byron Randall), Miss 
Fannie T. Clark and William B. Clark. William B. married a 
daughter of John H. Cross, and has one son, Charles G. Clark. 
Mr. Thomas' second wife, who survives him, is Arney, a daugh- 
ter of Captain Bateman Monroe, and granddaughter of Thomas 
Monroe, a surgeon in the revolution. 

Charles Gardner Thomas, son of Joseph and grandson of 
Kichard Thomas, was born in ISS.*!!. He was married to Ann E., 
daughter of George L. Fish, and granddaughter of Geoi'ge Fish. 
They have had five children, all of whom are living. Their 
names are : Sidney C, Frank L., George P., Annie A., and 
William II. Mr. Gardner's occupation is farming. 

Peleg L. Tliurston' is a descendant of Peleg°, Peleg', John*, 
Jonathan", Edward' and Edward'. Peleg L. married Sarah E., 
daughter of Parker Lawton and granddaughter of William 
Lawton, of Portsmouth. This Lawton family gave name to 
Lawton valley in Portsmouth. Peleg L. Thurston's children 
lire: Parker L., Sarah A., Roberta R., Claj-a M., Howard and 
Bertha. 

Thomas Thnrston, a Quakei-, aged 34, was a passenger in the 
" Speedwell" in 1656, landing at Boston August 27th. He, with 
three other passengers, was examined and committed to prison, 
" there to remain until the return of the ship that brot. them," 
then to be carried back to England, " lest the purity of the re- 
ligion professed in the churches of New England should be de- 
filed with error." 

Edward Thurston was the first of the name in the colony of 
Rhode Island, and his marriage to Elizabeth, daughter of Adam 
Mott, in June, 1647, is the third on the record of the " Society 
of Friends" at Newport. To this society we are indebted for a 
complete record of his family and of those of his descendants 
" who remained faithful." He is mentioned in the colonial re- 
cords as a freeman in le.'io. His will, proved March 12th, 1707, 
names his .son Edward and his grandsons Edward and Jonathan. 

Robeit L. Thurston, brother of Peleg L., now owns the Thurs. 
ston homestead where his father Peleg lived. The house is on 
the site where the Lawton family built more than one luindred 
and fifty years ago. The old cemetery on this farm contains 
the graves of the early generations of the Lawton family. Mr. 



722 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Thurston's wife, Harriet Rawson, who died in 1883, is buried 
here. 

Stephen A. Watson is a son of Doctor Daniel Watson, of 
Newport, and a grandson of Robert Watson, of Jamestown. 
He was five years in the grocery business, and has been twenty 
years a farmer and marlxet gardener in Portsmouth. He was state 
representative in 1878-9. He has been a member of the town 
council for three years, and is now president of the council. 
He was married in 1878 to Henrietta, daughter of John 
Croucher. 

John W. Watts, son of Lorenzo D. Watts, was born in 1844, 
He was married to Annie Borden, of Westport, who died in 
1881. They had seven children, four of whom are living, 
Georgiana, Sarah E., Emma and Frank. His present wife, to 
whom he was married in 1883, is a daughter of George W. Baten. 
of South Scituate, R. I. 

Benjamin B. White, born in 1873, is a son of David White, 
and a grandson of Thomas White. His wife is Patience, daugh- 
ter of John Rogers. Mr. White has been an officer in the Union 
Christian church for about eight years, and a deacon two years. 
He has been a member of the school committee three years. 
He served an apprenticeship and worked two years as a silver- 
smith. His children are: Frank B., Joseph R. and George L. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



TOWN OF JAMESTOWN. 



By J. R. Cole. 



Location anil Description.— Tlie Indians.— Early Land Purchases.— Early Settle- 
ments.— The Carr Family.— Other Early Settlers.— Incorporation of the 
Town.— During the Revolution. — Fort Brown. — Public Buildings.— Tax List 
of 1822.— Conanicut Park.— Ocean Highland Company.— Public Improve- 
meats. — Religious Organizations. — The Common Schools. — Ferry Connec- 
tions. — Light Houses. — Dutch Island. — Gould Island. — George C. CaiT. — 
Thomas C. Watson. — Personal Paragraphs. 

THE town of Jame.stown comprises Conanicat, Dutch and 
Gould islands. It was organized as a town November 
4th, 1678, and received its name in honor to King James I. of 
England. The islands composing it are located near each other 
in the lower part of Narragansett bay. Conanicut, the largest 
one of these, is about nine miles in length and from one to two 
miles in width. It has a population of about five hundred. 
The name is derived from the Indian name, sometimes written 
Quononoqutt. This is a modification of Canonicus, the name 
of the Indian sachem whose favoiite residence was on the 
island. Dutch island contains about three hundred acres, while 
Gould island contains only about one hundred acres. The sur- 
face of Conanicut is gently undulating and its soil favorable to 
cultivation. It is one of the most beautiful islands in the great 
bay. Agriculture and grazing occupy most of the attention of 
the inhabitants. Formerly considerable attention was paid to 
sheep raising. Manufactures have gained but little favor here, 
the natural conditions of course refusing any water power or 
other facilities for that branch of human industry. The pecu- 
liar location of the island, however, renders it pleasant and at- 
tractive, and within the few years past the votaries of wealth 
and fashion have purchased sites and erected numerous hand- 
some villas for summer residence. 
4G 



724 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

The town is accommodated by two ferries — one to Newport, 
and the other to South Kingstown, on the west shore of Narra- 
gansett bay, nearly opposite from here. A public thoroughfare 
extends across the island connecting these ferries. Another 
main highway extends througli the island from north to south, 
covering its entire length. 

But little is known of the Indians who inhabited this locality 
when the country was discovered by Europeans. Their tradi- 
tions aver that Tashtassuck, a former chief of the Narragansetts, 
lived here and was a great wai'rior, so great, indeed, that he 
ruled over all the tribes along the Atlantic coast from Connecti- 
cut to Cape Cod. He was the father of Canonicus and grand- 
father of Miantonomi. Canonicus, who swa\^ed the sceptre at 
the time of the arrival of the whites, is said to have l)een a wise 
and peaceful ruler, aiming to advance his people in the arts of 
civilized life as he saw them in operation among his pale-faced 
neighbors. It is even said that he had conceived some s(jrt of 
notion of civilization before the coming of the whites, and was 
actually striving to bring his subjects to a higher plane of life. 

Before the arrival of Roger Williams it seems they knew con- 
siderable of the means and appliances of civil warfare, and 
had by this superior knowledge conquered a kingdom for them- 
selves, which covered a front of six hundred miles in length. 
After their conquests they laid aside their weapons of warfare 
and encouraged commerce and the manufacture of such imple- 
ments and articles of use and trade as people of their condition 
needed. A knowledge of their language, their customs, the 
progress they had made in the arts of civilized life, was encour- 
aged among them, and this rudimental education greatly ameli- 
orated that barbarous condition which had formerly ciiaracter- 
ized their race. The settlei's not only found the Indians here 
peaceful in their attitude toward strangers, but a refuge often- 
times from the oppression of their own countrymen. 

This island of Conanicut was the summer abode of the chief- 
tain, Canonicus, though it is thought he wintered in some local- 
ity more sheltered from the rigorous winds of the seashore. 
Even the untutored mind seems to have had some sense of ap- 
preciation of the beautiful, as evinced by their love of this little 
gem of the waters. The island was not only used for purposes 
of summer residence, but here they had extensive burial grounds 
also. Oftentimes, by accident or otherwise, skeletons of this 



HISTORY OF NEWPOBT COUNTY. 725 

early race have been nnenrthed, but the citizens, always re- 
specting their notions of that " happy hunting ground beyond," 
have burieel their bones again in a decent manner. One of their 
favorite places of camping was on grounds near the present resi- 
dence of Mr. John Howland. 

The first purchase of hind of this town was made by Benedict 
Arnold and William Coddington, in the year 1657. The records 
give the following historical account of tiie transaction : 

"Newport, Rhode Island, Aprell 17, 1657. 

"Know all men by these Pj-esents that I Cashasaquoont a 
chiefe Sachem and commander of Narragansett and Quonono- 
quet Island in Narragansett Bay aforenamed &c. for and in con- 
sideration of Several gifts beforehand received, And also for 
and in consideration of ye fulle and juste sume of 100 lbs ster- 
ling in hand, also received in name and nature of a tine or 
purchase money I say that I y^ aforenamed sachem for ye afore- 
said nation have and by these presents doe fnlly bargain for, 
make over, and make lawfully of all and every parcell of the 
forenamedlslandQuononoquout appurtenances Benetits,profRts, 
commodities, and privileges, therefrom, and thereto properly 
belonging, or appertaining unto William Coddington Esq, 
Benedict Arnold sen. both of Newport on Rhode Island in ye 
aforesdBayof Narragansett for themselves and others of ye free 
inhabitants of Rhode Island and others of their friends as are 
in covenant with the said William Coddington and Benedict 
Arnold sent by writings about ye jiremises which writings 
beareth date March 1656, And furthermore ye aforesaid Island 
Quononoqutt is hereby abouched, declared by me ye forenamed 
Cashanaquoont that it is ye proper right and inheritance of 
ye sons before promised themselves and their heirs, execntoi'S 
and administrators, assigns for all and every, or either of them 
to hold possess, use and enjoj-, Quietly without anylawfull lett 
or hindrance as their and every and either of their true rightful 
and lawful inheritance forever, according to each his propor- 
tion as mentioned in j'e promised covenants written between 
themselves as aforesd And furthermore the Aforenamed Sachem 
Cashanaquoont doe hereby owne myself to share and satisfy all 
ye other Sachems pretending or that shall or may hereafter 
pretend to lay clayme of interest in ye premises to ye disposi- 
tion of ye promised purchasers And moreover I hereby engage 
that ui)on my own proper charge to satisfy tluMu and ail 



726 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

of them so claj^miug in time convenient so shall be required 
by ye afoi'enamed purchasers I doe make proper charges to 
move all ye Indian Inhabitants and throw them off from 
ye foresd Island Quononoquett them to leave free and full 
possession of ye said Island wholly to ye said purchasers to 
other charges either for the Indian Cornfields or any other 
labors of theirs that is to remain over after their departure off 
said Island. 

"And in witness of this my free and considerate bargain 1, 
Cashanaquoont doe set my hand this the 17 of Aprell 1657 as 
first above is mentioned ye day of sil signed sealed and de- 
livered. 

" Cashanaquoont. 
"Witnessed by 

"Brinley and' 

" AWAWSHOWES." 

In confirmation of this purchase another sachem, Quisaquann, 
quit-claimed his interest to William Coddington, Benedict Ar- 
nold, William Brenton, Caleb Carr and Richard Smith. This 
bears date July 25th, 1659. It appear to have been made at 
Warwick and refers to a previous writing bearing date March 
10th, 1656. The reader may have noticed in the deed given in 
full above that reference is also made to the same previous 
writing. 

All that is known regarding that previous writing is a state- 
ment made by Thomas Brinley in 1715. He then declares that 
in the year 1656 a company of more than one hundred persons 
agreed to purchase Conanicut island and drew up a writing un- 
der thirteen heads or articles embodying the terms of that 
agreement. Richard Smith, Jr. was employed to purchase the 
land and he agreed with Cajanaquant, a chief sachem, for one 
hundred pounds, and the deed was signed at William Codding- 
ton's house at " New Lodge," Brinley himself being a witness 
to the instrument. Possession was given by " turf and twig." 
The island was then computed to be 6,000 acres in extent and 
4,800 acres were allotted to individuals for farms, 260 acres were 
to be devoted to a town plat, and spaces were to be set apart for 
an "artillerj^ garden," a place of burial, a prison house, high- 
ways and other purposes. 

On the 28th of March, 1657, Thomas Gould purchased of the 
Indian sachem, Koshtosh, the island now known as Gould is- 



mSTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 727 

land. Dutcli island seems to have been included in the pur- 
chase of Conanicut under the deed from Cashanaquoont. It 
seems that prior to these purchases the English had bought the 
right to the grass on the islands, which purchase of rights had 
been made in connection with the purchase of Aquidneck. This 
gave rise to some misunderstanding with the Indians and re- 
sulted in the full purchase of the land as above set forth. 

The lands obtained from the Indians in these islands were 
held in common by the original purchasers until about the year 
1665 or 1666, before they began to divide or admit other owners 
to their numbers. Then a division of the land of Conanicut 
was made, lands for farms being allotted to individuals in pro- 
portion to the various amounts they had invested in the pur- 
chase. A highway four rods wide was laid out across the island, 
and a town or village plat, consisting of liouse lots of one acre 
each, was planned. William Coddington and Benedict Arnold 
became the largest purchasers, hence were given the "'lion's 
share'' of the territorj^ and the first choice of location. The for- 
mer took the northern part of the island, and the latter took the 
southern part. Arnold was a large owner in the plat of the 
proposed village, and when the plan was abandoned, as was the 
case a little later on, he, in common with other holders of that 
property, was given other lands most conveniently situated with 
reference to his homestead. At Mr. Arnold's death his prop- 
erty fell to his two nephews. The farms now known as the 
"Dumplings" and the "Beaver Head Farm" are owned by 
Thomas H. Clark and Mrs. B. S. Cottrell. The lot known as 
the "Tuck Lot," on which the new school house stands, was 
assigned to the farm across the beach, and the lot west of the 
school house became a part of the Greene farm. This all re- 
sulted from the division of the village lots as before mentioned. 

Benedict Arnold, the son of William Arnold, was born Decem- 
ber 21st, 1615, married Damaris Wescott December 17th, 1640, 
and died at Newport June 19th, 1678. By his will he gave to his 
eldest son, Benedict, the "north half of a neck of land being 
southermost i)art of Conanicut island by me named Beaver Neck, 
containing lOOO acres surrounded by the sea, except by a nar- 
row beach called Parting Beach." To the same he also gave 
one-third of Dutch island. To his son, Josiah, he gave the 
other half of. Beaver neck and another third of Dutch island. 
To his youngest son, Oliver, he gave about tliree hundred acres 



.728 HISTORY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 

bomided parti}' by land of the assignees of William Weeden, 
deceased, another tract of 60 acres, spoken of as a triangular 
piece, somewhere on the island, an interest in the 260 acre tract 
known as the "Township," and the remaining third of Dutch 
island. 

The three sons mentioned were given also all his cattle, hor- 
ses and sheep, that were on the island south of Caleb Carr's. 
To another son, Caleb, in addition to considerable sums already 
given, as book accounts showed, amounting to £200, he gave 
160 acres on the island, to be occupied by him till his eldest son 
should become of age, then to pass to him. By a codicil dated 
February 10th, 1678, he changes his son Benedict's land in 
Beaver neck, to the south part, and Josiah's to the north part, 
and directs that his son Oliver's part of land, which contains 
the homestead, should be made up to 500 acres, to be equal with 
the others. 

The Carr family became conspicuous in tlie development of 
the early history of this town, and their fortunes have been 
more or less identified with Jamestown from its settlement to 
the present time. Caleb Carr owned large tracts of land on the 
island of Aquidneck or Ehode Island, and also in this town. 
After his death the Jamestown property, known as the home- 
stead, came into possession of his son, Nicholas, who had al- 
ready for some time resided there. He raised a large family, 
and many of his descendants reside on the island. The prop- 
erty belonging to Caleb Carr came largely from his being an 
original purchaser, and the additional purchases which he made 
a short time afterward. In 1658 he bought of William Case, 
sen., of Newport, all his interests in Conanicut and Dutch 
islands, also of Jeremiah Willis, of Newport, fifty-one and a 
half acres in Conanicut, and the interests of a number of others, 
and subsequently he bought hinds of Henry Bassett and Henry 
and Jireh Bull, who also owned lands on this island. 

The numerous families by the name of Carr in Jamestown and 
Newport are descended from two brothers, Robert and Caleb, 
who sailed from London for New England on the ship "Eliza- 
beth and Ann," Roger Cooper being master, in the year 1635. 
Robert, the elder brother, was a tailor by trade, and at the time 
he reached the western world was twenty-one years of age. 
Caleb, the younger brother, was at that time eleven years of 
age. They were natives of Scotland. The history of their pa- 



HISTORY OF NEWPOirr COUNTY. 729 

rentag'e is but partly known. It is supposed by some of the 
piesent generation that they were the children of the Earl and 
Countess of Somerset. From Hume's history is gleaned the 
following, upon which this opinion is based : In 160.3, James 
Stuart, son of Mary, queen of Scotts, became king of England 
and Scotland. The king brought with him into England Rob- 
ert Carr, a Scottish youth of some distinction, whjm he created 
Earl of Somerset. Subsequently the youthful earl sought the 
hand of the Countess of Somerset, but was strongly advised 
against taking that step by Sir Thomas Overbury. This was 
unsavory advice to the youthful favorite of the king, and Carr 
secured the imprisonment of Sir Thomas, and after his marriage 
with the countess the twain joined hands and took his life. For 
this crime the earl and countess were tried and banished from 
England. Whether or not any connection existed between 
these associates of royalty and the two brothers who came to 
tliis country in their youth and alone is matter for conjecture. 

The precise dale when Robert and Caleb came to Newport is 
uncertain, but it must have been about the year 1638. Robert 
died in 1681, aged sixty-seven years. He left a widow, three 
sons, Caleb, Robert and Eseck, and two daughters, Elizabeth, 
who married James Brown, and IMargaret, who married Robert 
Lawton. His son Robert died in Newport in 1703 or 1704, 
leaving a son, Robert, and a daughter, Abigail, who afterward 
married the Rev. James Honeyman, then rector of the church 
of England. 

Caleb was a large owner of land in Newport, Jamestown and 
in other parts of the Natragansett country. Some of the same 
real estate is still held by his descendants. The ferry originally 
granted to him remained in the family until the j^ear 1873. He 
held various offices of trust, and died while he held the hon- 
orable position of governor of the colony. His tombstone is 
in the old Carr burying ground in Newport. This ground, 
located on Mill street, was given by him for the purpose to 
which it is devoted. The inscription on his tombstone is as 
follows: " Here lies ye body of Caleb Carr Governor of this 
Colony, who departed this life ye 17th day of December in 
ye 73d year of his age, in the year 1695." He had three 
wives, the first of whom, named Mercy, died in 1675, leaving 
four sons, Nicholas, Caleb, John and Edward, and a grandson 
by the name of Job, son of a deceased son Samuel. She was 



730 IIISTOItr OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

buried bj^ the side of her husband. His second wife was Marj- 
Vaughan, by whom he had one daughter, Mary, who married 
Thomas Paine. The third wife was Sarah Clarice, daughter of 
Jeremiah Chirlve and sister of Governor Walter Clarke. By 
this wife he had children: James, Sarah, Francis and Eliza- 
beth. One of the sons of Caleb Carr settled on Long Island, 
Nicholas in Jamestown and John in Newport. 

Samuel Carr, son of John and grandson of Caleb, was born 
in 1G94, married Mary Greene and died June 9th, 1739. His 
sons were Caleb, Samuel, John and Ebenezer. He was buried 
on Goat island, where, on his tombstone, may still be read the 
following legends of solemn fact and poetic fancy: "In memory 
of Mr. Samuel Carr, died June 9, 1739, in ye 46th year of his 
age. And Waite, his daughter, died ye same day, age 13 
years. 

" Not human skill nor prayers nor tears could save 
From the dark chambers of the silent grare. 
Thus are we of our fondest hopes beguiled, — 
The tenderest husband and the sweetest child: 
In this distinguished day of both bereft, 
The happiest wife a mournful widow left, 
Dost to their much loved memory bestow 
This stone — sad monument of real woe." 

Samuel Carr, Jr., great-grandson of Caleb, was born in New- 
liort in 1721, but afterward moved to Jamestown. He married 
Danuiris Carr, and died in Jamestown in 1796. His son Samuel 
was born here in 1756, and married Damaris Underwood, born 
also in Jamestown in 1763. They were married August 24th, 
1780. She died May 18th, 1798, and lie died March 21st, 1814. 

John Carr, spoken of above, son of Samuel, and gi-andson of 
Caleb, took part in the revolutionary war, at the battle on 
Rhode Island and at Trenton, N. J. 

Caleb Carr, the governor, lield tliat office under the royal 
charter from May to December, 169.^, when his career was cut 
suddenly short by his death by drowning. To his son, Nich- 
olas, he deeded the farm of 140 acres in Conanicut, another 
tract of 40 acres on the island, a right in Dutch island, 
a quarter share in Gould island and propertj^ in Newpcnt. 
To his son, John, he gave jn-operty in Newport and on 
Rose island. To his son, Edward, he gave 115 acres on 
Conanicut, a right on Dutch island and a share on Gould 
island. His son, Caleb, was, like himself, a public- spirited 













House of WILLIAM T. RICHARDS, 

JAMESTOWN, R. I. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 731 

man and speno his life on the island. He was born August 
23d, 1057, and died October 10th, 1700. His wife, Deborah, 
also died the same year. He owned houses and lands on Co- 
nanicut, Dutch and Gould islands. 

Nicholas Carr lield a number of public offices. He was free- 
man in 1679 ; ensign in 1680 ; deputy from 1680 to 1699 ; over- 
seer of the poor in 1687 ; a member of the grand jury in 1087 ; 
deputy warden in 1690; lieutenant in 1692, and warden in 170-i 
The names of his children were : Joseph, Nicholas, Jane, Caleb, 
Robert, Margaret, Ann, Mercy, Thomas, Rebecca and Benjamin. 
The original homestead property in Jamestown is now owned 
and occupied by Tiddeman H. Carr. 

Among the descendants of Nicholas Carr was a grandson, 
Caleb, who had a very singular adventure, which is related as 
follows : He was a wild and reckless youth, and pursued his 
way through early life apparently fearing neither the powers 
above nor the powers below. On one occasion he was caught 
in a severe thunder shower, during which he was laid prostrate 
by a stroke of lightning. Coming to his senses he found, to his 
great surprise, that he was personally uninjured, although his 
silver knee-buckles were completely melted. This remarkable 
escape from death made a deej) impression on his mind. He 
seemed to be aroused to a sense of his position, and tliought 
more deeply than lie had ever thought before. The result was 
that he soon afterward joined the Quakers, and relinquisliing 
his former wild career, became a celebrated x^reacher of that 
faith. 

Daniel Weeden was one of the original settlers of the island. 
He purchased a large tract of land, extending from the ferry 
northward, taking in the shore around the lane by the residence 
of ins descendant, George W. Weeden, who now occupies the 
old family homestead. The tract embraced between seven and 
eight hundred acres of land. It is not known just when this 
purchase was made, but it was among the early years of the 
settlement. Daniel Weeden built the house now standing 
on the farm, in which his son John lived after his marriage 
with Martha Chase. The children of the latter were: Arnold, 
born in 1769; George, born in 1776, and John, Wager, Peleg 
and William Augustus, born subsequently. 

Jolin, the father of these children, was a sturdy son of Amer- 
ican proclivities, and somewhat too loyal to his adopted coun- 



732 HISTOKV OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

try to he tolerated by tlie English in their great desire to snp- 
jjress the colonies. When, during the revolution, the Britisii 
made a raid on fhe island, they secured the services of a tory to 
act as guide and paid the young man a visit. They first de- 
spoiled the farm, driving off the stock and taking such other 
things as they thought would be of use to them. They then 
made an assault on the house, taking Mr. Weeden captive and 
tying him to a chair, and proceeded to pillage the house, secur- 
ing among other things a quantity of cheese which they found 
stored in the upper chamber. After obtaining what plunder 
they desired they returned to the ship, taking their caj^tive with 
them and leaving his dependent family to take care of them- 
selves as best they could during the several months that fol- 
lowed before he was allowed his liberty to return. 

He afterward pursued his vocation as a farmer, and was a re- 
spected citizen of the town, representing it in the state assembly. 
During the year 1787, when a member of that body, he pre- 
sented a petition of his constituents, asking them to be allowed 
to condemn a piece of ground belonging to Colonel Joseph 
Wanton, which had been confiscated by the general assembly. 
The old mill stood on this ground, and the town desired to 
erect a new mill on it. The petition was granted, on condition 
that the new mill should be erected within one year from that 
time. 

William Augustas Weeden, son of John, inherited the home- 
stead. He was a public spirited citizen of the town, an elder 
of the Baptist church, and an earnest worker and exhorter for 
that society. It was mainly through his efforts that the old 
Baptist church, now standing on the the main road beside the 
north school house, was erected. That church was built on 
land given to the society by George C. Carr by deed dated Aug- 
ust 31st, 1841. On this lot a church was built the autumn fol- 
lowing by voluntary labor. A great portion of this labor was 
done by Mr. Weeden and his son, George W. For many years 
the church was without a settled pastor, and Elder Weeden 
officiated instead. The old Weeden house, now occupied by 
George Weeden, is said to be the oldest house on the island, 
but is still in a good state of preservation. It was built of hard 
wood, in a substantial manner, and was no doubt considered in 
its time a somewhat elegant specimen of architecture. It also 



JIlSToKY Of NEWPORT COUKTY. 733 

contains many interesting pieces of antique furniture and other 
relics of the colonial jieriod. 

John Weeden, known as "Farmer John," to distinguish him 
from his cousin of the same name, was a man of more than or- 
dinary intelligence and great probity of character. He was the 
father of the late John H. Weeden, a lawyer, of Pawtucket. 
He married Anna Chace, of Portsmouth, a sister of the late 
Clark Chace, who so long and worthily represented that town 
in the general assembly. His children were John H., Holden, 
and Ann Eliza. The first, named was graduated from Brown 
University in 1827, with the highest honors of his class, and 
was made tutor in 1828. In the following spring, while he still 
held that position, he was returned a member of the general as- 
sembly from Jamestown. His seat was contested on the ground 
that he was not a resident of the town he claimed to represent, 
and after a spirited controversy he was unseated. 

John Hull emigrated to Newport from London in 1687. He 
and his wife were both Quakers. Soon after his arrival he 
built a house on the north end of Conanicut, and there settled. 
His son John is said to have been the first white child born on 
the island. Captain Hull was thirty three years old when he 
arrived in this country, and had been for several years a ship 
master. His name afterward became intimately associated in 
history with that of Charles Wager, who afterward became Sir 
Charles, an admiral in the British navy. 

Among other old settlers of Jamestown may be mentioned 
John Forues, who bought lands of John Weeden August 5th, 
1094; Thomas Francis I3rin]ey, who bought of Joseph Clarke 
eighty-nine acres in Jamestown in 1685; Peleg and Mary San- 
ford, who had lands deeded to them from her father, William 
Brenton, in 1666; and many others of later date. Job Watson 
came here before the revolutionary war, and at about the same 
period came Job Howland and the Anthonys, all of whom were 
active in the early settlement. 

The early proprietors and incorporatoi-s made the orthography 
of the name " James Towne," and this form was followed for 
many years. In several features the charter differs from that of 
any other town except New Shoreham. The island was erected 
into a township in 1678, but its early records are so badly mutil- 
ated that we are unable to give the names of the first officers. It 
was incorporated by action of the general assembly November 



734 HISTORY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY, 

4th, 1678, the record of their action being in the following 
language: 

"Voted, That the petition of Mr. Caleb Carr and Mr. Francis 
Briiiley oil behalf of themselves and the proprietors for Qao- 
nonoqntt Island to be made a township shall first be adjetated 
and debated." 

"Voted : that the petition is granted and that the said Qiio- 
nonoqntt Island shall be a township with the like privileges 
and liberties granted to New Shoreham." 

Apparentlj' every meeting held before the year 1680 had a 
clerk or secretary pro tem2yore, bnt none was elected to hold the 
office regularly before that date. The first general list of offi- 
cers noted were elected April 21st, 1685. At that election Eb- 
enezer Slocnm was chosen moderator; Caleb Carr, deputy war- 
den and clerk ; Nicholas Carr. Joseph Mowry, Oliver Arnold 
and Caleb Carr, councilmen ; Epliraira Morse, first constable ; 
Eben Weeks, second constable ; John Ifeading, sergeant, and 
Nicholas Carr, treasurer. Among the names found on the rec- 
ords in those early days are the Carrs, Remingtons, Watsons, 
AVeedens, Hazards, Knowleses, Martins, Congdons, Cottrells, 
Greenes, Armstrongs and Rowlands, and many of the same 
names may still be found on the record books of late years. 
The town election is now held on the first Wednesday in April. 
The officers in 1887 were : Town council, Thomas Carr Watson, 
Benjamin E. Hull and Elijah Anthony ; clerk, John E. Watson ; 
treasurer, Thomas H. Clarke ; overseer of the j'oor, Isaac B. 
Briggs ; town sergeant, Thomas D. Wright. 

About the year 1703 the subject of highways received con- 
siderable attention, but it was not until the year 1709 that the 
people succeeded in settling with satisfactory definiteness the 
highway boundaries. In the January session of the general 
assembly in 1788, action was taken relative to the laying out of 
the highways, " which wants to be laid forth according to tlie 
plot of the island." The necessity for taking such action grew 
out of a dispute between Samuel Cranston, Captain Nicholas 
Carr and Captain Josiah Arnold, " that was of a long continu- 
ance." It was regarded as a necessity that an act should be 
passed in some way regulating the matter, "that each man 
might fence his land and walk without damnifying his neigh- 
bor on the highways." An order was issued directing Captain 
James Carder and Mr. John Mumford to lay out the highways 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 735 

throughout the town. Tlie iskind was theu surveyed and the 
plan of survey sent to the assembly, vyho confirmed it by their 
approval. During the May session of 1705 the subject was 
again agitated, and matters continued in an unsettled state un- 
til the year 1709, when all disputes were amicably adjusted. 

During the memorable struggle of the American colonies for 
independence, no town suffered more from the hands of the en- 
emy than the town of Jamestown. At that time many of the 
houses were burned and the town was almost depopulated, 
many of the inhabitants fleeing in a body to North and South 
Kingstown. During this eventful period town meetings were 
held at the dwelling house of Mr. Martin Allen, in North Kings- 
town, and there during the years 1777 and 1778 at least, the cit- 
izens of Jamestown exercised their rights as citizens and pre- 
served the organization of their town, electing their town offi- 
cers and transacting their town business, which they could not 
do on their own soil because of the presence of an invading 
army. 

In response to the act of the general assembly of November 
21st, 1770, calling for the raising and equipment of six per cent, 
of the male inhabitants capable of bearing arms, for the defense 
of Newport against the ministerial armies and fleets, this town 
on the 31st of December passed the following: 

" This town and the few inhabitants thereof in town meeting 
as freemen being met and considering their depoi^ulated and 
distressed and defenceless condition towards raising, equiping 
and sending forward said men agreeably to said act, do at this 
time most sensibly regret and find that it is out of the power of 
the town to raise the men required by such act. But at the 
same time we are willing and desirous to be aiding and assisting 
in the defense of Rhode Island, and for that purpose will en- 
deavour to enlist the six men required of tliis town by said act, 
equip and send them forward for the common defence as speed- 
ily us may he, agreeable to said act. But if the town in their 
now most calamitous and distressed situation find it out of their 
power to raise said men they humbly hope the fine for not rais- 
ing, equiping and sending them forward agreeable to said act 
may not be executed upon the inhabitants of the town." 

As early as October 6th, 1775, the town authorities set a guard 
of four men to nightly patrol the shores, and this was continued 
until the island was abandoned to the British. The burning of 



736 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Jamestown, as nearly as we have been able to ascertain, resulted 
from the indiscreet use these patrolmen made of their opportn- 
nities. For it is said of them that the}' would occasionally lire 
into the vessels of the British lying at anchor in the bay. On 
one occasion Captain Abiel Brown fired a shot from a small 
field piece into a frigate, whicli so exasperated tlie enemy thaf 
they decided to take vengeance at once on tlie inhabitants of 
the island. They immediately landed and overran the town, 
burned the houses neai' the ferry, carried off much provisions, 
and destroyed a great deal that they could not carry away. At 
this action the inhabitants fled. Those houses which were 
known to belong to persons favorable to the royal cause were 
of course left undisturbed. It may have been that some others 
escaped destruction through the favorable misunderstanding of 
the assailants, or were overlooked by them. 

The islanders enjoyed peace after the great struggle referred 
to, and being an industrious people they soon settled down to 
their favorite occupatipn, the cultivation of the soil. In the 
year 1781 they were annoyed by the sailors belonging to his 
majesty's fleet and soldiers from the hospital running over their 
fields, pulling down fences and walls, and otherwise wantonly 
trespassing on property. Some action seemed necessary to pre- 
vent such inexcusable annoyance. It was decided to petition 
the authorities to lay some restraint on their soldiery. Benja- 
min Underwood and John Weeden were instructed by the town 
to draw a remonstrance, which was sent by the hands of Aaron 
Sheffield to the admiral of the fleet. The petition was respected, 
and from that time the citizens had no further cause of com- 
plaint from that soui'ce. 

During the late war the Third Rhode Island cavalry was 
stationed on the island and remained here for some time. Dutch 
island also served as a camping ground for colored heavy artil- 
lery. The soldiers were sometimes annoying to the citizens, but 
no fatal events occurred, as far as known. 

During the administration of the elder Adams Fort Brown 
was built, but was soon abandoned when it was discovered that 
the guns of Fort Adams opi)osite would immediately bear upon 
it. The general government purchased six and a half acres for 
this fortress. It is now deserted. 

As early as the year 1690 steps were taken toward the erection 
of a town house. On the 7th of May in that year Caleb Carr and 



HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 737 

John Holmes were appointed by the assembly to agree with 
carpenters to finish a town house at once, but the writer has 
been unable to leain what progress was made toward the com- 
pletion of that building. 

During the late rebellion a camp was established here called 
Camji Mead. Several buildings were erected for its accommo- 
dation. One of these was used as a hospital, and after the war 
was over that building was re-modelled and used for a town 
house. The building which had been previously used for that 
purpose had been destroyed by tire. Singularly enough this 
house met a like fate in the year 1884. After this another, the 
present building, was erected. This is situated at the "Four 
Corners," and has, in addition to accommodations for other 
jjurposes, an assembly room and library rooms. 

Some idea of the importance of the town as early as the year 
1822, also the names of its freeholding inhabitants, may be had 
from the tax list of that year, a copy of which is given, with 
the valuations of real and personal property owned by the 
people as then estimated. 

ON CONANICUT. 

Freeholders. Eeal. Personal. 

Walter W^atson $9,600 

Oliver Hopkins 2,075 $200 

John J. Watson 1,932 1/50 

Job Weeden 2,640 

Daniel J. Weeden 5,760 350 

James Tew 1,025 500 

John Farr 3,024 

Thomas Fowler 1,000 

John Hammond 3,400 200 

John T. Potter 1,160 150 

John Eldred 2,500 500 

Job Watson 6,443 400 

Martha Munro 575 

George Weeden 2,650 600 

J. & Benjamin Congden 2,580 

Philip Potter 1,650 

George Gardner 1,760 130 

Caleb T. Weaver 3,655 1,600 

John Remington 130 



738 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Watty Palmer 80 

Benjamin Can- 150 100 

Jolm H, Dockaly 75 

Widow Greenold 3,500 

Daniel Howland 7,316 1,000 

Mary Howland 1,500 

Mary Gardner 200 

James R. Dockroy 2,520 

Sweet Brick 3,200 250 

Joseph N. Austin 12,863 

George Knowles 7,300 

Hazard Knowles 4,710 560 

Joseph R. Shearman 8,050 500 

George Armstrong 150 

B. Chappell 1 

S. Cranston V . . 350 

T. Gardner ) 

Abijah Watson 6,304 

Robert H. Watson 6,900 

Thomas Carr 2,650 2,050 

Arnold Hazard 4,312 600 

John Tew 242 

Walter Watson 2,200 

Henry Fowler 786 200 

John Hammond 125 

James A. Arnold 340 

AVilliam Batty 680 

Daniel Weeden 3,315 

Robert Carr 160 

Ebenezer Carr 920 

Comfort Carr 4.50 250 

George Hull 2,500 150 

Jonathan Hopkins 3,360 100 

ON DUTCH ISLAND. 

Willet Carpenter 460 

Henry Gardner 400 

Vincent Gardner 115 

Pardon Brown 850 

Joseph Green 530 

Heirs of J. C. Carr 150 350 









T-^' %> 














fei:;Miii_ 



House of JOSEPH WHARTON 

JAMEST nVN, R. I. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT CODNTY. 739 

Benjamin Weaver 1, ()()() 

Ed. Hammond 100 

Mary Fowler 150 

George Shearman 400 

Damaris Carr 150 

John B. Shearman 75 

Abigail Knowles 600 

Total assessment, §164,503. 

The growth of the town financially from that time to the 
present may be inferred from the fact that the total assessed 
valuation in 1886 amounted to $1,028,280. 

In 1872 a company of gentlemen belonging to Newport and 
Providence organized and were incorporated for the purpose of 
owning and managing a park, to be known as Conanicut Park. 
They purchased five hundred acres in the northern part of the 
island, formerly owned by L. D. Davis, of Newj^ort. Here they 
proceeded to lay out a park for summer residences and a water- 
ing place. The company included L. D. Davis, Governor Henry 
Lipintt, John Kendrick, Leonard Whitney and others, and its 
capital stock was $50,000. Work was at once begun, and more 
than twelve miles of streets were laid out the first year. Im- 
provements have since continued to be made. Last year over 
30,000 ornamental trees were planted. On many of these lots 
most beautiful villas have been erected. Among those who 
have summer residences here are Judge Shurtliff, of Springfield, 
Mass.; Samuel A. Irons, of Olneyville; Charles Fletcher and 
James A. Cranston, of Providence; James A. Young and Rich- 
ard J. Arnold, of Newj^ort; Doctor Jarnegan, of Boston; and 
many others. 

A commodious hotel was erected during the first year, and 
this, with the additions which have since been made to it, will 
accommodate more than a hundred guests. It has first class 
furnishings and appointments, electric bells and telephone con- 
nections with Newport. A new drive is being opened along the 
eastern shore of the island, between the park and the Newport 
ferry, about five miles in length. During the summer season 
the steamboats of different lines which pass up and down the 
bay touch at the park, so that communication with New York 
and all eastern and northern cities is conveniently made. The 
spot is surrounded with romantic scenery. On tlie north, look- 
ing up the bay, may be seen the islands of Hope, Prudence and 

47 



740 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Patience, and on the mainland jnst beyond, Rocky point, Oak- 
land beacli, Warwick and the Biittonwoods, and in the distance, 
on the northeast,' the spires of Fall River and Bristol. It is 
indeed a delectable spot for summer residence. 

The Ocean Highland Company was organized in 1875, having 
for its object the improvement of lands in the southern part of 
Conanicut island for summer residences. The company was 
organized with eight members, George C. Carr being its presi- 
dent. Lands were purchased of the heirs of John S. and Ben- 
jamin Cottrell in the year 1875. Mr. Richard T. Smith, the 
artist, was the first to build upon the purchase. 

The first post office in this town was established in 1844, Wil- 
liam A. Weeden, Jr., being made the first postmaster. Prior 
to that time mail matter was obtained as circumstances would 
jjermit, from Newport or any other convenient point. At one 
time Thomas R. Congdon acted as an unofficial mail-carrier for 
the accommodation of the people, making regular trips for this 
purpose twice a week. Since the establishment of the steam 
ferry in 1872 Jamestown has been supplied with daily mails. 
The post office is now kept by Thomas Carr Watson. 

Ferry Meadow is a name given to a tract of land upon which 
considerable of the village of Jamestown has been built, espe- 
cially the more recent portion. It is a part of the old Howland 
farm, the land having been taken up by Job Howland in 1670. 
It is a beautiful locality, overlooking the bay eastward, with 
the city of Newport, Fort Adams and the naval station in full 
view. The Rowlands were Quakers, but notwithstanding the 
inoffensive customs of those people, their house was burned 
by the British in the time of the revolution and John Howland, 
its occupant, carried captive on board the British frigate. John 
Howland, at present residing here, is a grandson of the one just 
mentioned, and was one of the first to build a house in this new 
l^art of the village. 

The first store in Jamestown was kept by Isaac Carr. The 
little building in which he carried on trade and barter for half 
a century was built for that purpose in 1829, and for a year or 
two past has been used as a meat shop. William H. Knowles 
began merchandizing in a general way in 1871, and is still en- 
gaged in the business. Thomas Carr Watson and John W. 
Douglas also have stores at the present time. 

The first hotel was built in 1870. Previous to that time tem- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 741 

porary provision bad been made by private houses for the ac- 
•commodation of strangers. William Champlin, now known by 
the wealth of fashion who visit the island in summer, began 
keeping boarders during the war. The " Bay View," tlie first 
hotel spoken of, was built by William H. Knowles, as has been 
said, in 1870, and occupied by Captain Stephen C. Gardner. In 
1873 the Hotel Association built the Gardner house. It has 
been occupied since 1882 by Captain Stephen C. Gardner and 
C. ]Sr. Littletield. The present manager of the Bay View, Mr. 
Charles T. Knowles, took charge of that hotel in 1883, and has 
since occupied it. Both these hotels have annexed accommo- 
dations and are well patronized every summer. 

The public library of Jamestown was organized under the 
name of the Philomenian Library Association in the year 1849. 
It was started by subscription as an institution for the public 
good. The first officers of the association were : George C. 
Carr, president; William A. Weeden, vice-president ; John E. 
Watson, secretary ; Jolm S. Cottrell, treasurer ; Robert H. 
Watson, librarian. The association was incorporated under the 
general state law of 1847, and received, as it continues to re- 
ceive, a share of state patronage. The original subscribers to 
the library fund were : Thomas Carr, Peleg C. Carr, John J. 
Watson, Ebenezer Tefft, Philip Caswell, William A. Weeden, 
Jr., Benjamin Cottrell, John Hammond, D. W. Clark, John 
Wilbour, John E. Watson, William H. Knowles, William A. 
Weeden, George W. Weeden, George Anthony, George C. Carr, 
Robert Dennis, Abby Howland, Job W. Hazard, William W. 
Briggs, Isaac Carr, George H. Weeden, David Bufl'um, James 
Tew, Jonathan H. Lake, John S. Cottrell, John M. Douglas, 
Arnold Hazard, Charles C. Weeden, John H. Gardner, William 
M. Watson, Job W. Weeden, Amy C. Weeden, Hannali Wat- 
son, Robert H. Watson, John Howland, George Hull, Sarah W. 
Carr and Mary E. Carr. In 1876 the society was reorganized 
under its present name. The present officers are : T. Carr Wat- 
son, president ; Charles Weeden, secretary ; Lucy Ann Teflft, 
librarian. There are now 1,780 volumes in the library, and it 
receives an annual appropriation fi-om the state amounting to 
one hundred dollars. 

Grist mills, driven by wind, were among the first institutions 
established here. The isolated condition of the island made it 
extremely desirable that some means should at once be devised 



742 IIISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

for converting the grain which they raised into flour and meal. 
As there were no ptieams of any importance on which to bnild 
mills, the winds of heaven seemed the only resoiirce from which 
to draw for power to drive the simple machinery. The first of 
these mills of which any definite knowledge can now be gleaned 
Avas the Post mill. It was built on the principle of a turnstile, 
and when the wind changed a yoke of oxen was hitched to the 
end of a long lever, and the whole building, which stood upon 
a single post or pivot, was turned until the arms of the shaft 
came fair into the wind. In the year 1787 the present mill, 
which stands near the old church on the main road, was erected. 
A grant for land on which to erect it was obtained from the 
general assembly. The frame is of heavy oak timbers, and the 
Avind wheel is fifty-four feet in diameter. 

Churches. — The Society of Friends was the first religious 
organization to hold services on the island. The Quakers were 
a devoted people, and religiously observed the Lord's day in 
l^rivate houses, long before places for public worship were 
erected. They were quite numerous on the island. The first 
house of worship built by them was erected in 1706. It stood 
a mile north of the present one at the cross roads. The second 
house of worship was built in 1765. 

Among the first converts to the new faith here was William 
Coddington, at whose house the first quarterly meeting in this 
neighborhood, and perhaps in this country, was held. Despite 
the persecutions which were raised against this sect, and the 
opposition which was generally urged against them by the early 
colonists, it for a time increased in numbers, and here found an 
asylum where, in the enjoyment of immunity from its op- 
pressors, it j)assed a period of encouraging prosperity. The 
Quakers here from that time to the pi-esent have enjoyed their 
religious convictions without interference, but their numbers 
have gi'eatly decreased, until at the present time they have but 
few followers. 

In 1841 Joseph Greene, Jr., gave his farm by bequest to the 
care of three trustees as a fund, the profits of which were to be 
Tised in aiding the Friends or in publishing books on the doc- 
trines of the primitive faith. The property is now valued at 
$10,000, and out of its income numerous works have been pub- 
lished. 

The Baptist Society has had an organization in this town since 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 743 



o> 



about the year 1835. The litrle frame buildin<?, still standing, 
was erected by the Free Will Baptists on a lot given for the 
purpose by Daniel Weeden and Thomas Carr. It was built by 
voluntary labor. In this work Elder William Augustus Weeden 
was one of the most prominent and energetic movers, and his 
efforts were ably supported by his son, George W. Weeden, 
who with his own hands helped to frame the building. For a 
long time the church had no regular pastor. Students from the 
Theological seminary often tilled the pulpit, and the Reverend 
Oliver Hopkins, Mr. Case and Elder William A. Weeden offici- 
ated on various occasions. The Reverend Daniel W. Carr was 
the only regular pastor who for any length of time administered 
spiritual comfort to this little Hock. He continued as their res- 
ident guardian for a number of years. 

At one time this society became quite prosperous, and their 
Sunday school was well attended; but eventually the interest 
of its adherents began to decline, and little by little the mem- 
bers fell off, until a new spirit was aroused at the Center, and a 
new society at that point, tinder the name of the Central Bap- 
tist church, was organized in 1867. Two years later the present 
building was erected. The Reverend James Hammond was the 
first pastor of this, the village church. He was duly installed 
in the month of February, 1869, and remained in charge of the 
organization four years. The first deacons were William Henry 
Gardner and his brother, Benjamin C. Gardner. Other pastors 
in the order of their succession have been: Reverend John Pratt, 
Reverend Samuel Carr, and Reverend G. B. Smith, who took 
charge February 7th, 1886, and still remains (1887). The pres- 
ent deacons are S. C. Gardner and Philip Caswell, and the clerk 
is Mrs. Susan Clark. The church is now in a fiourishing con- 
dition. 

The Protestant Episcopal church of Jamestown has had a fol- 
lowing since the year 1837. Its organization was consummated 
at that time, but its early records have been lost. The Rev. 
Edward Waylaiul was their first rector, and he was succeeded 
in turn by Revs. John Suddord, Elisha Watson and George 
Anthony. The society worshiped in the Baptist meeting house, 
but had no resident i)riest until the year 1882. The Rev. George 
L. Magill, rector of Trinity church, Newport, by request of the 
bishop of the diocese, held services every Sunday from the year 
1881 till the installation of the first resident priest in 1882. In 



744 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

1879 the corner-stone of the new building was laid by the Rt. 
Rev. Thomas M. Clark, D. D., bishop of the diocese, assisted 
by Rev. Gr. L. Magill and Rev. W. Ingram Magill. The new 
building was duly consecrated on the Feast of St. Matthew, in 
1880. In the summer of 1882 the bishop proposed to the con- 
gregation that they should raise a certain sum, to which he 
would add a like amount, for the support of a resident priest 
to work under the rector of Trinity church. This proposition 
being approved, the Rev. H. Cruikshank, of the diocese of 
Easton, took charge of the work and eiitered upon his duties 
November 5th, 1882. He resigned July 1st, 1884. He was suc- 
ceeded by the Rev. G. G. Nicolls, from the diocese of Quebec, 
who took charge November 10th, 1884, and is the present offi- 
ciating clergj^man. At the consecration of the church the altar 
and reredos were presented by Mrs. A. T. Lawton, of New- 
port, as a memorial of her departed son. The altar vessels 
were given by Mrs. Lisle, of Philadelphia. 

Schools.- -From the will of John Clarke, which bears date 
April 20th, 1676, it is learned that i)rovision was made, even at 
that early day, for the cause of education. Mr. Clarke willed 
that after the decease of his wife his farm and marsh land, with 
his house and appurtenances, called the "Neck," should be 
placed in the hands of trustees, William Weeden, Philip Smith 
and Richard Smith, and their assigns, for the " reliefe of the 
poor and bringing up of children unto learning from time to 
time forever." The dates given by tradition of the erection 
and destruction of jirimitive school houses in this town are too 
uncertain as to accuracy to be inserted here. From the general 
intelligence of the early settlers, and from the public spirit 
manifested for the general good, it is safe to conclude that the 
education of their children was not neglected. 

About the year 1800 an old stone school house was torn down 
to make room for a new one, and since that time the memory of 
some persons now living extends back far enough to be able to 
testify that the children of the town have been provided with 
good schools. There are now three school buildings in the 
town, which is divided into two districts. Of these schools one 
is ungraded, another is a primary and the third a grammar 
school. They are under the personal superintendence of Thomas 
H. Clarke, who, with Alvin Peckham and Thomas C. Carr, con- 
stitute the town school board. A fund of fifty dollars is an- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 745 

iiually aiipropriiited by the state to supply these schools with 
maps and books of reference, and this has been wisely taken 
advantage of by those having the schools in charge, and the 
good results of their work are manifested in the increased inter- 
est and progress of the children, especially those pursuing the 
higher brandies of study. 

Mr. Clarke, the superintendent, was a teacher in the New 
•York House of Refuge from 1857 to 1865, and from the latter 
date to 1873 he was in charge of the First Grammar School in 
Newport, and for nine successive years thereafter the superin- 
tendent of all the schools of that city. He reports the schools 
of Jamestown as being in a high state of advancement. 

Ferries. — The first ferry operated between Jamestown and 
Newport was in 1695, at which time Caleb Carr, then governor 
of the colony, chartered the Newport ferry. The Newport 
landing of this ferry was owned by members of the Carr family 
from that time down to the year 1872. By the year 1700 travel 
over this ferry had become quite brisk. The route hence to 
New York lay across the island of Conanicut, as well as the 
common means of reaching the mainland on the west side of 
Narragansett bay. 

March 25th, 1700, Josiah Arnold secured by petition the en- 
actment of the general assembly authorizing him to establish 
and operate a horse ferry between Jamestown and the Narra- 
gansett shore. This charter, given for the term of seven years, 
exacted an annual rental fee of two pounds, ten shillings. A 
ferry chai'ter was granted April 22d of the same year, for a like 
term, to John Carr and Thomas Winterton for the ferry be- 
tween Jamestown and Newport. This franchise required an 
annual fee of five pounds. They were also required " to carry 
all officers being upon the King's service and the Post Ferriage 
free." In 1709 John Carr and Robert Barker began operating 
the ferry between Jamestown and Newport ; and John and 
Jeremiah Smith and Josiah Arnold that from here to Kings- 
town. 

The general assembly in 1726 instructed the committee hav- 
ing the ferries in charge to let them to such parties as would 
offer the best accommodations for the public. In 1750 the as- 
sembly appointed Daniel Coggeshall, Thomas Cranston and 
Immanuel Northrup a committee to sell the west ferry. Tliey 
accordingly sold it to Abel Franklin aiul Stephen Wilcox. 



746 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT OOUNTy. 



During the revolutionary war all regular intercourse of the 
people here was suspended and tlie ferries were for the time 
destroyed. They aj)pear to have remained in a dilapidated con- 
dition for several years after, as the assembly in October, 1799, 
found it necessarj^ to order that the proprietors should rebuild 
the ferries, and if they failed to do so Enoch Hazard was 
directed to put them in good repair and hold the tolls to pay 
the expense of doing the work required. 

|-. _ _--^ __ In 1838 a plan 

was projected for 
working the ferries 
]iy horse power and 
work began upon 
it, but it did not 
prove eifective and 
was abandoned. 
In 1854 a charter 
was obtained for a 
steam ferry under 
the name of the 
Xarragansett and 
Newport Company 
but this scheme 
OLD FOKT DUMPLINGS, JAMESTOWN. ^^g ^yver Carried 

into effectual operation. 

On the 2d of May, 1872, a special town meeting was called, 
the result of which was the organization of the company which 
still continues to operate a steam ferry lietween this island and 
Newport. This companj' was incorporated with a capital stock 
limited to $100,000, and empowered to own or lease all the 
necessary adjuncts of a ferry whether operated by steam or 
otherwise. The officers of this company were: George C. Can', 
president; Frederick A. Cottrell, secretar}', and John W.Potter 
treasurer. The steam ferry boat, the "Jamestown," made her 
first trip on the 12th of May, 1873, under command of Captain 
Stephen C. Gardner. The present officers of the company are: 
George C. Carr, jjresident; Thomas Carr Watson, treasurer, 
and Elijah Anthony, secretary. 

Light Houses.— There are two light houses on the island of 
Conanicut, one at the north end, the other at the south end. 
The Beaver Tail Light, the one at the south end, was first es- 




HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 747 

tablished in 1749, being, as is claimed, the first light house 
established on the American coast. It was built on land form- 
erly owned by Josiah Arnold. It was destroyed in 1754 and 
rebuilt the same year. This in turn suffered destruction, being 
burned by the British in 1779. It was rebuilt soon after and 
has since been maintained, the building being replaced by the 
present one in 1856. The name comes from the ciicum.stance of 
the peninsula owned by Josiah Arn(jld and his brother Benedict 
having some resemblance in outline to the form of a beaver. 
The light house site is on the end w'hich represents the tail of 
the animal. 

Dutch Island lies in INarragansett bay, west of Conanicut, 
is a part of this town, and embraces an area of some three hun- 
dred acres. It was for many years devoted to pasturage, large 
flocks of sheep being placed upon it. In early times the Dutch 
were accustomed to visit this island and meet the Indians here 
for purposes of trade. Hence arose the name. The authorities 
of the Rhode Island colony attempted to prohibit this trade, 
but their efforts met with little success. 

In 1726 the proprietors of the island agreed that not more 
than four sheep to the acre should be allowed to run upon it, 
and the taking of building stones from its shores without jper- 
mission was strictlj' forbidden. The ownership of the island 
was at first lield in common, undivided shares, but after a time 
lands were divided among the owners. Allotments were bought 
andsold by individuals as inclination and circumstance directed, 
until eveutually the whole island came into the hands of Mr. 
Powel H. Carpenter, who attempted to establish works there 
for expressing fish oil, but being unsuccessful in this enterprise, 
he sold the island to the United States government, this tran- 
saction bearing date January 5th, 1864. The government had 
already purchased a small piece of ground, upon which, about 
the year 1840, it had erected a light house. Since the purchase 
of the whole island the government has erected extensive bat- 
teries on it, constructing these works with all modern improve- 
ments. This foi'tress bears the name of Fort Casey. 

Dutch Island harbor is one of the finest anchorages in the 
bay, and a convenient harbor for vessels sailing along the coast. 
In time of storms or heavy winds vessels in large numbers enter 
tills harbor for safety. 

Gould Island belongs to the town of Jamestown, and was 
purchased of Koskotep, one of the Narragansett sachems, by 



748 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Thomas Gould in the year 1657. Its Indian name was Agus- 
pemokiclv. It is now owned by the government. It covers an 
area of about one tiundred acres in extent. 

George C. Cark.— Caleb Carr, the progenitor of the family 
in Rhode Island, has been elsewhere mentioned in this volume. 
His son Nicholas, who inherited an extensive tract of land on 
Conanicut island, had among his children a son Thomas, whose 
son Nicholas married Mary Eldred. Their children were: 
Thomas, John, Mary and Hannah. John Carr was born and resid- 
ed in Jamestown, where he followed the occupation of a farmei'. 
He married Mary, daughter of Colonel Peleg Cross, of Charles- 
town, Rhode Island, and had ten children, as follows: Peleg C, 
Mary E., Thomas J., Catherine C, Nicholas, John E., Celia A., 
William C, George C, and Hannah C, who died in youth. 

George C. Carr was born December 22d, 1818, in Jamestown, 
and was educated at private schools on the island and at the 
Washington Academy at Wickford. He then engaged in farm- 
ing with his uncle Thomas, on the land which was first acquired 
by Caleb Carr in 1638, and has been transmitted bj^ will to suc- 
cessive generations since that date. On the death of his uncle 
in 1837, this property was bequeathed to George C. Carr, and 
has since been his residence. He married, in 18.51, Sarah C, 
daughter of Reverend George Anthony, of Jamestown, and has 
one son, John Anthony, who is interested with his father in the 
cultivation of the farm. Mr. Carr aided in organizing, and is 
now president of, the Ocean Highland Land Company, located 
on Conanicut island, and also fills the office of president of the 
Jamestown & Newport Ferry Company. His jiolitical affilia- 
tions have always been either whig or republican. He was the 
first state senator elected from his district under the new consti- 
tution in 1844, and was again chosen to that office in the years 
1853-54. He has been active in local affairs, and for many years 
l^resident of the town council. In all measures jiertaining to 
the growth and development of the town, Mr. Carr has been a 
leading spirit and ever ready wi-th his means and influence to 
advance all worthy enterprises. He is a supporter of St. Mat- 
thew's Protestant Episcopal Church, of Jamestown. 

Thomas Carr Watson was born October 6th, 1838, in James- 
town, where he has, since his early nuxnhood, been one of the 
foremost citizens, enterprising, public spirited, and thoroughly 




% 








i^- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUKTY. 749 

imbued with the progressive tendency of the times. He was 
educated at the public schools and at Greenwich Academy, East 
Greenwich, Rliode Island, after which he succeeded to the call- 
ing of his ancestors, tilling (he land that had been for genera- 
tions the property of various members of the family. He has since 
that period devoted the time not absorbed by public duties to the 
pursuits of an agriculturist. Mr. Watson first participated ac- 
tively in politics in 1860, casting his earliest vote for Abraham 
Lincoln. In 1863 and 1864 he represented his district in the 
legislature, and in 1877 was elected state senator, in which ca- 
pacity he has, with an interval of three yeai's, served continu- 
ously since that date. Among the committees to which he was 
appointed were those on accounts, fisheries and education. He 
has also aided in the administration of town affairs, and has 
been for many years a member of the town council, of which he 
is now president. He is often chosen a delegate to state con- 
ventions, and represented his constituents at the convention 
which appointed electors to the republican national convention 
that nominated Abi'ahara Lincoln. He is a director of the 
Jamestown and Newport Ferry Company and interested in other 
business enterprises. 

Mr. Watson is a great-grandson of Job Watson, the first 
member of the family to settle on Conanicut island, where he 
was a large landholder and farmer. His son, Robert Watson, 
married Catherine Weeden, whose children were : Joseph, John 
J., Daniel, Robert fl., Isabella, Mary B. and Hannah. Robert 
H. Watson was born in March, 1805, on Conanicut island, and 
varied his farming employments by occasional participation in 
the i:)olitical issues of the day. He was a delegate to the con- 
stitutional convention that framed the constitution in 1842. He 
was also a member of the legislature on many occasions. He 
married Catherine, daughter of John Carr, of Conanicut, born 
in April, 1811. Their children are: Thomas Carr, the subject 
of this biography ; John J. and Mary Catherine, wife of Ben- 
jamin S. Anthony, of Portsmouth. Robert H. Watson died 
in August, 1875. 

PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS. 

Elijah Anthony was born in Middletown in May, 1885, and 
is a son of George and a grandson of Elijah Anthony, both of 
whom were residents of Newport county. He was edu- 



750 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

cated in the district schools and the Friends' school at 
Providence, and has followed the business of farming and 
teaching. He Was married in 1855 to Harriet W. Almy of 
Portsmouth, R. I., and has five children. In political j^refer- 
ence he is a republican. He has held the office of town treas- 
urer twenty years, member of the town council three years and 
senator three terms. 

Peleg C. Carr was born in 1807 and died in 1884. He followed 
the vocation of a farmer and took an active interest in public 
affairs, serving as member of assembly and also member of the 
town council. He married Catharine Weeden by whom he had 
nine children, all of whom are living. 

James Hamilton Clarke was born in Connecticut in 1819, was 
educated at Newport, R. I., and was engaged in the lumber and 
coal business. He served two terms in the general assembly 
from the town of South Kingstown. He was a member of the 
Baptist church. He married Susan Cottrell, of Jamestown, and 
she is the mother of two children living. Mr. Clarke died 
August 7th, 1874. 

Andrew J. Cory was born in Tiverton in 1817. His father, 
Andrew, grandfather, Philip, and great-grandfather, Thomas, 
were all residents of Newport county. Andrew J. was educated 
in the public schools and became a sea captain. He served as 
member of assembly from Middletown for two terms. He was 
married in 1845 to Lucy Maria Almy of Portsmouth, and she 
is the mother of five children living. Her father, David Almy, 
was a son of Peleg, a grandson of John and a great-grandson of 
Job Almy. 

Frederick Northrup Cottrell was born in South Kingstown, 
was educated at Greenwich Academy, Rhode Island, and car- 
ried on the business of faruiing. In 1867 he was married to 
Ellen Tucher of Jamestown. She bore him four children. Mr. 
Cottrell took an active interest in public affairs, was state 
senator a number of terms and held other offices. He died 
in 1885. 

John Howland was born in Jamestown, in 1817, and is a son 
of Daniel and a grandson of John Howland. His great-grand- 
father, Job Howland, came from Portsmouth, R. I., to this 
i-sland in 1670. He was a descendant in the third generation 
fiom one of the "Pilgrims." John Howland was educated at 
the Plainfield academy, Connecticut, and has followed the busi- 






^^:^^' 




VH'XdTIV^, \ W\\.\.\V^y H 1 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 751 

ness of farming. He was married in 1840 to Phebe Watson, of 
Jamestown. She has borne him six children, five of whom are 
living. Mr. Howland has been a member of tlie town council 
a number of years, and also a member of assemblJ^ He was 
formerly captain of the Jamestown militia. 

George W. Peckham is a member of an old Newport county 
family, and was born in Middletown, in 1843. His father and 
grandfather were both named Philip. George W. was educated 
in the public schools, and has followed the business of farming. 
He was married in 1864 to Phebe A., daughter of Captain Obed 
King, of Newport. She has borne him four children. In pol- 
itics Mr. Peckham is a republican, and has held the office of 
road commissioner seven terms. 

Eben N. Tefft was born in North Kingstown, R. I., in 1834, 
was educated in the public schools, and has followed the busi- 
ness of farming. He was married in 1859 to Lucy Ann Hazard, 
daughter of an old family of Jamestown. She is the mother of 
live children. 

Pardon Tucker was born in South Kingstown, R. I., in 1822, 
and came to Jamestown in 1840. He was educated in the com- 
mon schools, and has followed the business of farming. He was 
state senator in 1858 and in 1859, and is a republican. In 1847 
he was married to Sallie B. Waite, of North Kingstown, R. I. 



CHAPTER XV. 



TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN. 



By J. R. Cole. 



Geographical and Descriptive. — Incorporation. — Freemen in 1743. — Early Town 
Action. — The Early Settlers. — The Residence of Berkeley. — The Revolution- 
ary Period.— The Small-pox Scourge.— After the War.— The War of 1812.- 
Town Action. — During the Civil War. — Roads and Bridges. — Public Schools. 
— Churches. — The AVomen's Christian Temperance Union. — The Miantonomi 
Library. — The Aquidneck Agricultural Society. — The Town Hall. — Civil List. 



THE town of Middletown is situated on Rhode Island, occu- 
pying that part of the island lying between the city of 
Newport on the southwest and the town of Portsmouth on the 
north. Its central position suggested the name. It formerly 
was a part of the town of Newport, and was known at that time 
as '"ye woods." It was incorporated by the general assembly 
in 1743. Its location, centrally, is about three miles northeast 
of the city of Newport and thirty miles south of Providence. 

The town has an area of twelve and a half square miles, an 
uneven surface, beautifully undulating, and a soil of rich loam 
which, under the high cultivation that is given it, yields abund- 
ant crops. The chief agricultural products of the town are hay, 
corn, potatoes and some barley. The latter staple was formerly 
the leading crop, and received more attention here than in any 
other section of New England. There are now but few native 
trees growing in the town, the forests all having been cleared 
away to make room for the work of agriculture. Oak and wal- 
nut timber was formerly abundant. 

The inhabitants are mostly engaged in agricultural pursuits, 
and are noted for industry and economy. Vital statistics for 
the year ending December 31st, 1885, show: births, 14; mar- 
riages, 2; deaths, 17. The number of persons liable to do mil- 
itary duty in the town, according to the last enrollment of mil- 
itia, made in January', 1882, was two hundred and five. The 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 753 

nnmber of qualified voters is two lii;ndred and tliirty-seven. 
Tlie number of children of school age in January, 1886, was two 
hundred and ten. These were distributed among the live dis- 
tricts as follows: 01ii3hant district, No. 1, 61; Alley district, No. 
2, 28; Wyatt district, No. 3, 48; Paradise district, No. 4, 30; 
Peabody district. No. 5, 43. 

Middletown has five school houses, three churches and a town 
hall, and embraces within its limits Purgatory rocks, part of 
Easton's beach, the whole of Sachuest beach, Hanging rocks. 
Paradise valley, and the site of the former country residence of 
Dean Berkeley, all of which places possess peculiar natural at- 
tractions or are associated with events of historic interest. 

The valleys of the town are most beautiful. Probably no- 
where does the grass appear more green or vigorous in growth 
or inviting to the eye than at "Green End" or "Paradise 
"Valley." One glance of the eye over the plain and the gradually 
rising hill sides on either hand would convince the most skep- 
tical as to the truth of this statement. Green End valley em- 
braces within its extent the Great pond, is wider, with sides 
more gently sloping than the other, and in all probability re- 
ceived its name from the deep color of the grass in it. Paradise 
valley was named by Isaac Barker, who figured so conspicuously 
in the revolution as a spy. This valley begins at or near the 
Methodist church and runs southward into " Purgatory." 

"Hanging Rocks" and "Purgatory Rocks" are especial 
objects of interest. They lie not far back of the shore road as 
it runs from Easton's beach to Sachuest beach. The bluff along 
this shore is a vast ledge of conglomerate, most singular in the 
formation of the stones of which it is composed. Just at the 
foot of the bluff there are a number of soft slate rocks on which 
idle watchers have carved many very rude devices. In some 
places the slate and conglomerate run together. At one point 
on a spur is a great boulder known as "Negro Head," from the 
reseml)lance it bears to tlie profile of a negro. One of the pecu- 
liarities of the Purgatory rocks is found in tlie fissures which 
divide them. These fissures divide the great rock as evenly as 
though it had been cut with a knife, and in such regular lines 
as to cut the mass of rock into square faces, showing that at 
some time some sudden and irresistil)]e force had been brought 
to bear upon it, cutting down througli the individual pebbles, 
large and small, with as clean and smooth a cleft as a knife 



754 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

would make through a piece of cheese. Some of the seams are 
narrow, but others are open through their entire length. Tiie 
largest of these cl'efts is called " Purgatory " proper. It is 160 
feet in length, 8 to 14 feet wide in different parts, and has a 
depth of 50 feet to water. To stand near enough to the edge 
of this chasm to enable one to see the turbulent, seething waters 
below, as they rush into it from the sea, reqnires a steady 
nerve as well as a sure foothold. It is stated upon what is 
claimed to be good anthority, that this chasm was once leaped 
by a lover at the bidding of his maiden sweetheart to test his 
devotion to her. But having made the leap, and with difficulty 
and danger performed the test, he seemed at once to undergo 
a change of sentiment in regard to the matter, and turning 
round he lifted his hat to his intended bride and bidding her 
a final adieu, abrui^tly left her to contemplate the folly of de- 
manding such a useless hazard of life as she had done. 

The Hanging rocks, so intimately associated with the name 
of Berkeley, are at the second beach. Once upon the plateau 
with face toward the sea, Easton's point and the cavernous gap 
of Purgatorj' lie to the right and Sachuest point on the left, 
with the whitened surf of the sea constantly breaking upon it. 
Berkeley, it is said, was in the habit of frequenting this spot, 
and wrote here some of his finest poems. Here it is said he 
composed the "Alciphron." Not far back from these rocks is 
the country home occupied by Berkeley during the three years, 
beginning with 1728, of his residence here. The scene is one of 
quiet repose. 

The early history of this town is, by force of circumstances, 
absorbed in the history of Portsmouth and Newport, and the 
repetition of it hei'e would be unnecessary. The territory of 
the original town of Newj^ort filled up with population and im- 
provements most rapidly in the south and west parts, on the 
site of the present city. Here was a dense and rapidly increas- 
ing population. As early as 1730 this village of Newport con- 
tained some four thousand inhabitants, while the northeast part 
'of the town had less than seven hundred people scattered over 
an area of jjerhaps eight or ten square miles. The rapidly grow- 
ing village wanted local improvements, and as the people of the 
whole town were taxed to supply them, the suburban popula- 
tion felt that they were bearing burdens without recompense. 
The only clear way to relief from these burdens was by secur- 
ng a separate incorporation for themselves. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 755 

In tile lafter part of the year 1741 this sentiment found ex- 
pression in a petition to the town meeting that a division of the 
town might be made. As might naturally be expected, however, 
the desires of the few inhabitants of " ye woods " were outbal- 
anced ()y those of the great and populous center, and the vote 
was against division. But the people of " ye woods" were not 
to be silenced by a single adverse vote. They now appear to 
have presented their petition to the genei-al assembly, and at 
the same time the town, January 26th, 1742, directed its depu- 
ties to that body to oppose the petition for division. The gen- 
eral assembly, however, appointed a committee to investigate 
and consider the question, and although the records of the par- 
ticular steps taken are lost, we have the final result, which was 
the division of the town and the incorporation of Middletown. 
The act, which passed the assembly in August, 1743, is as fol- 
lows : 

"An Act for incorporating the northeast part of the town 
of Newport into a township), and the same to be distinguished 
and known by the name of Middletown. 

" Whereas, the General Assembly, at their session held by 
adjournment at Newport, within and for said colony, on the 
second Monday in June last past, did, among other things, 
enact that the town of Newport should be divided into two 
towns; and for that purpose appointed a committee to run the 
dividing line, and make report thereon to this present session 
of the Assembly, who have accordingly reported that they have 
done the same, in the following manner: 

"Beginning at the head of the creek that separates the two 
farms of the Hon. Joseph Whipple. Esq., and Godfrey Mal- 
bone of said Newport, merchant; and on a south course, nine- 
teen degrees and one half east, run a direct line, extending to 
the northeast corner of a lot of land belonging to Job Almy, 
of said Newport, merchant; the said corner being between the 
houses of Elisha Card and that in the possession of Samnel 
Pemberton; and from said corner a straight line south, twenty- 
seven degrees east, crossing the bridge that lieth over the 
creek on Easton's beach; and so into the sea on that course, it 
being the place where the said creek usually runs into the sea. 

"And the said report being accepted: 

"Be it enacted by the General Assembly of this colony, and 
by the authority of the same it is enacted, that all the lands to 

48 



756 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTS'. 

the southward and westward of the said line, as before de- 
scribed, belong to the town of Newport; and all the land to 
the northward an'd eastward of said line be distinguished and 
known by the name of Middletown; and that the inhabitants 
of said Middletown, from time to time shall have and enjoy 
the like benefits, liberties, privileges and immunities with other 
(owns in this colony, according to charter. 

"And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that 
the justices of the peace, living witliin the aforesaid town of 
Middletown, shall remain and continue in their aforesaid offices 
until the nextgeneral election; and that the first of said justices 
of the i^eace grant forth his warrant to call the inhabitants of 
said Middletown together on Tuesday next, being the 20th day 
of August instant, to elect and appoint said town officers as 
they shall have occasion for, and the law directs; and to ap- 
point the times and places of their town meetings; and to choose 
and elect two deputies to represent them at the next General 
Assembly, and so on, as by the charter is directed. 

" And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that 
said town of Middletown shall send one grand and three petit 
jurors to the superior court of judicature, court of assize and 
general jail delivery; and three grand and three petit jurors to 
every inferior court of common pleas and general sessions of 
the peace held within the county of Newport; and that the 
town of New2iort shall hereafter send to each of the aforesaid 
courts so many jurors less of what they are now compelled by 
law, as is ordered to be sent by the aforesaid town of Middle- 
town.'' 

The division between the towns in accordance with this act 
was effected August 24th, 1743. The first town meeting was 
held on the 30th of the same month. The officers then elected 
were six councilmen, a town clerk, a treasurer, a sergeant, three 
constables, a packer, a sealer of weights and measures, three 
ratemakers, two overseers of the poor, four surveyors of high- 
ways, three fence viewers, a vendue master, a pound-keeper, 
three held drivers, three viewers of flax and hemp, two wood 
corders, and two deputies to the general assembly of the colony. 
The establishment of a cattle pound was also provided for, and 
a committee appuiuled to attend to its construction. 

The town council oiganized on the 12th of September, and 
designated the third Monday in each month as the time for the 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 757 

regular meetings of the board. At tliis time, also, licenses were 
granted to three men for the sale of spirituous liquor. Bonds 
were required of these men for the orderly keeping of their 
houses. The coundlmen themselves were evidently not teeto- 
talers, for they also granted a license to John Champlin, at 
whose house they met, ''to retail strong liquors those days 
that the council sits at his house." This board — the town coun- 
cil — exercised the various functions of a court of probate, board 
of health, overseers of the poor, commissioners of licenses, and 
judges of the qualifications of proposed inhabitants of the town. 
Questions of general interest, whether falling within the sphere 
of any of the numerous offices of the town or not, were discussed 
and acted upon in open town meeting. The early proprietors 
of lands in the old town of Newport on the 26th of February, 
1744, by unanimous vote agreed " to relinquish up to the town 
of Middletown all their right and title in the lands lying on 
Sachuest beach, to be by the said town managed from time to 
time forever hereafter as an estate belonging to said town." 
This comprehended all the land of any importance lying within 
the limits of the new town which had not already been allotted 
to individuals. 

The following list contains the names of the Freemen of Mid- 
dletown at its organization in 1743 : John Allen, John Allen, 
Jr., Samuel Allen, James Barker, James Barker, Jr., Peter 
Barker, William Barker, Jeremiah Barker, Robert Barker, 
John Barker, Samuel Bailey, Nicholas Brown, William Brown, 
Weston Clarke, John Clarke, George Cornwall, Jr., Thomas 
Coggeshall, John Coggeshall, James Coggeshall, Joshua Cog- 
geshall, Elisha Card, Lawrence Clarke, Thomas Dering, Peter 
Easton, Edward Easton, Jonathan Easton, Daniel Gould, Tliomas 
Gould, James Gould, John Gould, John Green, Joseph Holmey, 
William Lawton, Seth Luther, Isaac Manchester, John Man- 
chester, James Mitchell, Robert Nichols, Joseph Nichols, John 
Pea body, William Peckham, Jr., James Phillip, Isaac Peck- 
ham, James Peckham, Jonathan Peckham, Job Peckham, 
Samuel Peckham, Samuel Peckham, Jr., Daniel Peckham, Pe- 
leg Peckham, Samuel Roggers, Samuel Roggers, Jr., Peleg 
Rogers, John Rogers, Joseph Ryder, Peleg Smith, Isaac Smith, 
Elisha Smith, Benjamin Smith, Peleg Slocum, William Turner, 
Edward Tew, Henry Tew, John T:\ylor, Thomas Weavour, 
Thomas Weavour, Jr., Benjamin Weavour, Jake Weavour, 



758 HISTOKV OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Clement Weavour, Benj'n Weavoui\ Jr., Thomas WeaTOur (son 
of Benj.), Jeremiah Weedeii, William Weeden, James Weeden, 
William Weeden,' Jr.. Francis Weeden, William Wood, John 
Wood, Clement Weavour, Elisha Weaver, Thomas Weaver, Jr. 

From the "Historical Sketch of Middletown," prepared by 
the Hon. Samuel G. Arnold, which work the writer has taken 
the liberty to consult freely in this section, are quoted the 
following paragraphs in relation to the early action of this 
town: 

" In November, 1743, the first tax, of £200, for town expenses, 
was voted. 

"A committee was appointed to draft ordinances for the town 
government, and the clerk was ordered to provide a pair of 
stocks and whipping post. The elections for town officers were 
appointed to be held on the second Wednesday in May, and a 
list of eighty-four freemen was enrolled. In March following 
it was voted to pay twenty pounds each to Col. Daniel Updike 
and James Honeyman, Jr., for their services done for this town. 
This service was rendered in procuring the act of incorporation. 
A committee to settle accounts with Newport was chosen. Acts 
were passed for impounding cattle and sheep, regulating sur- 
veyors of highways, and giving a bounty of eight pence for 
the destruction of crows, and three pence for black birds, from 
April 1st to June 10th. Four years later this bounty was in- 
creased to eighteen pence for crows and eight for black birds, 
and in 1749 the act was repealed. Free inhabitants, or house- 
keepers, were to work the roads for three days in September. 
Action was taken for building a bridge over the creek at Eas- 
ton's beach, and on repairing the school house. 

"Freemen were admitted, jurors drawn and deputies elected 
at the April and August meetings, and town officers were chosen 
in May. In August, 1744, a proposition to sue Newport for the 
town's rights in Goat and Coaster's Harbor islands was made, 
but a vigorous protest, signed by twenty freemen, on the ground 
that these places belonged to Newport in the division, put an 
end to the lanjust claim. In May, 174.5, the town formally ac- 
cepted the grant of Sachuest common made by the projjrietors 
the preceding February. The next year the beach was sold to 
Jonathan Easton for £237,18." 

" A peculiarity of those days was the oath against bribery, 
which, by a law of the colony passed at the August session. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 759 

1746, was required to be taken by all freemen. Tlie statute re- 
quired an oath to be administered to every voter, and another 
to be taken by every officer, not to receive or offer bribes in anj^ 
manner. A single vote cast for any officer under such circum- 
stances, should invalidate his election, and in all trials under 
the act, the evidence of the person offering the bribe might be 
taken against the accused. The law was to be read in town 
meeting at each semi-annual election for five years, and tlie 
name of any violator of it was to be struck from the roll of 
freemen. 

" In May, 1746, the small pox appeared in the town, and the 
council, acting as a board of health, took vigorous measures 
to prevent its spreading. The lane leading to the infected spot 
was closed by a fence, a guard was stationed near bj' with 
orders to kill all dogs and cattle at or near the place, and a very 
thorough course of jjurification was adopted in the honse. 
There was no more trouble from this cause for tweuty-eight 
years." 

Having seen the newly organized town fairly established and 
started on its course of existence, we may now turn aside for a 
little while to notice the people who occupied these verdant 
hills and fertile valleys during the years when the race of white 
Americans was in its infancy. Turning thus to notice the early 
settlers and their descendants, we find that the most common 
names among this class were the Coggeshalls, the Barkers, the 
Peckhams, the Goulds, the Chases, the Clarkes, the Eastons 
and the Greenes, followed by the Weavers, the Anthonys and 
others, some of which will be noticed at such leiigtli as our 
opportunities for obtaining information respecting them will 
allow. 

Tile numerous Coggeshalls of Middletown are descendants 
from Sir John Coggeshall of England. This ancient family 
came first into England with William the Conqueror. In the 
parish church at Easton are several monuments erected to the 
honor of this family, many of whom held lionorable positions. 
Sir John Coggeshall was high sheriff of his shire for many years. 
His arms were, "Argent, a cross between four scallops. Sable." 
He came to Boston about the year 1630, and became one of the 
first board of selectmen on record for that town. He was made 
a freeman of that colony upon his oath which bears date No- 
vember 6th, 1630. He was a rei>resentative in the general court 



760 HISTOKY OK NEWPOKT COUKTY. 

of Boston in 163-1, 1635 and 1636. In 1637 he was disfranchised 
for joining the Antinomians under the teaching of Mrs. Anne 
Hutcliinson, and'resolved to remove thence with Coddingron 
and others who came to Rhode Island. The inscription on his 
tombstone is as follows: " Here lyeth the body of John Cogge- 
shall, Sen., esq., who died First President of the Colony ye 27th 
of November aged about 55 j'^ears." His son. Major John 
Coggeshall, died when 90 years of age. 

There were two branches of the Coggeshall family residing in 
the United States in 1749, one of which sprang from Joshua, 
and the other from John. These, perhaps, were sons of the 
original John. A grandson of his, by the name of Josliua, died 
about the year 1723, leaving twelve children, among whom were 
Riciiard, Mrs. Mary Beard, Caleb, Sarah, Ann and Wait. 
Thomas married Mary P"'reeborn. He died January 26th, 
1771, aged 84. She died May 26th, 1776, aged 85. Their children, 
were: Elizabeth, married Peleg Peckham, and died September 
29th, 1794, aged 84 years; Joshua, born May 11th, 1722, twice 
married, to Sarah Bailey January 12th, 1743-4, and to Anna 
Dennis January 2d, 1752, and died September 24tli, 1786 ; 
Gideon, born 1726, married Hannah Lawton 1748, and died in 
1801; Thomas, born 1728, married Hannah Cornell, died in 1803; 
Comfort, married Daniel Peckham, and died in 1778, about 78 
years of age; Waite, married (lirst) James Easton, (second) 
Rowse Potter; Sarah, married Thomas Weaver; Mary, married 
Samuel Allen 1745; Marcy, married (first) Joseph Dennis, 
(second) Samuel Allen; and Hannah, married Robert Dennis. 
All these ten children of Thomas and Marcy, except Mary, sur- 
vived their father, and were married and .settled on the island. 

The children of Gideon and Hannah were: Gideon, born 1757, 
married Sarah Wilds, of Taunton, about 1776, and died 1794; 
Timothy, born about 1753, married Celia Wilds, of Taunton, 
about 1779, and died August 6th, 1794; Jeremiah, born about 
1766, and died July 5th, 1780; Thomas, born January 8th, 1759, 
married (first) Elizabeth Porter about 1780, (second) Rebecca 
Coggeshall; Hannah, born 1763, married John Spooner about 
1789. and died in December, 1842; Sarah, born about 1765, mar- 
ried Benjamin Hall about 1799 and died about 1801; Peleg, born 
about 1767, died 1791; Nathaniel, died 1826, and Mary, married 
Benjamin Hall, and died 1844. 

The children of Thomas Coggeshall and Elizabeth, his wife, 



HISTORY OV NKWPOUT COUNTY. 761 

were : Hannah, born Janviary 21st, 1781 ; Charles, born Octo- 
ber 2(>th, 1782; William, born October 21st, 1784; James, born 
June 17th, 1787; John Porter, born June 12th, 1789; Peleg, 
born Decem])er 10th, 1791 ; Lydia Leonard, born May 13th, 
1794, and Timothy, born November ISth, 1796. The children 
of Thomas Coggeshall and Rebecca were : Thomas, born No- 
vember 25th, 1811, and Sarah Hall, born February lOth, 1815. 

The children of Joshna Coggeshall and his wife, Sarah, were : 
Thomas, born in 1744, died in 1829, and Ruth, who died young. 

The children of Joshua and Anne Coggeshall were : Sarah, 
born September 2.'5th, 1752 ; Josei^h, born August 16th, 1754, 
married Elizabeth Horsewell, and died October 7th, 1830 ; Eliza- 
beth, born October 14th, 1756, married Gideon Anthony, died 
September 3d. 1828; George, born March 19th, 1759, died 
young; Mary, born July 14th, 1761, married Peleg Brown, died 
September 15th, 1837 ; Marcy, born September 14th, 1762, mar- 
ried Thomas Manchester April 2d, 1786, died in March, 1844 ; 
Ann, born June 13th, 1764, died in December, 1842, and George, 
born June 8th, 1767, married Cynthia Sherman. 

The children of Joseph Coggeshall (son of Joshua) and Eliza- 
beth, his wife, were : Noel, born March 31st, 1777, died August 
4th, 1853 ; Ruth, born August 27th, 1780, died September 15th, 
1867; Joseph, born June 5th, 1783, married Lydia Cornell, died 
April 30th, 1871 ; Anne, born January 28th, 1786, died Novem- 
ber 4tli, 1856 ; Joshua, born December 25th, 1788, married Deb- 
orah Allen November 26th, 1815, died April 7th, 1879 ; Sarah, 
born September 18th, 1791, married Isaac A. Dennis, died at 
rhe age of 69 ; John, l)orn April 13th, 1794, married Sarah An- 
thony October 9th, 1823, died April 30th, 1830, and Abraham, 
born March 15th, 1797, married Annie Sisson. 

The children of Joshua Coggeshall and Deborah, his wife, 
were: George C, David, Hannah, Mary, born January 6th, 
1820, married George G. Chase, March 16th, 1843; Ann Eliza- 
beth and Sarah Dennis. 

Sarah Coggeshall, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth, married 
Isaac A. Dennis December 25th, 1814, and had two children: 
Ruth A. C. and Joseph C. Ruth married Joseph \V. Chase, 
October 14th, 1841, and Joseph C. married Mary G. Chase, 
March 2d, 1851. 

Tlie children of Simon and Phebe Coggeshall were: John, 
Mary, William, Thankful, Edward, Josiah, Albert, Phebe Ann 
and Sarah (born January 12th, 1821). 



762 HisTouy ok newpokt county. 

Joshua Coggeshall, i'lom whom si^rang this branch of that 
family, owned and occupied lands on which the Coggeshall 
buiying ground was afterward laid out. 

For the history of the Bai-kers, which follows, we have drawn 
largely from an article published by Mr. J. O. Austin in the 
"Historical Magazine" for July, 1880. John Barker married 
Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Hill. She was the sister of Sir 
Rowland Hill, the first Protestant lord mayor of London. John 
Barker and Elizabeth had a son, Edward, who had a son, Row- 
land, to whom a coat of arms was granted December 17th, 1582. 
There are some twenty or more coats of arms and ten or eleven 
crests of different Barker families in England, but the one just 
alluded to is distinctive in this, that it was conferred — not 
wrongfullj^ assumed, as many another was and still is — by the 
king's appointed " Clairencieux," Robert Cooke, when making 
one of his regular visitations. 

James Barker, of the fourth generation from the original an- 
cestor mentioned, is called in family history a "legal descend- 
ant of Rowland Barker." He came from Harwich, Essex 
county, England, took passage from Southampton in the ship 
"Mary and John," and sailed March 24th, 1634, for New Eng- 
land, but died on the passage. His daughter, Christianna, the 
wife of Thomas Beecher, had preceded him, coming with her 
husband in 1630, and his son, James, accompanied him on the 
ship " Mary and John." The daughter, Christianna, had first 
married Thomas Coojjer, then Thomas Beecher. and after his 
death, in America, she married Nicholas Easton in 1638, and 
died February 20th, 1665. Her brother, James, who survived 
his father and reached America safe, being then about seven- 
teen years of age, married, in 1044, Barbara, daughter of Thomas 
and Frances Dugan, and died in Newport in 1702. 

Thomas Beecher, the hnsband of Christiana Barker, had been 
captain of the ship "Talbot " in 1629, engaged in bringing pas- 
sengers to America. The next year he came with his wife to 
Charlestown, Mass. He was a freeman there in 1632, one of the 
first selectmen of the town, a representative to the lirst general 
court of Massachusetts and for seven following sessions, " Cap- 
tain of the Castle" in 1635, and died in 1637 leaving an estate 
valued at a little over four hundred pounds. His widow, Chris- 
tianna, married Nicholas Easton in 1638. 

From notes ujade by Peter Easton is obtained the following 



IIISTOKY OF NEWPOIiT COUNTY. 763 

concerning that family. He says: "Came ashore in New Eng- 
land 14tli of May, 1634; wintered at Ipswioh; thence Newbury 
in 16B5; Hampton 1638, and built there first English house." 
From here, inconsequence of the Antinoniian controversy, they 
removed to Pocasset (Portsmouth), R. I. Under date of May 
1st, 1639, he says: "Gave the name Coaster's Harbor Ishind 
when on the way by boat from Portsmouth to Newport." He 
speaks of building the first wind mill in 1663. Peter Easton 
died December 12th, 1693, aged 71 years. He left a large estate 
and a numerous posterit}^ 

Returning to the Barker family, we learn that two of the 
children of Peter Easton married the children of James Barker. 
Doubtless Peter and his brother John Easton, who was for a 
time governor of the colony, were intimately associated through 
life with James Barker, being of about the same age, and from 
early life more or less brought together in one family. The 
Eastons and Coddingtons became Quakers, while James Barker 
and John Clarke were Baptists. A certain manuscript calls 
James Barker " a teaching brother amongst the Baptists 
many years." 

In 1644 James Barker was a corporal; in 1648 a member of 
the general court of elections; in 1655-61 and 1663 a member of 
the court of commissioners; in 1661 a member of the committee 
to receive contributions toward raising the £50 for the agents 
to England in relation to the charter; in 1663 one of the men 
named in the royal charter; from 1663 to 1678 one of the gov- 
ernor's assistants; in 1669-77 and 1681-86 a deputy; in 1678 
dejiuty governor, acting after the death of William Cod- 
dington. 

James Barker had eight children: Elizabeth, nuirried Nicholas 
Easton, son of Peter and grandson of the first Nicholas; James, 
Mary, "William, mari'ied Elizabeth Easton, daughter of Peter 
and granddaughter of the first Nicholas; Joseph, Peter, Chris- 
tianiui and Sarah. There were nine James Barkers in direct 
line of descent through as many successive generations, and at 
least seven of them were eldest sons. Another peculiar cir- 
cumstance is that during the time of the early generations all 
the brothers of a family refrained from naming their sons 
James, except the eldest brother, thus by common consent 
leaving to him the monopoly of tliat name. The ninth James, 
however, refused to name his eldest son after himself, which 



764 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

refusal, it is said, was so offensive to his father that he ignored 
him in his will. 

The first of these nine Jameses was the one on whom the coat 
of arms was conferred, the James of Harwich, England. The 
second was the James who died on his passage to America. The 
third was his son who was on the ship with him. The fourth, 
James Barker of Newport, born in March, 1647, married Sarah, 
daughter of William and Mary Jeffrey, in 1673, died jn 1722. 
James Barker the fifth, of Newport and Middletown, was born 
in 167.'5, was fifty years a member of the Second Baptist church, 
married in 1699, Mary, daughter of Robert and Tamar (Tyler) 
Cook, and died in 1758. His eldest son, James Barker the 
sixth, of Newport and Middletown, was born in 1700, married 
first Mary, daughter of William and Mary (Tew) Peckhain, 
second, Mai'garet, daughter of Jeremiah Weeden, and died in 
1722. His eldest son, the seventh James Barker of Middletown, 
R. I., and Lanesboro, Mass., was born in 1725, married Anne, 
daughter of Isaac Peckliam, and died in 1796. His eldest son, 
James Barker the eighth, of Middletown, R. I., Lanesboro, 
Mass., and Utica, N. Y., was born in 1749, married in 1770, 
Rhoda Mason of Swansea, Mass., and died in 1830. His eldest 
son, James Barker the ninth, born in 1773, married Susanna 
Greene, and died in Rochester, N. Y., in 1840. 

Isaac Barker, the son of James Barker and Anne Peckham, 
his wife, was born May 21st, 1752, married first to Sarah, daugh- 
ter of Stejihen and Amy Peckham ; second, to Wealthy Peck- 
ham, widow, and died in 1834. He lived through the times of 
the revolution and rendered his country's friends valuable serv- 
ice by communicating to them facts in regard to the movements 
or position of the enemy. While the British had possession of 
the island (Rhode Island) British officers were quartered at his 
house. Barker, by pretending sympathy with their cause, 
gained the confidence of these officers, and being allowed passes, 
was in a position to know much of the movements and designs 
of the British. Such information as was of any value to the 
Americans he communicated to Lieutenant Chapin, who had 
command of the American troops stationed at Little Compton 
for fourteen months from August, 1778. This correspondence 
was effected by letters which Barker deposited in a cleft of a rock 
at a certain point previously agreed upon, which was on the 
east shore, toward the north end of the island. Having depos- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 765 

ited a letter there, he then nicade a signal to let Lieutenant 
Chapin know that it was there, and the latter would send his 
men to get it. The shore was guarded by the British, but by 
using caution and proceeding under cover of night, they were 
able to reach the " post ofhce " and secure the letter. The sig- 
nal used by Barker was a simple one, consisting of an under- 
stood arrangement of a stake and bars upon a stone wall on a 
hill near Barker's house, all of which could be plainly seen 
through Chapin' s spy-glass. General Gates recognized this 
service of Isaac Barker as one of great importance. 

Jeremiah and Priscilla Gould, the heads of this numerous 
family now in Middletown, came from England hither in 1637, 
with their three sons, Daniel, Thomas and John. Of this judi- 
cious patriarch it is said on some old papers that have lately 
been brought to light, "This man's Armour seems to be Per 
Saltire Azure and Or. A Lion Rampant." Daniel was about 
sixteen years old when he came to this country. The father 
afterward returned to England and died there, but the mother 
remained with her sons. Here she died and was buried in 
"John Gould's Old Orchard." 

The son Thomas became the owner of an estate at a place called 
Quidnessett neck, in Narragansett county. He married Eliza- 
beth, youngest daughter of William Boulston, of Newport, in 
1755. Having no children, he gave his estate to his brother 
Daniel. John, the third son, was settled on land situated about 
four miles from Newport, and he likewise, not having any chil- 
dren, gave his estate to his namesake and nephew, John, a son 
of his brother Daniel. 

Daniel, the eldest son of Jeremiah and Priscilla Gould, was 
settled by his father in that part of Newport now called Mid- 
dletown, on lands a portion of which is still in possession of 
his descendants, Samuel and John Gould. Daniel married 
Wait, daughter of John Coggeshall (first president of the col- 
ony), in 1651, and lived with her to an advanced age. After 
coming hither he became a Quaker, and was a minister of that 
faith and a sturdy adherent to its principles. He was a man of 
ready wit, deep penetration and sound judgment, and served 
the Friends both publicly and privately. 

The general interest which attaches to the subject of the treat- 
ment received by the early Quakers is our apology for turning 
somewhat aside at this point to quote from the language of 



766 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

this man a brief account of some of the experience of himself 
with Marmaduke Stevenson, William Robinson and others, in 
Boston, at the time of the persecution of the Quakers. After 
they came from Salem to Charlestown Ferry, he says: 

"There meets us the constable and a rude company of people 
with him and takes us all up (about 10 in number besides the 
two banished friends) and after much scoffing and mocking ex- 
aminations all of us were led to prison, and God doth know who 
is a just rewarder of all, how Harmless, Peaceable & innocent we 
came into the town, behaving ourselves in much fear and humil- 
ity of mind. Yet notwithstanding, being Quakers, to prison we 
must go, where we remained some days — it may be 3 or 4 or a 
week; then the Council sent searchers to search us and our 
pockets and took our papers and whatever they pleased, carry- 
ing them away among which was William Robinson's Journal 
of places where he had been. After that our pockets had been 
picked we remained in prison till the pleasure of the Court was 
to send for any or all of us, or sometimes for one alone, for 
I was sent for sifted and tried, being examined about many 
things. And seeing that they were as a company of Fowlers to 
draw the Bird into their net, I was spareing of speech; Then 
they called me 'Dumb Devel' that could not speak & some 
said I was simple and ignorant and had no great harm in me, 
but that I was beguiled & led away by others that were more 
subtle. 

" Then I said to them, if you think I am simply beguiled & 
not willfully in error how have you showed kindness to me ? or 
where has your love appeared to help me out of the ignorance 
& delusion you suppose I have fallen into? How have your 
endeavors appeared to open my understanding— to show me 
better 'i Do you think your prison, whips and base usage are 
the way to do it ? Is that the way to begin with, to restore 
anj^ one from the error of his ways? Then some one cried out 
and said: he is more knave than fool I Then I answered again 
and said, If I hold my tongue I am a Dumb Devel, a fool and 
ignorant, If I speak I am a knave. 

" After this Richard Bellingham, the deputy Governor, being 
full of Envy said to me, ' Well Gould, j^ou shall be severely whip- 
ped;' which was afterwards done, with 30 stripes upon mj^ naked 
back, being lyed to the carriage of a great gun. And this is my 
comfort to this day & I bless the Lord for it, that my sufferings 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 767 

were in great Innocence. There were five others wliipped at 
the same time there; each having ten stripes — except tlie two 
men, fifteen for no other cause than being Quakers. And after 
we were wliipped we were all led to ])rison, where our lodgings 
were with our sore backs upon the boards, where we remained 
until after the execution which was in the year 1659." 

This good man departed this life on the 26th of January, 1716, 
and was buried in the Friends' burying ground near the meet- 
ing house. He was nearly ninety years of age. On the night 
he died he was in a sweet frame of mind, and imparted much 
good advice in the course of the night to those about his bed- 
side, and he finished his life in a full assurance of life eternal, 
which he signified on his death bed. His widow. Wait Gould, 
died on the 8th of May, 1718, aged 84 years, and was buried 
by the side of her husband. The names of their children, taken 
from the Friends' record, are as follows: Mary, born May 2d, 
1653; Thomas, born February 22d, 1654; Daniel, born August 
24tli, 1656: John, born March 4th, 1659; Priscilla, born April 
30th, 1661; Jeremiah, born March 3d, 1664; James, born May 
5th, 1666; Jeremiah, 2d, born December 2d, 1668; Content, born 
March 23d, 1671, and Wait, born August 3d, 1676. 

Mary Gould, the eldest daughter as above, married Joseph 
Bryer April 22d, 1672. This ceremony was x>erformed at the 
house of William Coddington, and George Fox was one of the 
signers of the marriage certificate. Their only child, Elizabeth, 
married Joseph Birdin. 

Thomas Gould, the eldest son of Daniel, inherited the home- 
stead. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Jacob and Joanna 
Mott, of Portsmouth, January 13th, 1690, and died March 11th, 
1734. His wife died January 22d, 1749, aged 78 years. Their 
children were : Priscilla, born December 3d, 1692 ; Marcy, born 
October 13th, 1694 ; Daniel, born December 18th, 1696 ; Thomas, 
born January 10th, 1698 ; Joanna, born August 24th, 1700 ; Ja- 
cob, born September 21st, 1704 ; Elizabeth, born March 4th, 
1707 ; John, born December 15th, 1708 ; and James, born May 
5tli, 1711. 

John Gould, third son of Daniel, was settled by his uncle 
John, as has been stated, on an estate about four miles from 
Newport, on the east road. He was an active member of the 
society of Friends and had a good repute among men. He mar- 
ried Sarah, daughter of Matthew Prior, of Matinecock, L. I., 



768 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

November 26th, 1685. After his death, which occurred January 
5th, 1704, his widow married Walter Clarke. The children of 
John and Sarah 'Gould were : John; Mar}', born November 29th, 
1688 ; Wait, born March 28th, 1691 ; and Content, born Febru- 
ary 25th, 1695. 

John, son of John and Sarah Gould, married Ruth Easton. 
Their children were John and Sarah. Mary, daughter of tlie 
same, married George Lawton ; and Wait married Richard 
Coggeshall. 

Marcy, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Gould, married 
William Cranstone. She died in 1747, in the 53d year of her 
age. Daniel, eldest son of Thomas and Elizabeth, married 
Mary, eldest daughter of Captain John Browne of Swansea, 
Mass., in 1717. The greater part of the farm was bequeathed 
to him. He was a prominent man in the community, and spent 
much time in settling differences as an arbitrator. For a num- 
ber of years he was one of the Justices of the court of common 
pleas. He died in 1765, in the 60th year of his age. His chil- 
dren were: Abigail, Priscilla, Daniel, Mary, Jeremiah, Thomas, 
Anne, Waite and Bathsheba, all of whom were born in Middle- 
town except the eldest daughter. Here they lived and married, 
and a numerous progeny remains to the present day. Daniel 
Gould, a descendant, married Mary Weaver; Thomas, a later 
descendant, married Pliebe Slocum; another Thomas, still later, 
married Olive Coggeshall. Susan, a daughter of Daniel and 
Mary Gould, married John Chase of Middletown. Others have 
intermarried with different families until the Gould blood may 
be found in nearly all the old families of the town. 

The Peckhams of Middletown are descendants of John Peck- 
ham, who came from England at an early period. He was given 
thirty- two acres of land lying southerly on Hambrook mill, 
the east end of it butting on Stoney river, having the lands of 
John Lawton on the south, and of Thomas Clarke on the north. 
He was made a freeman of the town in 1641, and in 1648 became 
one of the ten male members of the First Baptist church. He 
resided in that part of Newport which afterward became Mid- 
dletown, and a stone marked "J. P.," standing on land now of 
William F. Peckham, is supposed to mark his grave. He died 
July 12th, 1696, having become an inhabitant of Newport in 
1638. His wife was Mary Clarke, and thej' had children: John, 
William, Stephen, Thomas, James, Sarah, Rebecca, Deborah, 



IIISTOJJY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 769 

Phebe and Elizabeth. John, the eldest son, was born in 1645, 
and was one of tlie forty-eiglit to wlioin a tract of live thousand 
acres was granted for the founding of East Greenwich. Wil- 
liam married first a Miss Chirlve and second Phebe Weeden. 
In 1708 he and otiiers, acting on behalf of the church, sold to 
John Yauglian, for £18, a house at Green End which had been 
their meeting house. On the l.'ith of November, 1711, he was 
ordained pastor of the First Baptist cliurch. 

Each of the children of John Peckham raised a large family, 
and many of their descendants are at present living in this 
town. Jethro Peckham, a biography of whom appears in this 
Avork, was a descendant of Joseph Peckham on his father's 
side and of William Peckham on his mother's side. Beginning 
with his maternal ancestor, we have William Peckham, whose 
son, Augustus, married Esther Pratt, and they had a son, Fe- 
lix, who married Tryphena Stockman. Of the large family 
which they raised one son, Gideon, married Cynthia Barker ; 
one daugliter, Lydia, married Benedict Barker ; another daugh- 
ter, Ruth, married Christopher Shearman Barker, and another 
son, Abner, married Rachel Barker. The last named liad a 
son, Samuel, who was married four times : first, to Sabrina 
Dewey ; second, to Lydia Rider ; third, to Amelia Dewey, and 
fourth, to Maiy Young. Of his children, Nancj' married Jolin- 
son Whitman, Hannah married Benjamin Smith, the million- 
aire, of Newport, lately deceased, and Tryphena married Jetliro 
J. Peckham and became the mother of Jethro Peckham, men- 
tioned above. 

The Chase family in the United States are nearly all descend- 
ants of three progenitors, William, Thomas and Aquilla. The 
two latter settled in New Hampshire. William Chase came 
from England in 1630, in the fleet which brouglit over Governor 
Winthrop and his colony. He was at that time about thirty- 
live years of age. Soon after liis arrival he became a member 
of the flrst church in Roxbury, Mass., of which the Rev. John 
Eliot, the apostle to the Indians, was pastor. Tiiere he applied 
for admission as a freeman October 19th, 1630, and May 14th, 
1634, took the freeman's oath. He went to Yarmouth, Mass., in 
1638, and after having in various official capacities served the 
new settlement, he died there in le.^g. His son, William, died 
there Febiuary 27tli, 1685. 

The descendants of AYilliam are numerous. James Chase, 



770 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

the fifth by name of that family, was born February l'2th, 1706, 
in Swansea, Mass. May 11th, 1727, he married Alice, clanghter 
of William and 'Mary Coggeshall. He died in this town April 
20th, 1782, having resided here since the year 1740. His daugh- 
ter Alice married, March 3d, 1757, Thomas Gould; Mary, an- 
other daughter, married Edward Sisson; and Zacheus, a son, 
married Elizabeth Gould. All these childi'en left descendants 
common to these names in this part of Rhode Island. James 
Chase, born in Portsmouth, R.. L, died in Middletowu January 
81st, 1848, aged 88 years. Of his children, Elizabeth, the wife 
of Thomas Dennis, of Newport, and Daniel Chase and Joh;i 
Chase, have left descendants in Middletown. John Chase was 
born August 8th 1786. He married, July 9th, 1810, Susannah, 
daughter of Daniel and Mary (Weaver) Gould, of this town. 
He was repeatedly elected to the general assembly from Middle- 
town, and held that office when he died. He and his wife lie 
buried on the farm now owned and occupied by Daniel Chase. 

The Eastons of Middletown are descendants of Nicholas Eas- 
ton, who was born in England in 1593, and died here August 
16th, 1675. A sketch of his life is given in Chapter III. of this 
volume. In his will he gave his farm to his two sons, Peter 
and John, and the twenty acres on which his dwelling house 
stood to his grandson, Nicholas Easton. His children were: 
Nicholas, John, Mary, Peter, Ann and John second. Nicholas 
was married to Elizabeth Barker, and died March 12th, 1677, at 
the age of twenty-three years. In his will he made bequests 
for the benefit of Quakers. 

The first mention found of the family name of Weaver is in 
the name of Clement Weaver, who made his will August 28th, 
1680, giving to his son Thomas his homestead, farm and build- 
ings, to his sons Clement and Benjamin certain other lands, to 
his son John fifty shillings, and to his daughter, Mary, five 
pounds. He held the office of a deputy in 1696, 1710, 1715, 
1721, 1722 and 1723. Thomas Weaver died in 1753. There are 
now living in the town a number of the descendants of Clement 
Weaver. 

This town has probably never had a I'esident whose associa- 
tion with it has brought the locality more conspicuously 
to the notice of the world than that of the celebrated 
Irish prelate and philosopher, George Berkeley. Some 
notice of the circumstances connected with his residence 



IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 771 

here will enable the reader better to understand the man 
and his motives in coming here. He was born in the 
county of Kilkenny, Ireland, March 12th, 1684, belonging to a 
family noted for their loyalty to Charles T. Pie received his 
early education at Kilkenny school and at Trinity College, Dub- 
lin, of which he became a fellow in 1707. About this time he 
began to write and publish discussions of philosophical and 
metaphysical subjects, which soon brought him into contact 
with many of the most profound thinkers of Europe, and in- 
volved him in earnest controversies with prominent literary 
men. After spending several years in Italy and Sicily he re- 
turned to England, where, in 1724, he was made Dean of Derry, 
which gave a living worth £1,100 per annum. The energies of 
his mind were directed toward some scheme for Christianizing 
the new world, and he finally determined upon the plan of es- 
tablishing at the Bermuda islands a college for the purpose of 
training pastors for the colonial churches, and missionaries to 
work among the Indians. Being recommended by Swift, his 
intimate friend, he at length gained the consent of Lord Carta- 
ret to aid the plan with government patronage. In anticii^ation 
of the happy results of his scheme, he wi'ote the stanzas " On 
the Prospect of Planting Arts and Learning in America," one 
of which is familiar, in part at least, to most of our readers: 

" Westward the course of empire takes its way — 
Tlie four first acts already past, 
The fifth sliall close the drama witli the day — 
Time's noblest offspring is the last." 

He later seems to have changed his plan, as far as the location 
of the proposed college was concerned, and directed his atten- 
tion toward Rhode Island instead of the Bermudas. In August, 
1728, he married the daughter of the Right Honorable John 
Forster, speaker of the Irish hou'se of commons, and in the fol- 
lowing month set sail for Rhode Island, arriving in Newport 
harbor on the 23d of January, 1729. He soon after bought a 
farm of ninety-six acres about three miles from what was then 
the village of Newport. By the growth of the city the distance 
is less at the present time. 

On the eastern slope of Honeyman's hill he built a comfort- 
able mansion, in which he made his home during his sojourn 
here. The house is still standing — an object of intense interest 
to the thousands who annually visit Newport. He named his 

49 



772 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

counliy seat Whitehall, in honor of the residence of the English 
king. Here two children were born to him, one of which, dying 
in infancy, was buried in the grounds of Trinity church in New- 
port. 

Many interesting reminiscences of the sojourn of Berkeley on 
the island exist. Not far from his house are the so-called 
"Hanging Rocks," from whose jagged crown the outlook sea- 
ward is broad and free. At their most elevated point nature 
has provided a sort of alcove, roofed with the overhanging rock 
and open toward the sea to the southward, where it commands 
a wide expanse of the ocean. Tradition says that in this alcove 
he had a table, and there he was wont to sit and meditate and 
write. It is said the "Alciphron, or the Minute Phylosopher," 
which was a defense of religion in the form of a dialogue, was 
produced here. 

But the expected support of the government for the proposed 
college did not come, and after waiting in vain about two and a 
half years, Berkeley returned to England, giving his homestead 
here and his library of 880 volumes to Yale college. A philo- 
sophical society was founded by him while here, and the library 
of that society afterward became a part of the Redwood library. 
He left Whitehall in the autumn of 1731 and returned to Eng- 
land, where he died at Oxford January 14th, 1753. 

A glimpse of a certain phase of life in this town at that early 
period is obtained from a chapter in " Frazer's Life and Works 
of Berkeley," from which the following extract is taken, though 
it is doubtless true that this picture represents but a very small 
jDortion of the society at that time : 

"The Rhode Island aristocracy of Berkelej^'s time maintained 
the character of the old English country gentlemen, from whom 
they were descended. A state of society, supported by slaver}^ 
produced festivity. Tradition records the genial life of those 
days in the colony. Excursions to Hartford to luxuriate on 
bloated salmon were annual indulgences in May. Pace races 
on the beach for silver tankards were the social indulgences of 
summer. When autumn arrived, there were harvest home fes- 
tivities. Large numbers of both sexes gathered on those occa- 
sions. Gentlemen in their scarlet coats and swords, with lace 
ruffles over their hands, silk stockings, and shoes ornamented 
with silver buckles, and ladies dressed in brocade, with high- 
heeled shoes and high head-dresses. These festivities would 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 773 

sometimes continue for days, and tliey were shai'ed by the 
slaves, as well as by their masters. Christmas was the great 
festival of the year ; twelve days were then given to hosi)i tali- 
ties. The wedding, too, was a gi'eat gala in the olden time. 
And the fox chase, with hounds and horns, as well as fishing 
and fowling, were favorite sports in Narragansett." 

The revolutionary period was not strictly confined to the 
years during which active hostilities between the colonies and 
the mother country were in operation. It more properly cov- 
ers all the time from the first disturbance of the peace of the 
colonies by warlike sounds to the final and settled establishment 
of the people under the state and federal governments. In 1754 
the peace of the colonies began to be disturbed by the alarm of 
war with the French. The young men of the colonies were 
called upon to go to the frontier. In the expedition planned 
against Crown Point, Rhode Island had four hundred men, and 
later increased the number to seven hundred and fifty. Of this 
number tlie quota of Middletown was ten or twelve men, who 
were promptly furnished. A bounty amounting to £180 was 
raised by the town to pay these men, in addition to that ofl'ered 
by the colony. To show the promptness with which men acted 
in those days, it is worthy of mention tliat, at the meeting of the 
town autliorizing the payment of this bounty, the funds to do 
it with were advanced on the spot, James Phillips advancing 
£100 of it and other men of the town furnisliing the remain- 
der. In the following year the quota required of this town 
for the prosecution of the war was seven men. A bounty of 
£100 each, or £700 in all, was voted at this time. This bounty 
was increased in January, 1757, to £1,634 altogether. Mr. 
Arnold accounts for the necessity of this increase in bounty 
by the rapid depreciation of the colonial paper at that time. 
He further says: "In April, 1758, twelve men were enlisted 
for the new campaign, in which the Rhode Island regiment 
was increased to one thousand men, and £500 bounty was paid 
to them. This was the last levy of troops in this town during 
the war, that appears upon the records." 

Following this i)eriod a time of comparative quiet preceded 
the disturbances which introduced the war of the revolution. 
During these intervening years this town shared in the party 
strife which ran high throughout the state in the bitter con- 
test between Samuel Ward and Stephen Hopkins, but in view 



774 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

of the greatei- conflict which was impending that strife sank 
into insignificance. This town, on the 6th of January, 1768, 
passed the following vote: 

" Whereas this colony hath for several years past been un- 
happily divided by party and faction, the consequences of 
which were pernicious and tend to the entire destruction of this 
once happj", flourishing colony. It is therefore voted by this 
town meeting that our Representatives take the same into con- 
sideration, and use their utmost endeavours for a conciliation of 
parties before the next general election." 

The object of this resolution appears to have been accom- 
plished, and the parties which had hitherto been engaged in 
sti'ife now came together, in a measure at least, and joined in 
opposing the oppressions of the mother country. The intro- 
duction of tea imder a monopoly held by the East India Com- 
pany on the authority of Great Britain furnished the occasion 
for this popular opposition. Newport having led tlie way, 
Middletown on the 9th of Februai'y, 1774, expressed itself in 
language of which the following is a copy of the record: 

"Mr. John Clarke, Moderator. The town came into the fol- 
lowing resolves ; — 1. Resolved, That we will have nothing to do 
with the East India Company's irksome tea, nor any other sub- 
ject to the like duty. 2. Resolved, That we will heartily unite 
with our American Brethren in sui^porting the inhabitants of 
this continent in all their just rights and privileges ; and we 
do disown any right in the Parliament of Great Britain to tax 
America. Voted and passed. Witness John Barker, town 
clerk." 

Matters passed through that year with but little more than 
ominous threatenings, but in the early part of 1775 more definite 
organization for action was effected. This town then, on the 
4th of January, elected the following committee of correspond- 
ence to represent it: John Barker, William Stoddard, Capt. 
James Potter, Isaac Smith, Capt. William Taggart, Nicholas 
Easton and Joshua Barker. This was in conformity to the re- 
quirement of the continental congress. On the 29th of August 
following a committee of inspection was chosen, which consisted 
of ten men. 

The condition of things during the years of war are set forth 
by Mr. Arnold in the following words : 

" The next year was one of alarm and of active military pre- 



HISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUKTY. 775 

paration. The town memorialized the Assembly in February in 
regard to its exposed position. In April it received two field- 
pieces from the State, and organized an artillery company, with 
John Bull as cai)tain and Elisha Allen, lieutenant. In June, 
forty bushels of salt, at six shillings, and one thousands pounds 
of wool, at two shillings, were bought for the town. In Sep- 
tember a bounty of forty-two shillings was voted to privates 
who furnished their own blankets, and forty-eight shillings to 
those who furnished all their equipments. The names of ten 
enlisted men appear on the records September 21st. These 
were recruits for Col. Richmond's regiment, then at Newport. 
On 23d November the clerk was instructed to remove the records 
in case of danger. The peril was now imminent. On December 
2d a bounty of forty-two shillings was voted to men enlisted for 
three months in Col. Sayles' regiment.. This was the last town 
meeting for thirty- seven months, for on that day a British fleet 
of eleven ships, under Sir Peter Parker, ap^ieared off Block 
Island, and on the 8th, 6,000 British troops landed at Greens- 
dale, in this town, and after a night of pillage marched into 
Newport. The enemy held the island till October 25th, 1779, 
notwithstanding two attempts to dislodge them ; an abortive 
effort in October, 1777, under Gen. Spencer, and Sullivan's ex- 
pedition, resulting in the brilliant but fruitless victory of 29th. 
August, 1778, which received the high encomium of Lafayette, 
that ' it was the best fought action of the war.' 

"This town was the scene of many gallant deeds during that 
period, to which we can barely refer. The daring capture of 
Prescott by Col. Wm. Barton, on the night of July 9th, 1777, 
occurred just north of the town line in Portsmouth. The less 
known, but scarcely less courageous conduct of Isaac Barker, of 
Middletown, is worthy of commemoration. ****** 

"On the 15th August, 1778, Sullivan's army advanced 
within two miles of the hostile lines, which extended from Ton- 
omy hill to Easton's pond. That night a detachment fortified 
Honeyman's hill, within half a mile of the first line of British 
works on Bliss's hill. For five days a continual cannonade was 
kept up along the whole line, and the enemy were driven from 
some of their outposts. The sudden departure of the French 
fleet alone prevented the capture of the whole British army at 
that time. On the 28th of October the gallant exploit of Major 
Silas Talbot in capturing the Pigot galley, then blockading the 



776 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

east ]iassage, added another to the revolutionary events of the 
town. 

" On the fourth of January, 1780, the town meetings were re- 
sumed, and the records were restored ifrom the custody of 
Thomas Gould, and on the 19th, temporary town officers were 
elected. May 24th a tax of £200 was laid, and a month later, 
three men were enlisted at a bounty of fifty silver dollars each. 
In September, five men were enlisted for three months. At this 
time fifty dollars of Continental money were equal to one silver 
dollar, or five shillings of State money. In two years the de- 
preciation of paper was so rapid that a silver dollar was worth 
twenty-two dollars of paper and taxes were laid in silver money. 
The last levy of troops was on March 9th, 1782, for 250 men to 
recruit the State battalion for nine months. The proportion of 
Middletown was three, and thirty pounds was voted to them 
in lieu of government pay." 

In accordance with an act of the general assembly, passed in 
December, 1781, a committee was appointed by the justices of 
the peace of the town to estimate the damages sustained by the 
people of the town on account of the depredations of the British 
while they held possession of the field. The following is a list 
of the persons who sustained losses here, with their respective 
amounts of loss as estimated by the committee: 

£ s. 

David Albro 50 2 

John & Elisha Allen 130 13 

John Allen, Jr 55 19 

Rowland Allen 117 11 

Samuel Allen 147 15 

Daniel Anthony 200 4 

Isaac Anthony 122 12 

John Anthony 512 1 

Mrs. Hannah Bailey 1,739 4 

Mrs. Mary Bailey 158 4 

John Banister 2,218 16 

Mrs. Bathsheba Barker 10 7 

Benjamin Barker 30 

Edward Barker 20 

Edward Barker, Jr 236 19 

Elisha Barker 48 11 

Gideon Barker 93 4 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 777 

Jeremiah Barker 33 3 

Joshua Barker 203 18 

Mrs. Mary Barker 11 1 

Peter Barker, Jr 50 8 

Mrs. Rebecca Barker 37 4 

William Bliss 1,302 19 

Gideon Brown 181 2 

Mrs. Judith Brown 12 18 

Pardon Brown 16 

William Brown ISO 4 

Joseph Card 039 10 

James Carpenter 707 

Peter Chase 69 5 

John Clarke estate 52 12 

Mrs. Bathsheba Clarke 23 5 

Gideon Coggeshall 1,689 17 

Jonathan Coggeshall 93 9 

Joshua Coggeshall & Son 338 8 

Thomas Coggeshall 498 4 

Thomas Coggeshall, Jr 52 10 

William Coggeshall 133 4 

Robert Cornell 298 4 

Mrs. Eliza Cornell 19 7 

Samuel Cornell 29 16 

William Cornell 63 

Oliver Durfee 194 15 

Edward Easton 860 12 

Jonathan Easton, Jr 240 

Nicholas Easton 733 5 

Walter Easton 1,656 10 

Caleb Foster 129 3 

Daniel and Elizabeth Gould 300 

John Gould 462 8 

Thomas Gould 210 

John Greene '. 540 

Parker TIall 176 3 

Mrs. Sarah Hefferman 46 13 

Thomas Hill 22 16 

James Honeyman 540 

Thomas Hopkins, for Smith 319 4 

George Irish 3,257 



778 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Jonatlmn Jeflfer 71 10 

John Lake 188 2 

Robert Lawton. . : 240 

William Lawton 271 7 

Mrs. Louisa Macomber 2o 17 

Isaac Manchester 709 4 

James Oliphant 27 10 

Henry John Overing 786 16 

John Peabody 78 1 

Joseph Peabody 18 12 

Benjamin Peckhara 489 3 

Daniel Peckham 851 17 

Elisha Peckham 12 10 

Mrs. Elizabeth Peckham & Son 893 1 

James Peckham 379 3 

Josej^h Peckham 58 8 

Joseph Peckham, Jr 638 18 

Peleg Peckham 306 1 

Richard Peckham 38 5 

Silas Peckham 583 10 

Stejihen Peckham 64 7 

Samuel Peckham 131 2 

William, of Samuel Peckham 74 6 

William Peckham, Jr 122 4 

Ichabod Potter , 1,512 3 

James Potter 115 9 

Mrs. Elizabeth Reed 1 16 

Joseph Rider 286 18 

Joseph Rider, Jr 250 14 

Mrs. Robert Robertson 10 2 

John Rogers 360 3 

Mrs. John Rogers and Green Rogers 192 12 

Giles Sanford 281 5 

Restcome Sanford 24 

John Slocum '. '. 244 9 

Benjamin Smith 124 

Philip Smith 268 15 

Salisbury Stoddard 193 2 

Daughter of William Stoddard 317 15 

William Taggart 3,492 1 

William Turner estate 83 12 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 779 

Mrs. Richard Ward 3 19 

Mrs. Content Weaver 2 11 

Daniel Weaver 70 15 

Thomas Weaver 380 11 

Thomas Weaver, Jr 196 7 

Thomas W^eaver of Clem loi 6 

Jonathan Weeden 893 5 

William Weeden 436 16 

William Wilbur. 142 15 

Mrs. Sarah Wilcocks 286 8 

Jonathan Wilson 976 10 

John Wood 136 13 

Mac Wharter 121 

Samuel Wj^att 32 12 

About the close of the revolution, and during several years 
following that period, the dreaded disease, small-pox, visited 
many localities of this country, and attracted much attention 
from the people in their organized civil capacity. In many 
places pox-houses were erected in some secluded spot at public 
expense, and some physician of the town was appointed to at- 
tend them. The disease was brought to Newport by a vessel 
about the year 1774. At this time the community was agitated 
by the question of adopting the Turkish preventive of inocula- 
tion with vaccine virus, and this town instructed its representa- 
tives in the legislature to oppose its introduction into the colony. 
The disease re-appeared at different times for thirteen years fol- 
lowing. Cases of it were sent to the alms house at Coaster's har- 
bor, and stringent quarantine precautions were adopted. In 1785 
it was voted, 33 to 15, " that inoculation be not practiced in this 
town." The oppo.sition was in the ascendency until 1787, when 
it yielded, and the town council of Middletown ordered that a 
family in which the disease had appeared should be Inocu- 
lated. 

On the return of peace the affairs of tlie town were adjusted 
and the wheels of civil government and society again set in 
motion, ^[any different subjects presented themselves to the 
consideration of the people. 'J'he encouragement of immigra- 
tion was thought desirable, and in April, 1784, this town me- 
morialized the assembly, through its representatives, e.x'pressing 
its desire " That absentees from this or any otlier of the United 
States of America, appearing to be men of good morals and 



780 IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

likely to become good and profitable members of society by their 
industry, or their stock, be admitted as citizens of this State." 
The present com^iosition of the society of the town would in- 
dicate that the welcome to settlers given by this town, as may 
be inferred from the foregoing, was never very largely accepted 
by foreign citizens looking for a place in which to settle. Sta- 
tistics show that more than four-fifths of the population are 
natives of the state. 

The January town meetings were abolished in 1785, and jurors 
were ordered to be drawn at the August meeting. It 1786 the 
town petitioned the assembly to issue a currency of paper, 
founded on land security. The people also urged by their 
vote the repeal of the act i^rohibiting trade with the English 
colonies. 

But the subject which at that time stimulated public excite- 
ment to the highest pitch was the adoption of the federal con- 
stitution. This struggle in the state lasted from March, 1788, 
to May, 1790, during which interval repeated votes were taken 
without success. This town sympatliized in the popular feel- 
ing, and gradually gave way to the sentiment of adopting the 
constitution. On the 21st of April, 1790, the town voted in- 
structing its delegates in the convention, who were then Joshua 
Barker and William Peckhara, Jr., to use their votes and in- 
fluence in favor of adopting the constitution, provided certain 
items of state and local rights were incorporated in it, but other- 
wise to oppose it. The popular sentiment was modified some- 
what by a further consideration of the matter, and on the 29th 
of May, the day on which the constitution was finally adopted, 
the town voted "That the instructions heretofore given to the 
Delegates resi^ecting the proj^osed Constitution be recalled. 
Voted, That the Delegates of this town be and they hereby are 
instructed to use their influence and votes in the Convention 
now sitting at Newport for the adoption of the Constitution 
which hath been already adopted by twelve States." One of 
the delegates, William Peckhani, was so much opposed to the 
sentiment of this vote that he resigned, and Elisha Barker was 
elected in his place. Thus the two votes of this town were se- 
cured for this measure, and that small number was sufficient to 
turn the scale, and the state of Rhode Island was thereby ad- 
mitted into the Union after a long and bitter struggle, with the 
history of which the world is familiar. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 781 

The salary of representatives to the general assembly in 
those days was six shillings a day, but in 1794 the town de- 
termined that this sum should be paid only when the assembly 
met at some place off the island. When representatives were 
not officially called off the island they were entitled to no pay. 
This measure was not calculated to stimulate the cupidity of 
mammon-serving politicians. Ten years later, however, their 
pay was raised to the uniform rate of one dollar a day regard- 
less of the locality where the assembly should meet. 

The line of division between this town and Portsmouth be- 
came a matter of indefiniteness, and in 1797 a committee was 
appointed to act in conjunction with another from Portsmouth 
to agree upon and establish the line. The committee from this 
town were Thomas Coggeshall, John Gould and Benjamin 
Gardner, while those of Portsmouth were Thomas Potter, 
Abraham Anthony Jr., and Thomas Cory, Jr. The line, which 
was approved by the town meeting April 18th, 1798, was as 
follows: 

" Beginning at the East shore at a jDolnt measuring 240 rods 
northward from a brook now called Stony brook near Joseph 
Taggart's house, which we judge was formerly called Sachuest 
river, where we made a monument by a heap of stones on a 
small fiat rock even with the surface of the earth, on land be- 
longing to John Holmes, and from thence proceeded on a course 
North 39° West, by the magnetic needle, to the northerly part 
of a large rock adjoining the road near Chase's mill, from thence 
continuing the same course to the blacksmith's shop on the 
east road, at the south of the chimney which now belongs to 
Mitchell, and from thence altering the course to North 45^° 
West, by the said needle, to a monument erected on the west 
side of the road opposite to the south end of the house of 
Wm. Brightman, formerly built by Oliver Cornell, deceased, 
and from thence on a course North 4()i° West, by the said 
needle, to a round rock on the west side of the island marked 
N. P. on the top thereof, which now lies below high water 
mark against land formerly belonging to John Coggeshall, now 
the propertj' of the heirs of Aaron Shelfield, deceased." 

The number of councilmen, which hitherto had been six, 
was reduced to five in May, 1799, and has so remained to the 
present time. The time for holding town elections was changed 
in 1804 to the third Wednesday in June. The need of a town 



782 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

house had long ))een felt. An attempt to raise money for this 
purpose by a lottery was made, but after a petition for the re- 
quired grant had, in 1795, been presented to the assembly the 
idea was abandoned and the petition was withdrawn. The 
house was built at the expense of the town in 1813, at a cost 
of $1,005.13, as given by the council in their report in June, 
1814. 

We come now to the time of the war of 1812, another period 
of agitation and alarm, in which the people of this town shared 
with others of its neighbors who were similarly exposed to the 
depredations which naval forces might commit. One of the 
most brilliant exploits of the war is thus narrated by the his- 
torian of Middletown : 

"The British man-of-war, Nimrod, of eighteen guns, chased 
a Swedish brig, with a cargo of molasses from the West Indies, 
into the east passage one afternoon at the end of May, 1814. 
The brig ran aground on the third beach. The crew escaped in 
their boats, and hid in the sand hills, leaving on board the cap- 
tain, Avho could not swim. Next morning men came out from 
Newport, and the fort, with one six pound gun, on to the beach. 
The Nimrod came in again and tired on the brig some three 
hundred shots. No harm was done till the next to the last 
shot, which killed John E. Smith and took off the leg of Isaac 
Barrett, who had gone out to the brig in a boat and brought off 
the captain to the shore. It was a ricochet shot. The victim's 
brother, Abner Smith, then a lad of twelve years, was standing- 
close beside him when he was killed. Abner Smith now lives 
in Michigan [1876], near Ann Arbor, and on a visit which he 
made a year ago to his old home gave this nari'ative of the 
affair to the writer. Isaac Barrett recovered from his wounds, 
and is still, or was lately, living in New Bedford, and wearing 
a wooden leg. The artillery compelled the Nimrod to put to 
sea, and relieved this part of the coast from further annoy- 
ance." 

The town, at its meeting, June 1st, "as a mark of respect 
and condolence with the family of the deceased," as well as 
" respect for the brave but unfortunate young man who fell in 
defence of the rights of his fellow citizens," voted to pay his 
funeral expenses and appointed a committee to attend to the 
business. 

October 22d, 1814, the town appointed a committee to consult 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 783 

with that of Newport on tlie subject of the defense of the island, 
and on Noveinl)er 24th another connnittee was appointed to in- 
vestigate the reasons for the call of the Hartford convention, 
which had l)een called to meet December 15th, to deliberate on 
the condition of national affairs. The latter comm.ittee reported 
at a town meeting December 3d, and the following resolutions 
were adopted and ordered to be published : 

" Taking into consideration the late proceedings of this State 
and other State Legislatures in appointing delegates to the 
Hartford Convention, the following resolutions were adopted, 
with one dissenting voice only. 

"1st. Resolved; That the Union of these States is essential 
to their safety from internal and external dangers — to the liber- 
ties of the people — to the independence of the nation — to the 
development of the faculties of the country, and to its gi-owth 
to that degree of greatness and prosperity which such develop- 
ment would naturally lead to. That the Constitution of the 
United States is the bond of this Union, the pledge and security 
for their great blessings in possession and still greater in pros- 
pect. That all our public affections are devoted and wedded 
to that Union, and to that Constitution which secures it; that 
we will defend both with our blood and treasure ; and succeed 
in the defence or perish in the attempt. 

"2d. Resolved; That we feel all projects to dissolve the 
Union of these States, whether attemi^ted by foreign foes or 
domestic traitors, or by a conspiracy of both, as death blows 
aimed at the life of our country in its vital part, and at all our 
dearest interests as bound up in that country. And we invoke 
the patriotism of all our fellow citizens of both parties and of 
every State, and the vigilance of our constituted authorities, to 
watch the dawnings of all such attempts, to arouse at the alarm 
of danger, and with their united energies to crush the detest- 
able foe. 

" 3d. Resolved; That we view with much jealousy and dis- 
trust the proposed Convention to be held at Hartford on the 15th 
December inst. That the objects avowed are inconsistent with 
our duties as good citizens of a common country; and there is 
reason to believe that the real object has not been avowed, and 
that this is to dissolve the Union of these States. We see an 
army forming in a neighboring State to be independent of the 
United Stjites. We see in their public jirints this nefarious ob- 



784 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

ject advocated by the patrons of this Convention, and we see 
no disavowal through the same channel. 

" 4th. Resolved; That we disapprove and deprecate the Act 
of the General Assembly of this State in appointing delegates 
to said Convention; that it was an unauthorized act and not 
within their commission as representatives of the people in our 
State Legislature; that the sense and instructions of their con- 
stituents ought to have been taken upon so novel, important, 
and questionable a measure; tliat it was highly inexpedient at 
this time, as holding the countrj' up to the public enemy as 
torn, or likely to be torn to pieces by internal dissensions and 
thereby giving him fresh incentives to persevere in the war and 
compel a submission to a dishonorable peace; that of all the 
States, Rhode Island should have been among the last to show 
any disposition to leave the Wing of the Union, or to give any 
countenance to any project of separation. She has no security 
whatever ; no, not for a moment in lier own independent 
strength. The Union is the Ark of her safety. 

" 5th. Resolved ; that we will unite with all our fellow citizens 
of this State and all other States in watching the movements of 
said Convention ; tliat we will co-operate with our said fellow 
citizens, and rally round our government in all measures to ar- 
rest and punish any attempts against the Union should they 
dare to make any." 

The bugbear which stimulated the promulgation of these reso- 
lutions was born of that excess of part}' spirit which at that 
time waxed hot and high between the federalists and the republi- 
cans. The latter sustained the administration of President 
Madison, while the former opposed it and charged it with hav- 
ing brought on the war and being responsible for its conse- 
quences. It may be needless to say that the foregoing resolu- 
tions voiced the sentiments of the republicans. The Hartford 
convention, however, met and adjourned without disclosing any 
such treasonable intentions as the republicans feared, but re- 
commended certain amendments to the constitution, which, 
however, were opposed by the townsmen of this town, who, on 
April 19tli, 1815, voted, "That the Representatives of Middle- 
town be instructed to act and use all their influence in the Gen- 
eral Assembly against receiving, allowing, or adopting the 
proposed amendments of the Constitution of the United States, 
projected by the Hartford convention, so called. Also, Voted 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 785 

to instruct the Representatives to oppose pa 3' being- allowed, if 
asked for by the delegates to the Hartford convention." The 
four delegates vv^ho represented Rhode Island in that convention 
were Daniel Lyman, Benjamin Hazard, Samuel "Ward and Ed- 
ward Manton. 

In June, 1819, the town election time was changed to April. 
The line between this town and Newport was in 1823 run anew 
and defined bj' the committee as beginning "at the northwest 
end of the line, about ten rods above high-water mark, — said 
end is in Wm. Roach's land, adjoining James Chace's farm, 
from thence we proceeded to run the line south 19^^° east until 
it strikes the corner of Asher Robbins house on the west side 
of the road, from thence 27° east of south until it strikes the 
creek on Easton's beach where the bridge formerly stood, and 
so on that course into the sea." 

To the first convention to form a state constitution, in 1824, 
this town sent Joseph Rogers and William Bailey as delegates. 
The constitution framed by that convention was rejected by 
Middletown by a vote of ninety-six to one, that one affirmative 
vote being cast by Mr. George Irisli. In 1S26 the town sold the 
right to gather seaweed on the strand al auction, and agreed to 
defend the purchasers. In 1836 the line between common land 
and the land of N. Easton's heirs was determined, and the lat- 
ter were allowed to take sand from the beach. In 1828 the town 
gave seventy-eight votes for Adams against five for Jackson. 
In 1829 the town instructed its representatives to oppose the 
movement for the extension of suffrage. In 1839 the town in- 
structed its representatives to press the adoption of an act lim- 
iting the time of general assembly sessions to three weeks. To 
the constitutional convention of 1841 the town sent Benjamin 
Weavei' and Pard<^n Brown as delegates. The "People's Con- 
stitution," framed by that convention, was adopted by this town 
by a vote of 152 to 6. Notwithstanding this vote, when the 
"Suffrage Party," with Thomas W. Dorr at its head, in 1842 
attempted to take possession of the state government by its 
authority prematurely, Middletown took a bold stand in favor 
of sustaining the former order of things until the proper time 
for the new constitution to go into effect, and raised the second 
cavalry corps in the state for this purpose. This was com- 
manded by Colonel Nathaniel Greene, a grandson of the revo- 
lutionary general. To the constitutional convention which fol- 



786 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

lowed, the delegates of Middletownwere Pardon Brown and Ab 
ner Peckham, and this town then gave its unanimous vote of 
one hundred in 'favor of the constitution. The vote also showed 
on the question of negro snflfrage a majority of twenty nine in 
its favor. To the constitutional convention of 1853 the dele- 
gates of this town were Nathaniel Greene and Augustus Peck- 
ham. On the constitutional amendments of 1854 the town 
voted 42 against and 9 in favor. On the amendments of 1856 
the town gave about one hundred majority against. The amend- 
ment of 1863 was rejected in this town by a vote of 35 against 
13; those of 1871 were likewise rejected by decided majoritie>, 
except that against maintaining sectarian scliools, which was ai)- 
ju-oved by a light vote. Again, in 1876, the town repeated its 
conservative sentiment by rejecting proposed amendments to 
the constitution. The presidential vote in the town in 1876 was 
148 rejiublicau and 22 democratic; that of 1884 was 131 repub- 
lican, 31 democratic, and 9 prohibition; and the vote for gover- 
nor in 1886 showed 123 reijublican, 16 democratic, and 20 pro- 
hibition. 

The i^osition of the town during the late civil war is given 
by Honorable Samuel G. Arnold in his "Historical Sketch" in 
the following language: 

"The great Southern rebellion aroused the spirit of the 
people in defence of the national government, as nineteen years 
before they had rallied to preserve their domestic institutions. 
Recruiting for the Union army was active, and military organi- 
zations were formed. A company of infantry was organized, 
commanded by Captain Benjamin Howland. In October, 1861, 
a bounty of twenty dollars was given to each recruit for the 
national forces, and, if married and having a family, ten dollars 
were given to the wife and three dollars for each child under 
fourteen years of age. In July, 1862, §195 bounty was voted to 
each one of the town's quota of eighteen men, and this sum was 
doubled two weeks later. The full quota was received and paid 
on 15th August. On the President's second call for 300,000 
men, a bounty of $350 was voted." 

Roads and Bridges. — The present bridge over the creek at 
Easton's beach was built in 1855, at a cost of $550, the expense 
being borne by Middletown and Newport conjointly. The high- 
ways of the town are ample, and are kept in order under the 
highway regulations of the state. For the greater part of tlie 



HISTORY OF nj:wport county. 787 

year, the roads liaving good material of wliich to be made, are 
in excellent order for driving upon. In regard to this subject 
as well as to the matter of public improvements generally, Mr. 
Arnold says: 

"In a town wholly occupied in agricultural pursuits there 
are few public works or private enterprises to require notice. 
In 1850 leave was granted to a telegraph company to erect poles 
along the east or main road, and in 1862 the Old Colony Rail- 
road Company built a line of railroad down the west side of the 
island from Fall River to Newport, skirting the western shore of 
the town. In August, 1864, a tract of eight acres was bought 
for $2,500 to be laid out as a cemetery, and $1,500 were appro- 
priated for this purpose during the year. In April, 1869, $500, 
from the sale of lots, were voted for further improvement of 
the grounds."' 

"The town has never sought to avail itself of the great 
natural advantages which it possesses. With a soil and climate 
which two centuries ago gave to this island the name of ' the 
Eden of America;' with a surface so diversified by hill and 
valley that every few rods presents a new and delightful pros- 
pect of land or water, and opens to the view fresh surprises 
of hill and dale, rugged rocks or sandy beach; with the broad 
Atlantic on the south, the beautiful island on the north, and 
the fine expanse of Narragansett bay washing either shore, 
while the fair old city of Newport, now the loveliest watering 
place in the world, rises close at hand, it needs but a little of 
the enterprise of commercial communities to make Middletown 
an ideal home for till that is refined and elegant in our civili- 
zation. New roads are projected to give access to spots whose 
beaiity has been too long concealed. A broad avenue extend- 
ing north from Tonomy hill, near the western shore, and an- 
other along the beaches, sweeping close under the Hanging 
rock, to connect with Indian Cliff avenue on the eastern side, 
are already planned, and when comjileted will throw open to 
the public the most superb villa sites to be found in America. 
The fifty years which Bishop Berkeley assigned as the period 
when this vicinity would 'blossom as the rose' in the sun- 
light of prosperity, have long gone by; but it seems less rash 
at the present time to fix that limit as one within which Middle- 
town will become a permanent resort for those who value the 
50 



788 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

beauties of nature, and the enjoj^ment of rest, above the excite- 
ment of city life." 

It seems fitting in this connection to insert the following, 
which appeared in the Newport Daily News May 11th, 1887: 

"There was, upon Saturday last, conveyed by Samuel W. 
Rodman and Benjamin Crowninshield, trustees, to Messrs. John 
C. Bancroft, Benjamin Kimball and Charles D. Wainright, 
trustees, for a syndicate of Boston investors, a large tract ot 
land in Newport and Middletown, R. I. The estate consists of 
something over two hundred acres, lying upon the slope of 
Easton Point at the end of the famous Newport bathing beach, 
a portion of which is included in the pui'chase. These lands 
have already been extensively improved and additional work 
is in progress, and the estate is in the direct line of the further 
growth of Newport. The syndicate has been organized as the 
Newport Land Trust, with an actual capital of 80,000 shares at 
a par value of §10 each, and will, as it is understood, be soon 
listed upon the Boston Stock Exchange." 

Schools. — As early as the year 1701 we find the people of 
Middletown making provision for the education of their chil- 
dren. At a meeting held on February lltli, of that year, they 
set apart school lands in the common known as "Lintal's Plaine" 
six acres for the benefit of the proprietors iu this part of the 
town, and six acres more "for the like use in ye common be- 
yond Daniel Gould's land for ye benefit of ye proj^rietors in 
that part of the town." If either parcel should not be appro- 
priated to the use for which it was thus set ajiart, it was to be 
used for "ye maintainance of the poore till put to that use." 
The lot on Lintall Plains was surveyed July 20th, 1702. The 
income of it is applied to the benefit of all the schools of this 
town. In 1715 the proprietors' committee ordered that persons 
owning land adjoining the school lands sliould maintain the line 
fences between. 

In an early school historj^ of Newport, it is written that at the 
quarter meeting, held April 24th, 1723, it was ordered that 
twenty i)Ounds apiece be paid out of the town treasury for the 
building of the school houses in "the woods," in accordance 
with the petitions of the freemen. At a quarter meeting April 
26th, 1732, it was ordered "that the town school-masters in the 
woods part of the town have ten pounds apiece out of the treas- 
ury for their good services to that part of the town for the time 
past." 



HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 789 

Such was the provision made for the cause of education be- 
fore the incorporation of tiie town of Middletown, but nothing 
definite is given in the records as to tlie location of tliese scliool 
houses. After the year 1743, however, the scho(;l houses are 
referred to as the "easterniosf and the "westerniost." The 
locations of these were probably the same, or nearly the same, 
as the former sites. The "eastermost" was probably on the site 
of the present Wyatt school house, and the "westerniost"' was 
about where the Oliphant house now stands. The hrst town 
meeting of the freemen of Middletown was held at the "Easter- 
most school house," and here the public meetings were held for 
the most part until the building of a town house in 1813-14. 

" The school houses, if they had not long been built, demanded 
repairs soon after the organization of the town, and the subject was 
brought up at a town meeting held March 7, 1743." At a meet- 
ing held May 9th, 1744, James Barker and John Clarke were 
appointed a committee to repair the " Eastermost" house. At 
a town meeting held August 27th, 1745, Peter Barker, John 
Green and John Clarke were appointed a committee to hire a 
good schoolmaster to keep school by the year or by the month, 
as the committee thought best. The school was to be kej)t one 
half the time in each school house, and five whole days in each 
week. This committee was directed to pay the income of the 
school lands to the schoolmaster. It was also provided that 
said committee should agree with the schoolmaster, and set a 
price what the weekly schooling should be of the several sorts, 
of which weekly schooling the schoolmaster was to keep an 
account, and if the amount received from the school land and 
the weekly schooling should not equal the amount of the school- 
master's wages, then the balance was to be paid from tiie town 
treasury. 

In 1746 the east school house was repaired, at a cost of £125, 
13s., lid. In town meeting. May 13th, 1747, it was voted to 
abolish the school committee as it was established by the town 
August 27th, 1745. The schools were then put into tlie hands 
of the town council, but in August following the management 
was taken from their hands, and the town in public meeting 
hired a teacher for its schools. The next j'ear the busine.ss was 
again intrusted to the hands of a committee, and tiiis arrange- 
ment continued until August, 1754, when it was decided that 
the town should " be divided into two squadrons, one house in 



790 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

each squadron, and that each squadron shall have the sole 
power of managing their own school house and lands by leasing 
out the same, and employing school masters as it shall be most 
agreeable to them, and the dividing line between the squadrons 
shall be along the highway from the south end of Moon's lane 
and so northward along the east highway to Portsmouth, by 
James Mitchell's shop." 

The arrangement thus established continued in operation un- 
til the school system of the state was re-organized, in 1845. 
Town meetings were held alternately in the east and west school 
houses. They were at first called by personal notices served on 
each freeman by the town sergeant until the year 1752, when the 
plan of posting notices in public places was adopted, and this 
has since been followed. Notices thus advertised were required 
to state the objects of the meeting, and to be given lifteen days 
in advance. 

In 1789 the act of 175-1 for the management of schools was re- 
pealed, and it was also further voted that "all persons who send 
children to school to the west house shall have the full power of 
chuseing a Schoole master to keepe schoole in said house, and 
all other persons who has no children to send shall be excluded 
from any vote in chusing said school master." 

Upon application of Alanson Peckham and others, liberty was 
granted them, by the town meeting, August 31st, 1819, to erect 
a school house on the common adjoining the 7th District. 

Under the act of January, 1828, the first school committee was 
elected at town meeting, April 16th, 1828. This committee was 
composed of nine members, as follows: Grideon Peckham, 
George Gould, Joshua Coggeshall, George I. Bailey, Samuel S. 
Peckham, William Peckham, Peleg Peckham, Jr , Jethro F. 
Mitchell and Peter Barker. 

Another school house was built on the Oliphant site in 1823. 
The money required to do this was raised by leasing school 
land to Stephen T. Northam for twenty-four years for the sura 
of S225. The building which now occupies that site was erected 
in 1882, at a cost of about $2,200. 

The first tax for the support of public schools was voted April 
21st, 1830, and amounted to $119. In 1847 the school tax was 
$125. The income derived from school lands for a number of 
years prior to 1883 was $695, the proceeds of which were applied 
to the erection of the Oliphant school building. The taxable 
property of that district is assessed at $450,000. 



TIISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 791 

"In 184.") bounds weie set up on the line between Newport 
and ]\Iiddletown, and in 1860 on the Portsmouth line. In 1846, 
school district number hve was set off, and the next j-ear the 
schools and school houses were placed under tlie supervision of 
the school committee, who, if they were opposed by the dis- 
trict committees, were to appeal to the State Superintendent 
under the new law of 1845, reorganizing the schools. The last 
serious disagreement in regard to the schools took place in 1853, 
when on 20th June the school committee petitioned the Council 
against the management of the two six-acre school lots, alleg- 
ing an unfair distribution of the proceeds of these lands, in that 
the north lot was applied solely to district number one, leaving 
the south lot alone to the other four districts. In reply, the 
Council, on the 15th of August, decreed that the rents derived 
from these lands ' shall be appropriated to the schooling and 
educating of all the children of all the citizens and inhabitants 
of the town.* An appeal from this decision was taken in behalf 
of district number one. The decree of the Council was over- 
ruled and the appeal sustained by the Supreme Court." 

During the year 1885 the schools of this town received from 
different sources as follows: State appropriations, §757.68; 
town appropriations, $1,800 ; registry tax, §32 ; all other sources, 
$56.03 ; total, §2.827.51. The expenditures for the same year 
were as follows: buildings, furniture, &c., §57.53; teachers' 
wages, §2,227.25 ; fuel, §136.65 ; miscellaneous, §85.05 ; contin- 
gent, including printing, &c., §40; total, §2,533.48. 

Churches. — The first church in the town of Middletown was 
Sabbatarian, or Seventh Day Baptist. The building occupied 
by them was near Easton's pond, at Green End. The early set- 
tlers held services there a long time, but after the dissolution 
of this society a hundred years passed before the erection of 
another meeting house. The people in the interim met in school 
houses and in private dwelling's. In the year 1829 the " Swamp " 
meeting house was built. It cost about seven hundred dollars. 
During the year 1828 Elisha Peckham, Stephen Barker and 
John Ward, with fourteen others, withdrew from the First Bap- 
tist- church at Newport, and were organized into a church on 
October 14th of that year. New members were at the same time 
received, and the membership of the new church was thus at 
once swelled to thirty-two. 

Rev. Henry Sullings was the first pastor of this church. He 



792 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

came liither from Xew Bedford, Mass. He was followed bj- 
Revs. James Taylor, Elijah W. Barrows and Isaiah W. Graff- 
am. Rev. .James Taylor began his second pastorate in 1844, 
and continued six j^ears. He was succeeded by Revs. William 
E. Hathaway, Frederick P. Snow and Ricliard Eldridge. The 
latter closed his pastorate in 185.3. 

The first Methodist class in the town was organized in 1856, 
under the sujiervision of Dr. Frederick Uphara. Prior to this 
time the Methodists had held occasional or more or less regular 
services in the swamp meeting house since the year 1829. Upon 
the organization of the first class the Rev. John F. Fogg com- 
menced preaching at this place. The annual conference held 
April 14th, 1857, sent the Rev. Charles Merrill, and during that 
year the First Methodist Episcopal church of Middletown was 
organized under his ministerial labors June 21st, 1857. This 
church at its organization was composed of four meml^ers in 
full connection and twenty-five probationers. Rev. William "V. 
Morrison was the second pastor, and during his ministry the 
board of trustees was incorporated by the state legislature, and 
in accoi'd with the discipline of the Methodist Episcopal church. 
Some iniin'ovements were made in the church building at the 
same time. Further improvements were made during the pas- 
torate of Rev. William Lindsay, at which time a pipe organ 
costing S450 was put in, and a debt of §400 paid off. This oc- 
curred during the centennial year of American Methodism, at 
which time a new communion service was presented to the 
church. 

In the year 1871 a lot was leased from the " Charity Farm,"' 
and on it was erected a parsonage at a cost §2,500, two-thirds of 
which was raised by subscription at the time. In 1877 a " Re- 
form Club" was organized, having for its officers, W. J An- 
thony, president; F. Lawton, vice-president; C. H. Ward, 
second vice-president; W. H. Thomas, treasurer; Rev. Edward 
Hyde, chaplain; and Giles Peabody, marshal. It enjoyed a 
season of prosperity, secured a course of lectures in this church, 
and in due time subsided. 

Rev. J. W. Willett has been pastor of the church since tlie 
year 1885. The church, in 1887, had a membership of one hun- 
dred and fifteen, and is in a very prosperous condition. 

The first Protestant Episcopal churcii of Middletown was not 
a parochial organization, but a society of worshippers who have 



HISTOKY OF NKWPOIiT COTINTT. 793 

depended entirely upon St. Mary's chnrch of Povtsmoiith for 
supx)ort. xVn interest liere was first awakened in the year 1842, 
through the zeahius and healthful influence of Mr. John A. Gil- 
liatt and Mrs. Gibbs, who did much toward the formation of 
the society and the erection of the church building, which was 
completed in 184G. The late venerable Hobart Williams, rec- 
tor of St. Mary's, was the pastor of the new society from the 
year 1842 until his death, which occurred in October, 1884. 
Probably no better history of the struggles of the Church of the 
Holy Cross can be given than in the following words of one of 
the vestrymen, Albert L. Chase, who was ajipointed to convey 
the message of the church to their pastor on the occasion of 
celebrating the fortieth anniversary of his pastorate over this 
church, December 14th, 1883. In his address Mr. Chase said: 

" Reverend father in God : I am directed by my associates, 
the Wardens and Vestrymen of your Parish, to explain to you 
the purijoses of our visit this evening. This day makes the for- 
tieth anniversary of the beginning of your work in this place as 
a missionary of Christ and a pioneer of the Church. For forty 
consecutive years you have ministered unto us and our people 
with unremitting constancy and steadfastness of i^urpose. This 
fact standing alone, as an extraordinary period of continuous, 
unremitting labor, would be deserving of recognition at our 
hands, affording as it does an example worthy of emulation in 
an age so conspicuous for change and instability in every rela- 
tion of life. But there is even a greater reason why we should 
observe this anniversary. The annals of the Church furnish a 
few instances of a longer ministry in one locality than yours, 
but so far as we are advised they furnish extremely few cases 
like your own, where one, subordinating all personal considera- 
tions, and abnegating every selfish claim, even to his rightful 
dues as a minister at the Lord's altar, devotes his best days to 
the cultivation of a field alike unworthy of his theological learn- 
ing, and unpromising in its retui-ns. 

'' Sir, your pastorate is distinguished more by its self-sacrifice 
than by its great length. It stands out pre-eminently a rare 
illustration of real faith and genuine Christian devotion. That 
you have your reward in the consciousness of duty well done 
and in the approval of that Divine Master whom you have 
served with a single eye we doubt not, and you need no word 
of commendation from us. But Sir, out of a sense of duty to 



794 HISTOIJY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

ourselves, to the world and church at large, we have deemed it 
proi^er and fitting to note this event, and we have come hither 
this evening to convej' to you a testimonial of gratitude and 
friendshij) from your parishioners in the form of a metallic purse 
containing thirty-one golden eagles, accompanied by a congrat- 
ulatory address. Tliis testimonial itself we are aware is very 
inconsiderable and far from commensurate with the importance 
and significance of this occasion, but we ask you to accept it 
with our sincerest regards and congratulations upon this your 
memorable anniversary day." 

Women's Christian Temperance Union. — The following 
account of this institution and its work has been kindly fur- 
nished by one of its leading members, Mrs. Alfred ^Y. Chase: 

The W. C. T. U. of Middletown was organized July 12th, 
1882. The following officers were elected: President, Mrs. James 
Mather; vice-presidents, ]\frs. D. C. Smith, Mrs. Mary B. Cong- 
den, Mrs. Charles Peckham, Mrs. Alfred W. Chase; corres- 
ponding secretary, Miss Ellen Smith; recording secretary, Miss 
Sadie Peckham; treasurer, Miss Annie P. Smith. Thirteen 
names were secured as regular members, and three as honorary 
members. During the years 1882-3 the four departments of 
evangelistic work, Sunday school work, relations with the press 
and scientific temperance instruction were adopted, with a super- 
intendent at the head of each. 

In the fall of 1883 the Women's Christian Temperance Union 
hired a few feet of ground of the Aquidneck Agricultural 
Society, and at the annual fair opened in a small way a booth 
for refreshments. This proved sufficiently successful to en- 
courage a reopening each j'ear on a somewhat larger scale until 
1886, when the booth occupied a space si.xty by thirtj^ feet. 
Thus a long felt need was supplied, a wholesome infiuence ex- 
erted and the treasurj^ reimbursed. In the spring of 1884 the 
office of president was left vacant by the removal of Mrs. Mather 
from the town, and it was then filled by the election of Mrs. 
Alfred W. Chase, who has been re-elected each year since. The 
other officers remain the same with the exception of the vice- 
presidents, of which there are now but two, viz.: Mrs. Susie 
Coggeshall and Mrs. Henry Wilson. The department of tem- 
l^erance literature and juvenile work has been added. Middle- 
town being signally a temperance town, the work of the organiza- 
tion has been mainly educational, and it has sought by lectures 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 795 

furnishing the best talent of the country, by distribution of tem- 
perance literature and by concerts and addresses to enlighten 
the people regarding the facts relating to all phases of this 
great reform. 

In October, 1883, a "Band of Hope," an auxiliary to the 
Women's Christian Temperance Union, was organized by Mrs. 
H. D. Walker of Providence. Miss Anna A. Brown was elected 
superintendent, and Miss Sadie Peckham assistant superin- 
tendent. Through the untiring efforts of these officers our 
children are growing and strengthening in temperance princi- 
ples each year. 

In 1886 the Women's Christian Temperance Union worked 
earnestly in behalf of the constitutional prohibitory amend- 
ment, never ceasing in its efforts until the polls closed on the 
night of the 7th of April. It also did what it could to secure 
the women's suffrage amendment in 1887. 

Thk Miantonojii Library is particularly noted for the 
excellent character of the books found on its shelves. The 
question of having a good free circulating librarj^ in the town 
was first agitated by such men as Henry Barnard, Richard K. 
Randolph, the Reverend Doctor Wayland, Reverend Charles T. 
Brooks and Reverend J. O. Choules, all men of distinguished 
abilities and high literary attainments. In the month of Jan- 
uary, 1848, the movement was started, and many books were 
donated by the above mentioned gentlemen as the nucleus of 
a library. In the year 1851 the library was made a stock con- 
cern, and among the stockliolders we find twelve of them by the 
name of Anthony, eight by the name of Brown, nineteen by 
the name of Coggeshall, nine by the name of Chase and five 
each by the names of Green and Gould. In the year 1856 the 
library was incorporated under the name of the Miantonomi 
Circulating Library. In 1875, the Middletown Free Library 
Association received a conveyance from the first named asso- 
ciation of all its property. George A. and Joshua C. Brown, 
when young men, collected by subscription a fund which be- 
came the nucleus of what was afterward the Middletown 
library. The number of volumes has been increased from time 
to time by donations and purchases which have been made by 
appropriations from the state. The library now contains nearly 
1,000 volumes. Daniel M. Ciiase is the librarian. 
The Aquidneck Agricultural Society.— The Oliphant 



796 IIISTOHY OF NEWPORT COUNTy, 

school house had been the place of meeting for the various so- 
cieties long before the erection of the little church near by. 
Here the farmers were wont to assemble on Saturdaj^ afternoons 
and evenings for many years, to exchange their views on vari- 
ous subjects in their lyceum clubs. In these gatherings their 
ojiinions were formulated touching the proper method of culti- 
vating the soil, and out of this custom grew the Aquidneck Ag- 
ricultural Society. Some years before the late war this society 
was organized, the names of David Buff um, Joshua Coggeshall, 
Nathaniel Greene, Thomas Coggeshall, Samuel Gould, John 
Gould, George A. Brown, George C. Coggeshall, George B. 
Weaver, Philip G. T. Shearman, Benjamin Greene, Thomas G. 
Rogers and Albert G. Barker appearing with many others 
among the oi'iginal members. The society x)urcliased ten and a 
half acres of land on the Wyatt road, and fitted it up for a fair 
ground. This site has since been exchanged for another, and 
the land is now owned by J. A. Armstrong. The first organi- 
zation was in 1852, and Doctor Nathaniel Greene was its first 
president. During the early years of its existence the business 
was run on strictly agricultui-al principles, and fairs were held 
until 1871. In 1873 the society was revived, and in 1880 the 
present ground was purchased. It contains thirty-three acres, 
and is valued at $8,000. Since the occupation of this site the 
society and its work has become largely a Newport enterprise. 

The Town Hall. — The first meetings of the freemen of Mid- 
dletown were held in the school houses. Soon after the revolu- 
tion tile erection of a town hall was discussed. A lot was pur- 
chased June 1st, 1798, of George Irish, for forty-four dollars. 
The town, not being ready to build then, leased the lot to Lydia 
Clarke for seventeen years, but in 181 1 repurchased the unex- 
pired part of the lease for §150. A committee comi^osed of Wil- 
liam Bailey and Giles Mancliester was appointed to build a town 
house. The building was erected in 1813 and 1814. On June 
1st, 1814, the committee brought in bills for the work amount- 
ing to $1,005.13. The new town hall was erected in 1885. 

Civil List. — Deputies or repregentativ-es were at first chosen 
twice a year. The elections occurred in April and August. The 
following held this office during the legislative sessions included 
in the dates given: Daniel Gould, October, 1743, to May, 1744, and 
October, 1747; John Taylor, October, 1743, to May, 1748; Rob- 
ert Nichols, October, 1744, to xVIay, 1745, and May to. October, 



niSTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 797 

1746; Thomas Coggeshall, October, 1745; John Rogers, May, 
1748, and May, 1751; Robert Barker, October, 1748; Jonathan 
Easton, October, 1748, to May, 1750, and October, 1760, to May, 
1762; William Turner, October, 1749, to May, 1750, October, 
1751, to May, 1752, and October, 1755, to May, 1756; Edward 
Easton, October, 1750; Peter Barker, October, 1750, to May, 
1751; Joshua Coggeshall, October, 1751, to May, 1752; John 
Barker, October, 1752, to May, 1754, May, 1758, and October, 

^ 1767, to May, 1769; Handley Cliipman, October, 1752, to May, 
1753; Thomas Gould, October, 1753, to October, 1756; Joshua 
Coggeshall, Jr., October, 1754, to May, 1755, and May and Oc- 
tober, 1757; William Bailey, October, 1756, to May, 1758, and 

. October. 1762, to May, 1763; Samuel Bailey, Jr., October, 1758, 
to May, 1760; James Barker, Jr., October, 1758, to May, 1759, 
and October, 1760, to October, 1763; John Clarke, October, 1759, 
to May, 1760; John Holmes, October, 1763, to May, 1764, May, 
1765, May, 1766, to May, 1767, and October, 1791, to October, 
1793; Gideon Coggeshall, May, 1764; Joseph Ryder, October, 
1764; Samuel Bailey, October, 1764; Joshua Barker, May, 1765, 
to May, 1767, October, 1771, to May, 1772, May, 1776, and Oc- 
tober, 1788, to May, 1790; John Bailey, October, 1765; Thomas 
Coggeshall, Jr., May, 1768, to May, 1769, May to October, 1770, 
October, 1784, to May, 1785, and May, 1780, to May, 1787; Ed- 
ward Barker, Jr., October, 1769; Thomas Peckham, October, 
1769, to May, 1770; William Taggart, October, 1771; Isaac Smith, 
May, 1772, to May, 1775; Nicholas Easton, October, 1772, to 
•May, 1774, October, 1775, to October, 1776, May, 1780, to May, 
1781, May to October, 1783, October, 1784, to October, 1785, 
May, 1791, May, 1794, and October, 1798; James Potter, 
October, 1774, to October, 1775, October, 1785, October, 
1788, to October, 1789, October, 1790, October, 1791, to 
October, 1792, and October, 1797; George Irish, October, 1776, 
May, 1780, to October, 1781, and October, 1823; Oliver Durfee, 
October, 1781, to October, 1782; John Manchester, May, 1782, to 
October, 1783; Benjamin Gardiner, May, 1784, May, 1793, and 
May, 1797, to May, 1798; William Taggart, Jr., May, 1784, 
May, 1798, and May, 1838, to October, 1841; John Gould, May 
to October, 1786; Joseph Coggesliall, May, 1787, to May, 1788; 
Elisha Allen, October, 1787; William Peckham, Jr., May, 1788, 
October, 1790, May, 1794, to October, 1794, and May, 1797; Par- 
don Brown, May, 1790, and October, 1831, to May, 1832; Wil- 



798 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

liam Peckham, May, 1791: Easton Bailey, October, 1793, and 
October, 1798, to October, 1799; Isaac Barker, October, 1794, to 
October, 1796, October, 1805, to May, 1806, October, 1809, Oc- 
tober, 1814, and October, 1815; Joshua Peckham, May, 1795, to 
October, 1796; Samnel Manchester, May, 1799, to May, 1805, 
and October, 1806, to May, 1809; Joseph Rogers, May to Octo- 
ber, 1801, May, 1819, and May, 1827; Benjamin Easton, May, 
1802, to May, 1805; Peleg Sanford, October, 1805, October, 1815, 
to May, 1816, and October, 1818; Alanson Peckham, May, 1806, 
to May, 1815, October, 1816, to May, 1818, May, 1819, and Oc- 
tober, 1823; Thomas Manchester, May, 1810, to May, 1812, May, 
1815, and May, 1816; Joshua Coggeshall, October, 1812, to May, 
1814, and October, 1832; Nathaniel Haza7-d, October, 1816, to 
October, 1818; Giles Manchester, October, 1819, to May, 1823, 
and May, 1824, to October, 1826; Peter Barker, October, 1819, 
to May, 1822, and 1846 to 1847; Peleg Peckham, Jr., October, 
1822, to May, 1823; Noel Coggeshall, May, 1824, to May, 1827; 
William Bailey, October, 1827. to October, 1829; John Chase, 
October, 1827, and May, 1830, to May, 1831; Nathaniel Wyatt, 
May to October, 1828; Augustus Peckham, May, 1829, to May, 
1830; William Smith 1st., October, 1830, to May, 1831; John R. 
Peckham, October, 1831, to October, 1837; Thomas G. Rogers, 
May, 1833, to May, 1837; Benjamin Weaver, October, 1837, to 
October, 1842; Joseph I. Bailey, May to October, 1842; Augus- 
tus Peckham, Jr., 1843 to 1844; Abner Peckham, 1845; William 
Peckham, 1846 to 1847; Samuel Gould, 1848 to 1849; Augustus 
Peckham, 1850, 1857 and 1871; George I. Bailey, 1851; George 
H. Peckham, 1852; Abner Ward, 1853; William B. Howhand, 
1854; John Gould, 1858 to 1859; James Chase, 1860 to 1863; 
William B. Chase, 1861; Abraliam Peckham, 1864; Thomas 
Coggeshall, Jr., 1865 to 1870; Andrew J.Cory, 1872 to 1873; 
Eugene Sturtevant, 1874; Nathaniel Peckham, 1875 to 1880; 
James Anthony, 1881 to 1883; Joel Peckluxm, 1885 to 1887. 

Middletown has been represented in the state senate by the 
following: Joseph I. Bailey, 1843 to 1844; Benjamin Weaver, 
1845 to 1846; Pardon Brown, 1847; Nathaniel Greene, 1848 to 
1851; John Gould, 1852 to 1855, 1857, and 1870 to 1874; Augus- 
tus Peckham, 1856 and 1858 to 1859; Peleg T. Sherman, 1860 to 
1862; William P. Peckham, 1863; William B. Howland, 1864; 
Jethro Peckham, 1865 to 1869; Robert S. Chase, 1875 to 1879; 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 799 

James Chase, 1880 to 1882; Thomas Cox, 1883 to 1884; Melville 
Bull, 1885 to 1887. 

The following have served the town as town clerks: Edward 
Easton, 1743 to 1749; Edward Tew, 1749 (died in office); John 
Barker, 1749 to 1780; Parker Hall, pro tern, awhile in 1780; 
Oliver Durfee, 1780 to 1783; Thomas Peckham, 1783 to 1785; 
Elisha Allen, 1785 to 1829; William Smith, 1829 to 1839; Joshua 
Coggeshall, 1839 to 1873; Albert L. Chase, 1873 to the present 
time. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN (Concluded). 



William Bailey. — Albert Lawton Chase, — Robert S. Chase. — Daniel Chase. — 
Joshua Coggeshall. — George C. Coggeshall. — David Coggeshall. — William F. 
Peckham.— Jethro Peckham. — Nathaniel Peckham. — The Sherman Family. — 
John G. Smitli. — John B. Ward. — Personal Paragraphs. 



William Bailey is descended from New England ancestry. 
His grandfather, Easton Bailey, was a successful farmer in Mld- 
dletown township, where he resided during his lifetime. His 
children were four sons: John, William, George I. and Isaac, 
and one daughter, Patience, who became Mrs. Isaac Kundall, 
of Pennsylvania. George I. Bailey was a native of Middletown 
townshi]), where he succeeded to the occupation and a portion 
of the land of his father. He married Mary S., daughter of 
James Chase, of Middletown, and had children : James E., 
William, Sarah (Mrs. David Coggeshall) and Julia (Mrs. Sedg- 
wick Bailey). William, the second son in order of birth, is a 
native of Newport, where he was born August 22d, 1822. He 
at an early age accompanied his parents to Middletown, and 
alter such advantages of education as the public schools afforded, 
became interested in the varied occupations peculiar to a farm- 
er's life. In 1850 he became independent, having purchased a 
tract of land in addition to that acquired l)y his father, in- 
cluding in all about two hundred acres. To the cultivation and 
improvement of this he has since given his attention, his resi- 
dence being the identical dwelling occupied by his ancestors for 
many genei'ations, and still in excellent preservation. Mr. 
Bailey was, on the 26th of March, 185i\ married to Elizabeth 
E., daughter of John Sprong, of Flushing, Long Island, who is 
of Dutch extraction. Their children are: Mary S., Elizabeth 
E. (wife of Nicholas Underwood, of New York), Ellen I. (mar- 
ried to Dr. H. Godwin MacKaye, of Newport), and a son, Wil- 
liam E. (deceased). Mr. Bailey is in politics a re])ublican. He 
has avoided the excitement and engrossing cares incident to 




^r(,^^!^d^t.-'y7^ Jj <^^-C^^'^^<-^ 




Q 
< 
W 
H 
w 
u 

o 

I 

I 

I 

H 



u- 


u 



z 

u 
a 

u 





.^CU-^/ 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 801 

public life and declined all noniinaticjns I'or office. Both Mr. 
and Mrs. Bailey are members of Trinity Protestant Episcox^al 
chnrch, of Newport. 

Albert Lawtun Chase. — The progenitor of the branch of 
the Chase famiJy resident in Middletown township was William 
Chase, born in England about the year 1595, who came to 
America in 1630 in the fleet which brought Governor Winthrop 
and his colony. He first settled in Roxbury, Massachusetts, 
but later with others formed a new settlement in Yarmouth in 
the same state. Here he resided until his death, which occurred 
in 1659. He had three children, among whom was William, born 
about 1622 in England, who emigrated with his parents, and 
died February 27th, 1685. His children were eight in number, 
the eldest being William, born about 1645, who was twice mar- 
ried. He had six children, Isaac being the third son. The 
latter was twice married and died in 1760. He had twelve 
children, James the eldest, born February 12th, 1706, having 
also man-ied a second time. He died April 20th, 1782, leaving 
twelve children, his eldest sou being Zaccheus, born November 
4th, 1737, in Freetown, Massachusetts, married Elizabeth, 
daughter of John and Elizabeth Gould, and died August 6th, 

1816. Their children were six in numl)er, James, born March 
5th, 1760, in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, having married in 
1785, Ruth, daughter of John and Sarah Davis. He died 
January 31st, 1848. They had eight children, among whom 
was John, born August 8th, 1786. and married in 1810, to 
Susanna, daughter of Daniel and Mary Gould, of Middletown. 
He was a member of the general assembly and a highly es- 
teemed citizen. His death occurred January 31st, 1831. 

Among his twelve children was James, born November 5th, 

1817, who married in 1847, Sarah D., daughter of Joshua and 
Deborah Coggeshall. He resides in Middletown and has fre- 
quently been elected a member of the general assembly. His 
son, Albert Lawton, the subject of this sketch, was born 
August 30th, 1851, on the farm in Middletown township. His 
education, though largely received at the common school, was 
unusually thorough. He pursued an academic course and be- 
came proficient in mathematics, while careful and judicious 
reading aided in the development of a well stored mind. Un- 
der the careful training of his maternal grandfather he became 
familiar with the principles of law and political economy, and 



802 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

for some years assisted him in his duties as town clerk. In 
Apri], 1873, he was elected his successor, which office he has 
since held. This-iield of usefulness requires a thorough knowl- 
edge of law, and embraces the duties of a recording officer, 
town council and arbitrator, demanding such peculiar ability as 
to render the position difficult to till. Mr. Chase is eminently 
fitted for this work, and has made a most efficient officer. He 
has also since June, 1875, held a commission as notary public 
for the state of Rhode Island, and has practised as such and 
as a conveyancer. In connection with his father he purchased, 
in 1879, the farm which is his present home and the family 
residence. Mr. Chase is a member of the Protestant Episcopal 
Church of the Holy Cross and one of its trustees. He was for 
several years a vestryman of St. Mary's parish. South Ports- 
month, Rhode Island, and also delegate to the Rhode Island 
diocesan convention from that parish. 

Robert S. Chase. — James Chase, the grandfather of the sub- 
ject of this sketch, whose remote ancestors acknowledged fealty 
to the crown of Great Britain, resided in Middletown, where he 
was the owner of an extensive tract of land, a portion of which is 
now in possession of Robert S. Chase. He was a highly re- 
spected citizen, and an intiuential member of the Society of 
Friends. He married Ruth Davis and reared a large family of 
children, the youngest of whom, Robert S., was born on the 
homestead farm, where he during his lifetime followed the pur- 
suits of an agriculturist. His wife was Sarah Ann, daughter 
of William Bailey, of Middletown township. Their children 
are: William B., Robert S. and Sarah I. Robert S. Chase, of 
this number, was born October, 17th, 1824, on the farm iu Mid- 
dletown. His education was received at the neighboring public 
school, after which his attention was given to farming. On the 
death of his father he inherited the land on which he now re- 
sides, originally included in the paternal estate, and since that 
date Mr. Chase has devoted his energies to its cultivation and 
improvement. He was, on the 23d of April, 1846, married to 
Amarintha, daughter of Thomas George Rogers, of the same 
township. Their children are: George Rogers, James Robert, 
Henry Irish and Amarintha Rogers. Mr. Chase is a member of 
St. Mary's Protestant E[)iscopal church, of which he has been 
for several years senior warden. He is in his political predilec- 
tions a staunch r»'publican, and has been an intlnential rex)re- 






axt^ 



fc»Ao-\-(v>., V. %\%»^iwi)-\ l^. 1, 





6^tyn^..^c^ 



/ 



HISiTOUY OB^ NEWPOirr COUNTY. 803 

sentative of the principles of his pni'ty. He has hehl various 
local offices, and was for the years 1875-76-78-79 member of the 
general assembly of Rhode Island from his district. Mr. Chase 
is identified with the leading- business interests of Newport, and 
is a dii'ector of the First National Bank of Newport and of the 
Newport Gas Company. Henry I. Chase married Hannah, 
daughter of Joseph C. Dennis, and granddaughter of Isaac Den- 
nis. They have two sons and three daughters. 

Daniel Chase was born July 17th, 1811, in Middletown town- 
ship, and received his education at the public schools. Con- 
cluding not to remain upon the farm, he removed to Fall River, 
Massachusetts, and became an apprentice to the trade of a tan- 
ner and currier. He was, however, summoned home by the 
death of his father, and assumed charge of the farm. To this 
branch of industry he has since devoted his time, though ad- 
vancing years have brought a respite from active labor, and 
thrown much of the responsibility on others. Mr. Chase in 
1849 purchased the farm which is his present home, where 
much of his active life has beeti spent. His political affilia- 
tions have been either whig or republican, but he has never 
engaged in the strife for office, and declined all public posi- 
tions other than that of member of the town council. He was 
reared in the faith of the Society of Friends, but now wor- 
ships with the congregation of the Protestant Episcopal church. 
Mr. Chase is descended from William Chase, before mentioned, 
who emigrated from England in 1630 and died at Yarmouth, 
Massachusetts, in 1659. In the direct line of descent was James 
Chase, grandfather of Daniel, the subject of this biography, 
who married Ruth Davis. Their children were: John, Eliza- 
beth, Zaccheus, Daniel, James, Robert S., Mary and Sarah. 
John, of this number, married Susanna Gould, a descendant of 
Daniel Gould, one of the first Quaker preachers in this country 
who was scourged by bigoted Puritans on Boston Common for 
his religious o[)inious. Their children were: Daniel, Edward S.. 
John. Joseph W., James, George G., William, Charles F., 
David B., Mary G., Mary G., 2d, and Ruth D. The eldest of 
this number, and the subject of this sketch, was married Octo- 
ber 30th, 1834, to Martha, daughter of Oliver Wightman, of 
Middletown. Their children are: Edward P., Susan G., Charles 
F. and Daniel M., all residents of Middletown. 

51 



S04 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Joshua Coggeshall, the subject of this sketch, was a grand- 
son ol' Joshua Coggeshall, who was a native of Rhode Island, 
and resided on th(5 Coggeshall homestead in Middletown. He 
married, Januarj^ 2d, 1752, Anne Dennis. Among their sons 
was Joseph, who was born August 16th, 1754, in Middletown, 
and succeeded to the vocation of his father. He was united in 
marriage to Elizabeth Horswell, of Little Compton, who became 
the mother of eight children, as follows : Noel, Ruth, Joseph, 
Anne, Joshua, John P., Abram C. and Sarah, who became the 
wife of Isaac A. Dennis, of Portsmouth. Joshua Coggeshall 
was born December 25th, 1788, on the ancestral property, and 
spent his life in the healthful pursuits of a farmer. The oppor- 
tunities for scholastic training were at that early period very 
limited, compelling him to secure as best he might an acquaint- 
ance with good English and the elementary studies. His early 
manhood was devoted to the aid of his father in liis various 
duties on the farm. On his marriage Mr. Coggeshall removed 
to the property now owned by his son, David, which he pur- 
chased and improved. Later he liecame owner of a portion of 
the farm of Albert L. Chase, and built the residence which he 
occupied until his death, April 7th, 1879. Mr. Coggeshall mar- 
ried Deborah, daughter of John and Hannah Allen, of Middle- 
town. Their children are: George C, married to Mary A. 
Brown ; David, married to Sarah C. Bailey ; Hannah M., Mrs. 
George G. Chase ; Anne E., and Sarah D., Mrs. James Chase. 
Mr. Coggeshall was in early life in politics an old line whig, and 
subsequently became a democrat. An intelligent and thought- 
ful man, he was the recipient of many honors from his constit- 
uents. He served several terms in the general assembly, was 
for many years president of the town council, and for nearly 
forty years the efficient clerk of the township. He was often 
called upon to act as administrator and arbitrator, and in all 
these offices, unsought by him, displayed great lidelity to duty. 
While liberal toward all sects, he worshipped with the Friends' 
meeting. 

George C. Coggeshall, the grandson of Joseph and Eliza- 
beth H. Coggeshall, and tiie son of Joshua and Deborah Allen 
Coggeshall, was born October 7th, 1816, on the homestead farm 
in Middletown, and received his education at the Oliphant 
school in the immediate vicinity, Avhere the advantages were 
superior to those afforded at the ordinary country schools. His 





w 



»i*^Q^t"H,, \. *\VVLSTtk\(l ^ 




eo 



OQQ£j, h/^, 




'^1/7^ /(Iy6>^(^s</Ia^^ 




J 

J 

< 

X 
m 
m 

O 

" I 

2 

> 5 

s I 



w 



z 
u 

Q 

to 



HISTORY OF NEAVPORT COUNTY. 805 

attention was then given to the work on the farm belonging to 
his fatlier until his niari'iage on the 19th of Decenibei', 1849, to 
Mary A., daughter of Pardon Brown, of Middletow n. Their 
children are: Joshua, married to Elizabeth C, daughter of Ste- 
phen P. Weaver, who has fou'r children; George, married first 
to Alzada Weaver, and a second time to Sarah G. Weaver, both 
daughters of Stephen P. Weaver; Fillmore, married to Eliza- 
beth, daughter of Henry Brown, who has four children; Fran- 
cis J., married to Sarah A., daughter of Peleg Thurston, who 
has one child; and a daughter, Luc}^ (deceased), who married 
George Anthony, and left one child. Mr. Coggeshall, soon after 
his marriage, removed to the farm now the home of his widow, 
where the remainder of his life was ])assed. For seven years he 
presided over the town council of Middletown and performed 
the varied and responsible duties of that office with signal cor- 
rectness and ability. He was also captain of the Home Guards, 
organized for active service in a period of emergency, during 
the late war, and from its organization until his death treasurer 
of the Aquidneck Agricultural Society. Mr. Coggeshall was a 
consistent member of the First Baptist church, of Newport. 
By the constancy and purity of his Christian character, by his 
faithfulness and fidelity in the discharge of public trusts, and 
by his fair, honorable and courteous intercourse with his fellows, 
he won the confidence, esteem and brotherly regard of his 
church, his townsmen and all who knew him. His death oc- 
curred January 31st, 1873, in his fifty-eighth year. 

David Coggeshall.- -Joseph Coggeshall, whose ancestors 
were among the earliest settlers of Rhode Island, resided in 
Middletown townshij) on a farm lying north of that owned bj^ 
his grandson, David Coggeshall. By his marriage to Elizabeth 
Horswell were born children : Noel, Joseph, Anne, Ruth, 
Joshua, Abram, Sai'ah and John. Joshua Coggeshall passed 
his life upon the farm which was the scene of his birth. He 
was a leading citizen and intliiential in the affairs of his town- 
ship, of which he was for thirty-nine years the efficient clerk. 
He married Deborah, daughter of John and Hannah Allen, of 
the same township. Their children are: George C, David, 
Hannah M. (Mrs. George Chase), Anne E. (deceased) and Sarah 
D. (Mrs. James Chase). David Coggeshall was born October 
28th, 1818, on the homestead farm which has been his lifetime 
residence. His youth was devoted to labor, varied by attend- 



806 HISTOUy OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

ance at tlie district school. Finding agricultural eniploj^ments 
congenial to liis taste, he continued on the farm, giving 
his attention to its varied interests, and in 1877 inheriting the 
property on which he now resides. He was. on the 2oth of 
March, 1851, married to Sarah C, daughter of George I. Bai- 
lej^ of Middletown township. Their children are: George B., 
who is associated with his father in the management of the 
farm; Elizabeth, wife of John L. Simmons, of Newport, and 
Harriet B. Mr. Coggeshall is, in his political affiliations, a 
democrat, and although manifesting a laudable interest in local 
issues, has declined all tenders of office other than that of 
United States assistant assessor. He is a supporter of the 
Protestant Episcopal church, and a regular attendant upon its 
services. 

William F. Peckiiam. — The progenitor of the Peckham 
family in Ehode Island was John Peckham, who married a 
daughter of James Clark. Their son, William Peckham, 
born in 1675, married Mary Clark, born in 1680. They 
had two sons, William and Samuel. William was born 
in 1706, and married Mary Barker. His son, William, 
the great-grandfather of William F., was born February 14th, 
1737, and married Lidia Rogers. Their son, John E., born 
March 8th, 1767, died in 1837. He was twice married. By his 
first union were two sons, William and Restcomb, and a daugh- 
ter. William was born on the homestead January 31st, 1794, 
and inherited the farm, having married Ann, daughter of Ed- 
ward Smith, born March 13th, 1794, whose children are: Wil- 
liam F., Edward Truman, and one daughter, Elizabeth A. (de- 
ceased), wife of John G. Smith. The death of William Peck- 
ham occurred July 6th, 1851, and that of his wife March 27th, 
1858. Their son, William F., was born December 24th, 1818, 
in Middletown, and at a late period resided on the farm origin- 
ally owned by the first Peckham who settled in the township, 
where his remains are interred. The Oliphant district school, 
then the best disciplined and equipped school in the township, 
afforded the opportnnity for acquiring a knowledge of the Eng- 
lish branches, after which he, until his twenty-ninth year, ren- 
dered his father valuable service on the farm. He then assumed 
charge of the estate, and enjoyed the results of his labor. Soon _ 
after, by inheritance and purchase, he became owner of the 
property. Some years since he divided the land, assigning a 




*.»-\Q'\1»t, I 'i\t*ST».^\. *. t- 





r 




vAyZiC7 ^^iC^>^y^^^u-'g^g^t^ 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 807 

portion, with a residence added, to his sons. Mr. Peclchani, in 
1847, married Martha, daughter of Abner Ward, of the same 
township. Their children are: Arthur L., Elton W. (deceased), 
AVilliani Clarence, Edward Julian, Ann Maria (Mrs. Marion 
Peckhara), Elizabeth Amanda (Mrs. McDougal Haman), and 
Ruth Ella. Mrs. Peckhani died November IGth, 1877, and he 
married again in December, 1882, Sarah A., daughter of James 
Barrows, of Providence. Mr. Peckham, as a republican, has 
filled various offices in the township. He has been councilman 
for many years (though not consecutively), and in 1803 was 
elected a member of the state senate. He is, in religious faith, 
a Baptist, and a member of the Second Baptist church of New- 
port. 

Jethro Peckham is of Scotch ancestry, though the family 
have long resided in IMiddletown. His great-grandfather was 
Joseph Peckham. Alanson Peckham. a son of the latter and 
grandfather of the subject of this sketch, married Catherine 
Coggeshall, whose children were seventeen in number, among 
whom was Jetliro Jackson Peckham, who was born in 1788, 
and nuirried Tryphena, daughter of Felix Peckham, of the 
same township. Their children were nine in number, as fol- 
lows: Asa, Dorcas, Janet, Celinda, Jethro, Felix A., Julia M., 
Francis E. and Alanson. Mr. Peckhani died February I'Jth, 
1859, and his wife November 20th, 1877. Their son, Jethro, 
was born November lOth, 1821, in Middletown, and at an early 
age became familiar with the routine of farm labor, much more 
time having been spent at work than at school. He then learned 
the trade of a house carpenter and found his services much in 
demand throughout the county. This occupation was contin- 
ued until 1882, when advancing years induced his retirement 
from active labor, though Middletown continued to be his home. 
He was on the 6th of July, IS.iG. married to Harriet B., daugh- 
ter of J. Bailey Hall, of the same township, who was born in 
1823, and died in 1862. The only child of this union, Frances, 
born in 1860, is deceased. He was a second time married in 
1809 to Adelaide, daughter of Cai)tain George Barney, of Mid- 
dletown, whose birth occurred in 1840, and her death in 1872. 
Their only son, Sidne,y L., born in 1871, is deceased. Mr. Peck- 
ham, first as a free soiler, and later as a republican, was an in- 
fluential factor in the politics of his county. He held the prin- 
cipal townsliip u Hi CHS. as al-'> tlidsc of n c it :ny public aiul justice 



808 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

of the peace. He was in 1861 elected to the state senate and 
served in that capacity nntil 1866. During these sessions that 
bodj' had no more intelligent and fearless defender of the right 
than was Mr. Peckhara. He was also frequently called upon 
to act as executor and administrator. In his religious convic- 
tions he was a Baptist and an attendant upon the services of 
the First Baptist church of Newport, where his family for gen- 
erations have worshiped. Mr. Peckham died December 9th, 
1887. 

Nathaniel Peckham.— The Peckham family resident in 
Khode Island are of Scotch antecedents. William Peckham, 
the grandfather of Nathaniel, an independent and resolute man, 
was a citizen of Middletown township, this home of the family 
for more than two centuries. His children were: Joshua, 
Augustus, Felix, Gideon and two daugiiters: Lydia, Mrs. Pardon 
Sherman, and Ruth, Mrs. Christopher Barker. Gideon, the 
youngest son, was born in 1782 and spent his life in the town- 
ship as a farmer. He married Cynthia, daughter of Gideon 
Barker, of the same township and had children fourteen in num- 
ber, eleven of whom grew to mature years. They are: Benedict, 
John C, Elizabeth, Cynthia A., Melinda, Gideon B., Hosea, 
Nathaniel, Sarah, Ardelia and Philip M. Mr. Peckham' s death 
occurred in 1854 and that of his wife two years later. Their 
son, Nathaniel, was born August 27th, 1823, in the township 
which has been his lifetime residence. He received but or- 
dinary advantages of education, and may therefore be properly 
termed a self educated man. He early learned the methods 
and daily duties pertaining to the rontine of a farmer's life, 
and aided his father to cultivate the farm largely now in pos- 
session of his son, a portion of which he inherited, and acquired 
the remainder by purchase. Here he has since continued farm- 
ing of a general character, and varied his pursuits by an occa- 
sional contract for constructing roads and bridges. Mr. Peck- 
ham was married on the L^th of Januaiy, 1849, to Jane Potter, 
daughter of John Tucker, of South Kingstown, Rhode Island. 
Their children are: Jane Elizabeth, Mrs. Joseph F. Albro; Na- 
thaniel Horace, of Middletown; Herman Franklin, also of Middle- 
town; Alvin Herbert, of Jamestown, and Justin Hamilton of Le- 
banon, Connecticut. All these sons are active, enterpiising and 
successful business men. Mr. Peckham has, in the various polit- 
ical agitations of the day, advocated the principles of the repub- 




J^r.ldt tci/, 



a^ry\^ 



WW^'itK^ \ WS.H.'bWVK >t, 1 





'^^0'^^i-^^i^-^^'^-' 



HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COTTNTT. 809 

lican party. He has from time to time for thirty years been 
a member of the town council, of wliicii he was, in ISHG, presi- 
dent. He is frequently moderator of the town meetings and lias 
often represented his district at state conventions. In 187o he 
was elected a member of the house of representatives of Rhode 
Island, and served five years in that capacity. He has also 
made his presence in Middletown indispensable as the township 
auctioneer. Mr. Peckham is a member of the Odd Fellows 
fraternity and connected with Oakland Lodge, No. 32, of that 
order, of South Portsmouth, Rhode Island. 

The Sherman Family.— The Shermans of Middletown are 
descended from English ancestry. Walter Sherman, the grand- 
father of Isaac A. and Peleg T. Sherman, resided on a farm in 
Middletown township. He married Rebecca Anthony and had 
children: Abraham, born July 4th, 1790, died September 27th, 
1S77; and Jacob, whose birth occurred December Otii, 1791, and 
his death October 14th, 184S. Mr. Sherman was married a sec- 
ond time to Huldah Wilbur, whose children were: Rebecca, 
Francis, Moses and Cornelius. Jacob Sherman, whose birth- 
place was Middletown, spent his whole life in the congenial 
pursuits pertaining to agriculture. He married Susan, daugh- 
ter of Peleg Tabor, of Middletown, and had children: Peleg T., 
Martha (Mrs. Thomas Weaver), Julia Maria (Mrs. Job M. 
Barker), Isaac A., Rebecca (Mrs. Edwin Barker), Walter and 
Ann Sarah (Mrs. John B. Ward). 

Peleg T. Smermax was born in Middletown November 3d, 
1816, and received such instruction in his youth as the best 
sciiools in the vicinity afforded. While inheriting the taste of 
liis ancestors for country and farm life, he also developed ex- 
ceptional busine-ss talent. In addition to the management of 
his farm, he engaged extensively in trading, as also in the call- 
ing of a drover. In both of these he was largely successful, as 
a result ()f rare capacity and unerring judgment. Mr. Sherman 
was one of the most influential rejiresentatives of his paity in 
tiie county and an active worker in its ranks. As a republican 
lie was for two terms the representative of his party in the gen- 
eral assembly, and much interested in the local issues of the day. 
Hh married Sallie, daughter of Peleg Almy, of Portsmouth, in 
the same county. His death occurred July 10th, 1879, in his 
sixty-fourth year. His widow still survives and resides in Mid- 
dletown. 



SIO HISTOKY OF NEAVPORT COUNTY. 

Isaac A. Sherman was born on the 12tli of March, 1823, in 
Middletown, and was educated in the public schools of the 
township. He engaged at once in farming, which has been the 
business of his life. He was married on the 7th of October, 
ISoO, to Cornelia J., daughter of Francis Sherman, of Steuben 
county, New York. Their children are: Gertrude E. (deceased) 
and Isaac Lincoln (born in 1859), who is a resident of the town- 
ship, and was married in 1883 to Annie E. Cory. Mr. Sherman, 
the year of las marriage, removed to Tiverton, where for twenty 
years he followed agricultural pursuits. In 1877 he leturned 
to Middletown, and became part owner of the homestead on 
which he now resides. A repuljlican in his political views and 
a sincere believer in the principles advocated by his party, he 
Las never sought office and declined all nominations, with a 
single exception, that of membersliip in the town council. Mr. 
Sherman adheres to the faith of the Society of Friends, the be- 
lief of his ancestors. 

Walter Sherman was bom December 3d, 1827, in Middle- 
town township ; was educated, as were his brothers, at the pub- 
lic schools, and began his active life as a farmer. After some 
years spent at home he purchased a farm in Little Comjiton 
township, and resided up-in it until his death, which occurred 
February 7th, 1871, in his forty-fourth year. He married 
Phoebe Lawton, of Amherst, Massachusetts. Their only child, 
a son, Frederick L., resides with his mothei' on the farm. Mr. 
Sherman found agreeable employment in the duties pertaining 
to his estate, and did not participate in the excitement attend- 
ing public life, for which he liad little inclination. 

John G. Smith. — The grandfather of the subject of this liio- 
graphical sketch was James Smith, who I'esided in ^Yashington 
county, Rhode Island, where he was a prosperous, miller. By 
Lis marriage to Joanna Sheldon he became the father of nine 
sons and three daughters, as follows : Jonathan, Gardner, Ver- 
iiom, Isaac, Norris, William, John, James, Palmer, Elizabeth, 
Piusan and Abbie. The eldest of this number, Jonathan Smith, 
was born April 24th, 1780, in Washington county, and removed 
to Middletown, where during the gi'eater part of his life he was 
engaged in the labor pertaining to a farmers occupation. Here 
Lis death occurred in 1834. He married Elizabeth Wyatt, whose 
children were : Sarah Ann, Mehitabel and James M. He mar- 
lied a second time Sarah Leach, and had children: Elizal)eth, 





'^- 





"^i^kyl 



yX\\i.W^\^ t. ^\t*S-VV^T H. 1. 



HISTORY OF NKWrOKT COUNTY. 811 

who died in yonth ; Joanna (]\Irs. Alden H. Barker), John G., 
and Lucy, deceased. John G. Smith was born August 7th, 
1821, in jMiddletown township, whence his father removed dur- 
ing the early years of his life. His youth was devoted to work 
on the farm, varied by a period at school in the neighborhood 
and at Newport, after which for nine years he followed a sea- 
faring life. On returning again to his native township he re- 
sumed farming and rented the farm wliich is his present home. 
This property snlisequently came to him by inheritance. Mr. 
Smith married, in November, 1843, Elizabeth A., daughter of 
"William Peckham, of Middletown. Their children are : Fran- 
cis Wayland, William N., Clinton G., Orlando N. and LidaAV. 
Mrs. Smith died May 8th, 1882, and he married again October 
nth, 1886, Mrs. Hannah Eldridge, of Somerville, Mas.sachusetts. 
Mr. Smith was formerly a whig in politics, and on its formation 
esjjoused the j^rinciples of the republican party. He is indiffer- 
ent to the honors of office, but has aided to a limited extent in 
administering the affairs of his township. He is in his religious 
belief a Baptist, and a member of the Central Baptist church of 
Newport. 

John B. Ward. — The grandfather of the subject of this biog- 
raphy was John AVard, who was descended from English 
stock, and resided in Middletown, where he was for many years 
an enterprising farmer. By his nuirriage to a Miss Barker were 
l)orn the following children: Abner, Henrj% John, William, 
Martha and Elizabeth. Abner Ward, the eldest of these sons, 
was born in ISOo in Middletown, and inherited the agricultural 
(astes of his father. He married Margaret, daughter of Felix 
Peckham, of the same township, and had children: John B., 
Gilbert L., Adouiram J., Jacob S., Martha (deceased), wife of 
William F. Peckham, and Maria (deceased), married to Aaron 
S. Coggeshall. The death of Mr. Ward occurred in 1877. 

John B. was born on the 21st of June, 1826, in Middle- 
tiiwn, and has during his lifetime resided within its limits. 
After acquiring u thorough knowledge of farming he, at the 
■,MXe of twenty-three, rented the property formerly the home of 
his father, and continued to cultivate the land until 1873. He 
then cluinged his location, but renuiined in the township, and 
in 1884 purchased the property which is his present residence. 
He was married December ISth. 1848, to Ann Sarah, daugliter of 
Jacob Sherman, of the same township, whose death occurred 



812 HISTORY OF XEWPORT COUNTY. 

August 21st, 1884. Their children are: Margaret (Mrs. Lyman 
H. Barker), Cliarles H., Geoige E., Abner H., Josepli Hooker, 
Sarahs., and. a son, Frank M., deceased. Mr. Ward is still actively 
engaged in agricultural pursuits. He has been identified with 
the interests of Middletown, and from time to time held various 
local offices, his vote and influence always being given to the 
repul)lican party. His brothers, Gilbert L. and Jacob S.Ward, 
are also residents of the township. 

Personal Paragraphs. 

David Albro, born in 1825, is a son of Peleg, born in 1799, and 
a grandson of David, whose father was also named David Al- 
bro. Peleg's wife was Eliza, daughter of Hon Samuel Man- 
chester. David has been tax assessor for many years and is 
still filling the office. His first marriage was with Sarah Ann 
Anthony, of Portsmouth, in 1851. They raised three children: 
Charles, George Herbert and William G. Mr. Albro's present 
wife is Mary E., daughter of Samuel B. Dodge, of Block Island. 
Their children are Isaac and Sarah A. One daughter, Lucinda 
B., is deceased. 

Peleg Almy, born in 1855, is a son of Charles and a grandson 
of Peleg Almy, late of Portsmouth, born in 1792, and died in 
1887. Mr. Almy is gardener for Mr. Wetherbee, by whom he 
has been employed for eleven years. Before that he was in the 
same business for Dr. Heywood, of New York, who built the 
Wetherbee place in 1872. 

Abraham Anthony is a son of Joshua, born in 1798, died in 
1877, and a grandson of Gideon, born in 1760, died in 1832. 
Gideon's father w^as Philip Anthony. Gideon's wife was Eliza- 
beth Coggeshall. Abraham was Ixjrn in 1826, and married in 
1850 Sarah D., daughter of Samuel Gould. She died in 1886, 
leaving three children: Albert A. (whose wife is Sarah E. Man- 
chester), Abbie C. (Mrs. Ashton C. Barker), and Sarah Maria 
(Mrs. Charles Albro, of Portsmouth). 

Susan A. Anthony is a daughter of Phili[) Antliouy. He was 
born in 1789 and died in 1873. He was a brother of Joshua 
Anthony. He was married to Mary Manchester, a daughter of 
John Manchester. 

George Anthony, the oldest man in this town, is a son of 
Elijah and a grandson of Jonathan Anthony. Jonathan An- 
thony married Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 813 

Gould, November 11th, 1750. Their children were: Mary, 
Elizabeth, Gould, Jonathan and Eliza. Jonathan Anthony, Sr., 
kept a tan yard and lived where James Anthony now resides. 
His house was burned by the British in revolutionary times. 
His son, Elijah, died in 1842, 75 years old. George Anthony 
was born in 1796, and married Margaret Hathaway. They had 
seven children, four of whom, Joseph S., Elijah, Rachel and 
James, are living. Joseph 8. was born in 1833, and married 
Josephine Gould. Their daughter, Josephine L. G., is the wife 
of Thomas J. Sweet, of Portsmouth. George Anthony was a 
member of the town 'council from 1848 to 1855, inclusive. 

James Anthony, son of the George last mentioned, was born 
here in 1840. He was married in 1869 to Charlotte S., daughter 
of Noel Coggeshall. Their children are Arthur R. and Alfred 
C. His farm is the old homestead where Elijah Anthony lived 
two generations ago. James Anthony has been eight years in 
the general assembly and on the school committee three years. 
He has been the moderator of town meeting three years. He 
also was town collector of taxes several years. 

Albert G. Barker, who was ))orn in 1808 and died in 1869, was 
a son of John Barker, grandson of David and great-grandson of 
Isaac Barker, of the revolution. His first wife left one son, 
John P. Barker, now of Boston. His second wife, who survives, 
is Mary, a daughter of Mumford Peckham. Their children are: 
Mary A. W. (^deceased), Dorcas E. , Clark T. and Mumford P. 
Barker. Mrs Clark T. Barker is Fannie R., daughter of John C. 
Law ton. 

Job M. Barker, born here in 1812, has lived at his present 
residence seventy-three years. He was married in 1837. His 
wife is a sister of Isaac A. Sherman. Their children living are: 
W. Scott, of Newport; Julia, now Mrs. John Dowley, of Bos- 
ton; Susan, now Mrs. Fi-ederick Coggeshall, and James T., at 
home. Two daughters, Josephine and Annie, are deceased. 

Rol)inson Potter Barker, born in ISIO, is a son of John Bar- 
ker and a grandson of David, who was born in 1749 and died 
in 1819. David was a son of John, born in 1711, died in 1777. 
John's wife was Dorcas, daughter of Isaac Barker, of the revo- 
lution. Robinson P. Barker's wife, who died in 1861, was Ju- 
lia, daughter of Samuel S. Peckham. Their children are: Dr. 
C. F. Barker, of Newport; Maria N., now dead; Mary E., now 
Mrs. A. K. Sherman, of Newport, and Elma M., now iMrs. John 



814 IIISTOKY OF NEWPOUT COUNTY. 

Peckham. Mr. Barker has been tax assessor many years. His 
l)resent wife is Harriet N., a sister of John Peclvliam. 

From manuscript in the liossession of Mrs. Robinson P. Bar- 
ker the following is quoted: "The Barkers in Rhode Island de- 
scended from James Barker of Essex countj-, England. His 
son James and his daughter Christiana started to come to New- 
England about 1636. James died on ship, and his son James, 
a lad of 17, became the father of eight children, born in Mid- 
dletown. He was a magistrate named in the 166B charter, and 
was one of the deputy governors in 1G70.- He died in 1702." 

Stephen P. Barker, born here in 1851, is a son of Stephen 
Barker, who died in 1842, and a grandson of Isaac Barker, who, 
in the revolution, acted as a messenger for the Americans on the 
island in their intercourse with their friends in Little Compton 
to the eastward. Mr. Barkers house is the old place where 
this grandfather Isaac lived. It was a barrack for the Hessian 
soldiers during the revolution. This Isaac Barker had five sons 
and one daughter: Stephen, Cyrus, James, Ira, Hiram and Dor- 
cas. Stephen P., who is now living, was married in 1837 to 
Betsey G., daughter of Peter Bariver. They have six sons now 
living and heads of families. He has been in the town council 
as a republican and has been assessor of taxes and tax collector. 
His business is farming, and his residence Paradise avenue, 
Middletown. 

Abram A. Brown, born in 1846, is a son of William C, grand- 
son of Abram and great-grandson of Gideon Brown. He was 
married in 1870 to Josephine, daughter of Job M. Barker. She 
died in 1874, leaving two children, Lillie Maria and J. Willie. 
In 1875 Mr. Brown was married to Maria E. Cory, by whom he 
has four sons and one daughter. His business is farming. 

Pardon Brown, born in ISOl, married in 1831, and died in 1881 
(fatiier of George A. Brown of Middletown and Joshua C. 
Brown of Newport), was one of eighteen children of Peleg 
Brown; twelve of these eighteen became heads of families. 
Pai don Brown's widow, who survives him, is Sarah Sanford 
granddaughter of Johrt Sanford, an early grocery merchant in 
Poitsmouth. Her children were: Peleg, died in Nevada; Par- 
don, now living in California; Lucy M., deceased, was Mrs. 
James A. Brown; and Lydia, deceased, was Mrs. John Sanford. 
Each of these three deceased children left four children. Par- 
don Brown was prominent in public affairs and was representa- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 815 

tive in the state legislature some years. He died while the plans 
were being made to celebrate their golden wedding. 

William C. Brown, deceased, was a son of Abraham and a 
grandson of Gideon. He died in 1885, leaving a wife, Eunice, 
a daughter of Arnold Barker. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have two 
sons and Iwo daughters living: Abram A., Natlian B., Annie M. 
(Mrs. A. Herbert Ward) and C. Etta, a teacher. 

MellvilleBull, the present senator from Middletown, was born 
at Newport in 1854, and at the age of 23 graduated from Har- 
vard college. He served two years as adjutant of the Newport 
Artillery, and was aid' on the personal staff of Governor Wet- 
more. He has given considerable attention to party interests 
as a republican, representing Middletown in the legislature in 
1883-85. In business his interests are largely agricultural. 

John Tew Carr was born in 1845 at Jamestown, R. I. His 
father and his grandfather were named Robert. He served in 
Company I), 12th Rhode Island Regiment one year in the civil 
war. He was married in 1867 to Mary Dawley, of Newport, 
and she has borne him two sons and one daughter. He has 
mauagetl the " Ogden farm " in Middletown eight years. 

George A. Carter and Daniel A. Carter of Middletown and 
Samuel A. Carter of Portsmouth are sons of William Carter. 
Their grandmother, who died in 1887, at 96 years of age, was 
Henrietta Allen. George A. Carter was born in 1854, and mar- 
ried Anna A., daughter of Elisha Allen, of Portsmouth. Their 
children are Winfred and Ethel May. Mr. Carter's business 
is farming. 

Perry G. Case was born in Westport, Mass., in 1819, and came 
to Newport city in 1836. He married Caroline A., daughter of 
George C. Shaw. She died, leaving one son, Philip II., now in 
California. His present wife was a Newport lady. Mr. Case 
is a bnilder and contractor. He built George Fearing' s, 
and Thomas Dunn's residences and numerous others in the city. 
The firm is P. G. Case & Co. 

Joseph L. Chace, born in 1848, is a son of Henry C. Chace of 
Newport, a grandson of Captain James Chace and great-grand- 
son of Solomon Chace. He was married in 1873 to Lydia Baker 
Smith, daughter of Daniel B. Smith and granddaughter of Isaac 
J. Smith, who was a son of James Smith, mentioned in the 
ancestral line of John G. Smith. Mr. Chace is a farmer. 

Alfred W. Chase, born in 1835, is a son of John, a grandson 



816 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

of John and a great-grandson of John Chase. He was married 
in 1861 to Louise Bond, of Brimfield, Mass. Thej^ have one son 
and one daughter. The daughter graduated at Vassar College 
in 1886. Mr. Chase was educated at the public schools here 
and at Lebanon Academj^ Connecticut. He is i^rincipal of the 
Cranston Avenue grammar school in Newport. His wife is 
president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union of 
Middletown and a prominent women's suffrage advocate. 

Arthur W. Cluise, ))orn in ISHo, is a son of David B. Chase 
and a grandson of John Chase. He married Charlotte, daughter 
of Joseph Smith. Their children are: Bessie G., Mary A., 
Dasie M. and Annie E. Mr. Cliase's business is milk farming. 

James Chase, deceased, was a son of the James Chase men- 
tioned as Daniel Cliase's grandfather. His widow, now living, is 
Nancy, daughter of John Crouclier. They were married in J8B5, 
when she was eighteen years old. 

William Chase, born in 1820, is a son of John Chase, and 
grandson of James Chase. Mrs. William Chase, deceased, was 
Jane M., daughter of Abraham C. Coggesiiall. Her son is 
Abrani C. Chase, of Portsmouth. The present Mrs. Wiliiatii 
Chase is Mary C. Coggeshall, sister of Jane M. Her only daugh- 
ter died at eighteen years of age. Mr. Chase is one of twelve 
children. His father, John, died wliile a member of the general 
assembly. 

William B. Chase, deceased, niai'ried Cynthia, daughter of 
Peleg Coggeshall, and granddaughter of George Coggeshall. 
Peleg was the only child of George. This George Coggeshall' s 
father was Joshua. Mr. Cliase was once representative in the 
general assembly. He was a son of Robert Chase, and grand- 
son of James Chase, who owned this same farm. This is called 
Coddington's cove farm. The children of William B. Chase are: 
Peleg, now living in Boston, and William B., a single man here 
with the widowed mother. 

Noel Coggeshall, born here, is a son of Abraliam Coggeshall 
(born 1797, died 1873), and grandson of Josepli. who was a son 
of Joshua Coggeshall. He married Sarah A., daughter of Jolin 
Rogers. Mr. Coggeshall has been several years in town coun- 
cil, and is now one of the town auditors. His children are 
William S. and Joseph. 

Abi'aham Coggeshall, a I'etired farmer, was born in 1820, and 
is a brother of Noel Coggeshall. He married Sarah G. Oman, 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 817 

who bore one child, Kate, now the widow of Joseph P. Bailey. 
Mr. Bailey was a son of James E. Bailey, who was a brother 
of AVilliam Bailey, mentioned in a preceding biography. Mrs 
Kate Coggeshall Bailey has four sons: A. Howard, Herbert C, 
Walter P. and Percy T. 

William E. Coggeshall, born in 1833, is a son of Thomas (born 
1796, died 1870), gi'andson of William, and great-grandson of 
Thomas Coggeshall. He was married in 1866 to Martha, daugh- 
ter of Abraham Coggeshall. She died, leaving one daughter, 
EllaM., who is the wife of George Anthony, of Portsmouth. 
Mr. Coggeshall's jiresent wife is Susan, daughter of Henry 
Huddy, of Newport. Their children are: Mabel, Minnie and 
William T. Mr. Coggeshall has been a member of the town 
council four j^ears. He worked twelve years at carjjentering 
and various kinds of mechanical work. His present business 
is farming. 

Joshua Coggeshall, burn in 18oO, lives in Middletown, and is 
a son of George C. Coggeshall, whose biography ajjpears in this 
chapter. He was married tt) Elizabeth, daughter of Stephen P. 
Weaver, and great-granddaughter of Benoni Weaver. Stephen 
P. Weaver's wife was Eliza Gibbs. daughter of Enos and Sally 
Gibbs. Sally Gibbs died in 1887, aged over 101 years. The 
children of Joshua Coggeshall are: Albert H., Eliza F., Phebie 
A. and Lucj'. 

Francis J. Coggeshall, born in 1859, son of George C. Cogge- 
shall, was married in 1881 to Sarah A. Thurston, of Portsmouth. 
Thej' have one child, Jeanette. Mr. Coggeshall is engaged in 
farming. 

George Coggeshall, son of George C, was born in 18o2, and 
was mari-ied in 1873 to Alzada F. Weaver, who died, leaving 
three children. His present wife is Sarah G. Weaver, sister of 
his former wife. They have one cliild. Mrs. Coggeshall is a 
daughter of Stephen Weaver. Mr. Coggeshall is engaged in 
garden farming. He has a good quarry on his farm, the best 
in the town. 

Clark Henry Congdon, born in 183G, is a son of Daniel Cong- 
don, who came to IS'ewiiort from North Kingstown, R. I., in 
1819, and to Middletown in 1849, where he died in 1880. Mrs. 
Clark Congdon was a Miss Kinney. Their children are: Ida M., 
wife of W. Scott Barker, Daniel J., Henry B. and M. Bertha. 
Mr. Congdon is a dairj' farmer in Middletown, where he has 
filled several minor town offices. 



818 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Joseph Freeborn was born in 1807, and was married in 1847 
to Harriet, danghter of Oliver Wightnian, and granddaughter 
of James WigUtman. Joseph Freeborn died in 1880. He learned 
tanning with his father, and went on one voyage to sea when he 
was single. He then engaged in farming on the farm his father 
owned in this town, where James T. Peckham now lives. His 
widow's mother was Rebecca, daughter of Jonathan Coggeshall. 

Joseph S. Freeborn, carpenter and builder, born in 1838, is a 
son of Perrj'- W. Freeborn (born 1810, died 1885), grandson of 
William W. (born 1780), and great grandson of Joseph (born 
1716). Joseph's father was Gideon, born 1084. His grandfatlui' 
was Gideon, born about 1635. This last Gideon was the third 
child and only son of William and his wife Mary, who came 
from England in 1634, and became one of the eighteen purchas- 
ers of this island March 24th, 1637-8. Joseph S. Freeborn 
married Annie E., daughter of Pardon Smith. Their children 
are Henry C. and Hat tie F. S. Joseph S. has one sister, Lucy 
A., and one brother, John P. 

Samuel Gould, born in 1799, is a son of Thomas, grandson of 
John, and great-grandson of Thomas Gould. The latter was a 
son of Thomas, grandson of Daniel, and great-grandson of Jere- 
miah and Priscilla Gould, who came from England in 1637. 
Jeremiah returned to England and died there. His wife died 
here. Samuel Gould married Ann, daughter of John Barker. 
Their children are: Sarah, Charles, and John. The latter was 
born in 1831, and was married in 18.55 to Ruth M., daughter of 
James Barker. Robert Gould, a brother of Samuel, was the 
only man killed in the Dorr war in 1842. 

Robert J. Grinnell was born in Johnson, R. I., in 1853, and 
is a brick, stone and plaster mason. He was married in 1874 
to Clara B., daughter of Elisha C. Peckham, and located in this 
town in 1878. He was the contractor of the mason work on 
the Edwin Booth villa, and is the leading man in this business 
on this side of the island. He has four sons. 

Henry J. Hass, florist, was born in Prussia in 1854 and came 
to Newport in 1868. In 1877 he was a member of the firm of 
Brant & Hass, florists. In 1881 he established his present busi- 
ness. He has 7,500 square feet under glass, and is extensively 
engaged in the production of flowers, i)lants and vegetables. 
He was married in Sweden and has two children, Josephina C. 
and Henry P. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 819 

Alfred II. Hazard, born in 1841, is a son of George Borden 
Hazard, and grandson of Tlionias G. Hazard. He was mar- 
ried in 1863 to Emma Matilda Hall, sister of Mrs. Gordon D. 
Oxx. Their children are Alfred H., Jr., and Mattie Eleanor. 
Mr. Hazard is engaged in dairy farming. 

Charles H. Hazard, born in 1824, is a son of Mumford Haz- 
ard, who was born in 1803 and died in 1876. The latter was 
tlie oldest of eleven children of George S. Hazard, who was a 
native of South Kingstown, R. I., and Content Wilbor. Charles 
H. Hazard's wife was Sarah R., daughter of Isaac Smitli, who 
was a brother of Jonathan, in the line of John G. Smith's an- 
cestry. Mr. Hazard's children are Daniel B., Maria B., Isaac 
S. and Emma R. 

Benjamin Howland was born in 1833, in East Greenwich, R. 
I., and came to Newport county at 17 years of age. His first 
wife was a daughter of Captain William Smith. His present 
wife is a daughter of Edward Almy of Portsmouth. He is a 
farmer, and has a meat business in Newport. The family of 
Howlands in New England are descendants of three brothers. 
One, John, settled near and gave name to Howland' s ferry. 
Benjamin is in the line of the one who settled in East Green- 
wich. The other settled in New Bedford. Benjamin Howland 
is in the ninth generation from the original settler at East Green- 
wich. He has one son, Benjamin Aldrich Howland, and one 
daughter. 

AVilliam J. Irish was born in 1837 and is a sun of James 
Irish who was born in 1812 and died in 1876. He was married 
in 1863 to Rebecca, daughter of Captain William Smith. Their 
children are George, Edward and Mary. Mr. Irish is engaged 
in farming. 

Frederick A. Lawton, florist, was born here in 1827. His wife 
is a daughter of Abner Peckham. Mr. Lawton established his 
business in 1872 as Frederick A. Lawton & Son. The son, A. 
P. Lawton, now carries on the green house business as A. P. 
Lawton & Co. Frederick A. Lawton' s father came from North 
Kingstown. Mr. A. P. Lawton' s wife is a daughter of Robert 
Elliott of Portsmouth. 

Rowland Lewis was born on Block Island in 1811. His father 
was Je.sse Lewis. His mother was Susan, daughter of William 
Payne of Block Island. Rowland Lewis' wile is a daughter of 
Abram Brown and granddangliter of Gideon Brown. Their 

52 



820 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

children are: Rntk M., widow of Josiah S. Peckham; Susan P., 
wife of John B. Du Blois; Marj' Ella, wife of Arthur L. Peck- 
ham; and Frank E. 

James B. Magee was born in 1821, in Scotland, went to Cin- 
cinnati when a lad, and was seven or eight years with Nicholas 
Longworth. He was married in 1856 to Sarah A. Berwick, who 
was an English girl who came from England to Canada when 
three years old. They have a pleasant home in-Middletown. 

John H. Manchester was born in 1826. His father was Cap- 
tain John, born 1795, and died in 1886. His grandfather was 
Criles, and his great-grandfather Isaac Manchester. John H. 
was married in 1847 to Mary E., daughter of Restcom and 
granddaughter of John Rogers Peckham. Mr. and Mrs. Man- 
chester have four children living : Restcom, William P., Lewis 
R. and Lydia. John Manchester was a member of the general 
assembly, as was also his father, Giles. 

John McGuire was born in 1814 in Washington county, R. I., 
and was married in 1837 to Angeline Barker, who died, leaving 
four children : John H., Daniel F., Mrs. Samuel H. Brown and 
Edward P., who died from disease contracted in the army dur- 
ing the civil war. The present Mrs. John McGuire was the widow 
of John C. Barker, many years deacon of the Second Baptist 
church at Newport. Mr. McGuire is a farmer. He was for six- 
teen years a house carpenter. 

Colby C. Mitchell is a son of Thomas L. Mitchell, of Ports- 
mouth. The latter was born in Connecticut, and married So- 
phia T., a sister of Bishop Browneli, of Little Compton. The 
Mitchell family were in the South during the civil war and lost 
$1,000,000. Colby C. was formerly in the cotton business. 
During the war he was conscripted into the Confederate army 
with Morgan the raider when but fifteen years old. He has 
three brothers, two in the cotton business in the south, and one 
in Berlin, Germany, finishing a course of study in music. 

Gordon D. Oxx is a son of Gordon D. Oxx, now of James- 
town, and a grandson of Gordon Oxx, who in his lifetime was a 
resident of New])ort city. Mr. Oxx was married in 1865 to Ce- 
linda Peckham, daughter of John Bailey Hall, who died la 
1884, aged 68 years. Mr. Oxx has one son, John Hall Oxx, a 
young man of 20 years. Mrs. Oxx's mother was Janet, daugh- 
ter of Jethro Jackson Peckham and a sister of Felix A. Peck- 
ham. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 821 

David Braman Peabody is a descendant of one of the oldest 
families in Middletown. John' Peabody settled here in 1680. 
The line of descent to our subject is as follows : Joseph", John", 
Joseph* (born 1735), Caleb' (born 1756, died 1829), William" 
(born 1781, died 1811), William B.', David B.' David B. Pea- 
body married a daughter of John Hall Whitman and a grand- 
daughter of Johnson Wliitman, who was born in 1783 and died 
in 1854. Lionel H. Peabody, brother of David B., was born in 
1844 and married in 1873 to Mary A. Gilford. They have 
three sons and two daughters. Mr. Peabody is engaged in 
farming. 

Alanson Peckham, born in 1831, is a son of Jethro Jackson 
Peckham, a grandson of Alanson Peckham, and a great-grand- 
son of Joseph Peckham. He was mai-ried in 1856 to Sarah Jane, 
daughter of Benjamin Dawley and granddaughter of Sprague 
Dawley. Their children are : Theodore D., Elizabeth Brown- 
ing (wife of Dr. F. H. Marshall, of Providence), Jethro J. and 
Howard R. Mr. Peckham is a farmer. 

Charles Peckham was born in July, 1807. His father, Felix, 
and grandfather, William, are both buried on the farm here. 
Mr. Peckham was married, in 1836, to Lydia Gardner, daughter 
of Joseph Sanford, late of Newport. She died March 8th, 1885. 
Their daughters, Annie and Emily, are at home. 

Charles Peckham, second, son of Augustus, grandson of 
Augustus and great-grandson of William, was born here in 
1836, and married Malinda P. Cummings. They have three 
children living at home with them. Mr. Peckham is engaged 
in farming. His house was built by an uncle, George W. Peck- 
ham. Since then nine other houses have been built on parts of 
the same home farm. 

Elisha C. Peckham was born in 1823, and is a son of Elisha 
and a grandson of Peleg Peckham. He is engaged in farming 
and poultry raising. He was three years in California, from 
1851 to 1854, and again in 1865. In 1851 he made the journey 
overland in five months and seven days. He buys poultry and 
fits it for the Newport market. He has sold as high as $2,100 
•worth at the Ocean House in three weeks. He is married to 
Ardelia, sister of Philip Mason Peckham. 

Felix A. Peckham was born in 1823. His wife was Miss 
Hendrick of Providence. They have had three sons: Herbert 
Augustus, Benjamin W. Hendrick and Henry Lincoln. The 



S22 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

eldest died at the age of twenty-three years. Henry L. is a 
cadet at the Annapolis Naval Academy. 

Herman F. Peckham, born in 1853, is a son of Honorable 
jSTathaniel Peckham. He was married in 1877 to a daughter of 
James H. Sweet of South Dartmouth, Mass. He is engaged in 
dairy farming on the Third Beach in Middletown. He has two 
children: Herbert James and Grace Jane. 

Joel Peckham was born in Middletown, July 21st, 1846, was 
educated in the public schools of his town, has served on its 
school board and is superintendent of public schools. He was 
elected representative in ISSo and re-elected in 1887. He is a 
member of the old family of Peckhams of Middletown, a family 
conspicuous in the business, social and political history of the 
town for two hundred years. 

John Peckham, born in 1822, is a son of Abner, a grandson of 
Felix and a great-grandson of William Peckham. Abner Peck- 
ham was a delegate to the state constitutional convention of 1842. 
His wife was Eachael Barker, daughter of David Barker. Mrs. 
John Peckham, deceased, left one daughtei", Helen E., wife of 
Doctor C. F. Barker of Newport. The present Mrs. Peckham 
is Elma M., daughter of Robinson P. Barker of this town, Mr. 
Peckham operates a green house on Paradise avenue where he 
resides. 

Philii) Mason Peckham, born in 1813, is a son of Gideon, who 
raised twelve children. Gideon and four older brothers together 
weighed 1,000 ijounds, a generation of giants. Gideon was born in 
1782 and died in 1854. His father was William Peckham. Philip 
Mason Peckham was married, in 1854, to Mary D. Tucker of 
South Kingstown, R. I. They have had nine children, five of 
whom are living.- Charles A,, Mary E. (now Mrs. Orrin Barker), 
Phebe, Lizzie L. (now Mrs. William V. Hart) and James W. 
His business is teaming and farming. 

Arthur L. Peckham, son of William P., was born in 1850, and 
married in 1872 lo Mary Ella, daughter of Rowland Lewis. 
They have one daughter living. Mr. Peckham is engaged in 
milk farming. 

William Peckham, one of the broad-minded, independent 
thinkers, was born here in 1813, and was married in 1833 to 
Ann Sarah Barker, of Providence. They have had nine chil- 
dren, six of whom are living. His business is farming. He 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 823 

built the first green-honse in town. In politics he is a demo- 
crat. 

Henry C. Sherman, dairyman and milk farmer, was born in 
1845. He was married in 1870 to Clai'a, daughter of William 
C. Irish, of Newport. They have had eight children, six of 
whom are still living: William I., Rowland S., Henry C, Liz- 
zie I., Julia W. and Geoi-ge Irish Sherman. Mr. Sherman had 
a fruit and confectionery store eight years in Newport, and 
worked as a carjienter four years before he was in the store. 
Since 1870 he has operated a milk farm. His father and his 
grandfather were each named Elijah Sherman. 

Thomas W. Sherman, son of William G., grandson of Elijah 
Sherman, was born in 1839, and married in 1865 to Matilda, 
daughter of John C. Peckham and granddaughter of Gideon 
Peckham. They have one daughter, Rosa M., and one son, 
John Henry. 

James M. Smith is an older brother of John G. Smith, whose 
biography appears in this work. His father was Jonathan 
Smith, who died in 1834, and his mother was Elizabeth Wyatt. 
Jonathan's father was James Smith, of Exeter. This James, 
of Exeter, was engaged in the milling business. 

Francis W. Smith, son of John G. Smith, whose biography 
appears in this work, was born in 1846, and was married in 1878 
to a daughter of William Peckham. They have one child, a 
girl of four year. Mr. Smith began the business of grape-grow- 
ing under glass about twenty years ago, on his father's farm. 
He now has four green-houses devoted to the culture of grapes. 
He is also manager of William G. Wild's hot-house, at New- 
port. 

William Smith, born in 1818, in Portsmouth, is a son of Isaac 
J. Smith, who, with two brothers, sons of James Smith, came 
to this island from Washington county, R. I. Mr. Smith was 
married in 1848 to Mary Dunbar, daughter of Arnold Barker 
and granddaughter of Elisha, a son of John Barker. Mr. Smith 
is tax assessor, street commissioner, and has held other minor 
offices. His children are: Millard F.. William Henry, Ellen 
C. and Arnold B. 

Millard F. Smith, son of William, was born in 1849, and in 
1872 married Mary Frances, daughter of Jacob Ward. Mr. 
Smith is deeply interested in the public schools. He is at 
present trustee in his district, which has one of the best school 



824 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY, 

buildings in Middletown. His children are: Robert Ward, 
Lizzie R. and Mary Dunbar. 

Henry Smith Was born in 1820 and died in 1881. His father 
was Isaac J. Smith, a son of James Smith. Mrs. Henry Smith, 
now living, is Sarah, daughter of Michael E. Peckham, born 
1771, died ISol. She was one of twelve children. Mrs. Smith 
has four children: Annie P., Eliza L., Alvin P. and Esther T. 

William Spooner, born in 1836, is a son of John H., and a 
grandson of Samuel Spooner, who lived in Newport. William 
Spooner was born in Portsmouth, and he married Miss Bacon, 
of New York state. They have two sons, Frederick Bacon and 
William Bradley. Mrs. Spooner' s mother was Eunice Barker. 
Mr. Spooner is interested in public schools, and has been trus- 
tee of Oliphant school four years. He is a carpenter. 

John Spooner, brother of William, was born in 1884, and mar- 
ried Eliza A., sister of Hon. Joel Peckham. They have three 
children: John H., Samuel C. and Clara A. Mr. Spooner is a 
farmer. 

Benjamin F. Taggart, born in 1827, is a son of William, and 
a grandson of Joseph Taggart. This Joseph sailed from Phila- 
delphia in 1804 as captain of a vessel in the China tea trade, and 
was never heard of again. Joseph's brother John was living 
near Booth's house in 1776. He crossed to Little Compton to 
Church's point while the British had possession of this island- 
In an encounter with the British he was killed in a barley field. 
Benjamin F. Taggart's mother was Sarah A., sister of James M. 
Smith. Mrs. Benjamin F. Taggart is Sarah, daughter of Joshua 
Peckham, and granddaughter of Joshua Peckham. 

Ruth H. Taggart is the widow of Samuel Clark Taggart, and 
sister of Job M. Barker. Mr. Taggart was a farmer in the east- 
ern part of this island, near Taggart's ferry. He was a son of 
James, and a grandson of Clark Taggart. 

Francis Talbot was born in 1817 in Massachusetts. He spent 
several years in the Soutli in the drug business with a brother. 
In 1852 he bought a place in Middletown, near the city line, 
and began the nursery business. In 1861 he was married, and 
moved here and continued the business. His wife is Sophia, 
daughter of Benjamin H. Ailman, and granddaughter of Fred- 
erick Ailman, a family name well known in Newport. Mr. 
Talbot was in the town council four years. 



HISTORY OF NEWPOIJT COUIfTT. 825 

Charles H. Ward, son of John B. Ward, whose biography- 
appears in this chapter, was born in 1852, and was married in 
1875 to Rnth M., danghter of Daniel B. Smith. He is engaged 
in farming and raising poultry. In politics he is a repnblican. 

George E. Ward, son of John B., was born in 1853, and was 
married in 1879 to Lydia M., danghter of Stephen and Abbie 
Congdon. They have one son, John B. 

Abner H. Ward, son of John B., was born in 1854, and mar- 
ried in 1880 to Annie, daughter of William C, granddaughter 
of Abram, and great-granddaughter of Gideon Brown. They 
have two daughters. Mr. Ward has been elected to the town 
council three times. 

Charles Peckham AVhitman was born in 1824 and died in 1865. 
He was a brother of John Hall Whitman. His widow, now 
living, is Ruth Cornell Whitman. Their only child, Ruthie, 
wa5 married March 16th, 1881, to Robert M. Wetherell of Mid- 
dletown, who now occupies a part of the Whitman homestead. 

Henry jM. Wilson was born in 1832 and married Sarah Bab- 
cock. After her death he married her sister, Mary C. Babcock. 
Their father was George W. Babcock, a son of William Bab- 
cock, a baker in Newport at the beginning of this century. Mr. 
Wilson's children are: Harry, Herbert and James E. Henry 
M. Wilson's father was James A. Mr. Wilson is a mason and 
contractor. He learned his trade with William C. Irish, then 
became partner as Irish & Wilson. His oldest son is now his 
partner. The firm is H. M. Wilson & Son. 

Benjamin Wyatt, born in 1820, was married in 1843 to Mary 
Ann, daughter of George Slocum. Their children are: Robert 
G., Georgiana, Edward N., William B. and George S. Ben- 
jamin's father was Samuel, a prominent man of his time; his 
grandfather was David, and his great-grandfather was Nathan, 
iel, whose house was Hessian headquarters in the revolution. 

James E. Wyatt, brother of Benjamin, was born in 1820, and 
in 1840 he married Rhoda Slocum. She died leaving two sons, 
Charles A. and William Frank. Mr. Wyatt has been three 
years in the town council, and was several years assessor. His 
present wife is Orpha, daughter of Rev. E. M. Starratt. 

Robert G. Wyatt, son of Benjamin Wyatt, was born in 1844. 
At sixteen he began to attend the grist-mill on his grandfather's 
farm, and continually since he has manufactured Rhode Island 



826 HISTORY OF ITEWPORT COUNTY. 

meal. The grandfather left him the mill. This mill was origi- 
nally built in Tiverton as early as one hundred and fifty years 
ago. It was brought by Jethro Mitchell to the Mitchell place 
on the Slate Hill road. The grandfather Wyatt bought it and 
moved it to its present site. Mrs. Robert G. Wyatt is Nellie 
Anthony, a daughter of Giles Manchester. Their children are: 
Herbert G., Ethel IMay, Mary Ann and Benjamin. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



TOWN OF NEW SHOREHAM. 
By J. R. Cole. 



Description. — Geological Formation. — Discovery. — Footprints of the Wliite Man. 
— Settlement. — Civil Connection. — Some Early Freemen. — Trouble with the 
Indians. — Incursions by French Privateers. — During the Revolution. — The 
Phantom Ship. — Colonial History. — Maritime Protection. — Block Island as a 
Summer Resort. — Pul^lic Buildings. — Schools.— Churches. — Agriculture and 
Commerce. — Light Houses. — Wrecking Companies. — Biographical Sketches. 



THE town of New Shoreham, wliicli comprises the island 
known to the world as Block Island, is located in the 
Atlantic ocean, twenty-live miles southwest from Newport and 
eigiileen miles northeast from Montauk point, L. I. It lies in 
latitude 41°, 8', and longitude 71°, 33' west from Greenwich, or 
.5°, 27' east from Washington. It resembles in shape a pear, 
and is a beautiful "gem of the sea," in length seven miles and 
in width about three miles across the southern part. It has 
bluffs overlooking the waves, in some places nearlj^ two hund- 
red feet high, and its surface presents a series of undulating 
terraces which graduall3' descend until at the farther sliore they 
sink to the water's edge and shelve into the sea. It is an isolated 
speck of land, almost out of sight in the ocean, having very 
many beautiful lakes and verdure clad hills, all of which, with 
the many features not mentioned, conspire to make it a thing of 
beauty that is rarely beheld. With one sweep of the eye Long 
Island, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts can be 
seen from its commanding points, and by following the coast 
line from Fisher's island in the west to the distant shores of 
l^iizzard's bay in the east, Watch Hill, Point Judith, Newport 
and Narragansett Pier come within the range of vision. The 
'•liuiate is like that of Bermuda, with an atmosphere almost in- 
toxicating in its strength and purity, and a temperature won- 
• lerfullj' even, the mercury rareh' rising above 7.v Fahrenheit. 
Of this romantic island J. G. Wiilttler writes: 



828 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

" Circled by watei-s that never freeze, 
Beaten by liillows and swept by breeze, 
Lieth the island of Manisses, 



" No greener valleys the sun invite, 
On smoother beaches no sea-birds light, 
No blue waves shatter to foam more white. 

' ' Then is that lovely island fair; 
And the pale health-seeker findeth there 
The wine of life in its pleasant air." 

As to the geological formation of Block island we can per- 
haps give no better idea than that expressed by Mr. Edward E. 
Pettee, in the following language: 

"At some not very remote period Block Island undoubtedly 
formed the eastern extremity of Long Island, having been de- 
tached from Montauk possibly by some convulsion of nature, 
but more likely by the combined action of wind and sea, which 
latter force has since, by gradual encroachment, principally on 
the Montauk side, widened its channel until at present some 
thirteen miles of comj^aratively shoal water intervenes. 

"As a basis for this presumption we take the fact that the 
geological structure of the two is peculiar and similar, while 
entirely unlike that of the adjacent mainland, and the estimate 
of the iS'ew York State Geologist that 'at least one thousand 
tons of Montauk Point is carried away by the sea on a daily 
average,' making an annual degradation of several acres, and 
finall}', Indian traditions indicating that the distance between 
them was much less in early times. 

"This theory may seem improbable to many who are un- 
familiar with the ceaseless work of these great natural forces 
in modifying coast contours, but it is certain that much more 
marvellous changes than this have been wrought by the same 
agencies at other points within a period covered by authentic 
records." 

When Block Island was first seen by civilized navigators is 
only a matter of conjecture. The hardy vikings of old may 
perchance have cruised along its coast and traded with the In- 
dians centuries before Columbus was born, but nothing definite 
was known of the place until Verrazzano, a French navigator, 
examined its shores in 1.j24, and gave a report of it to Francis I., 
king of France. This discoverer named the island Claudia in 



IIISTdR-V OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 829 

honor of the king's mother. The French navigator described 
the island as being "in form of a triangle, distant from the 
main land three leagues, about the lignesse of the Island of 
Rhodes; it was full of hills covered with trees and well peopled, 
for we saw fires all along the coast. We gave it the name of 
Claudia of your majesties mother." All this statement with 
regard to the discovery by Verrazzano is of course based on 
the assumption that the voyage claimed to have been made by 
that navigator along the American coast from latitude 34° to 
.50° was actually made. Scholarly antiquarians and investiga- 
tors, like T. Buckingham Smith and Henry C. Murphy, have 
denied its authenticity. If their impeachment holds, the above 
statements are void. 

Nothing further has been given us in regard to Block 
Island until the discovery of it made by Adrian Block in the 
year 1614. He is the first European known to have explored 
the island. He mentions finding upon it a numerous tribe of 
Indians who received himself and his crew very kindly, and 
regaled them with hominy, succotash, clams, fish and game. 

Block had been detained at Manhattan, where he had been 
trading, until his vessel was accidentally burned. He then set 
about building a small vessel, and in it he sailed eastward down 
Long Island sound, discovering on his way tiie open water which 
disclosed the fact that Sewanhaka was an island, also discover- 
ing the small islands about the east end of that island, and pur- 
suing his course till he finally came upon Block island. This 
he called "Adrian's Eyiand," and it was so marked on the 
Dutch maps of that period. 

The Indian name of the island was ManLsses ; the first civil- 
ized name given to it was Claudia ; it was incorporated as New 
Shoreham ; but custom, stronger than all these, has given and 
preserved to it the -simple appellation, Block Island. 

The next event of importance was the visit of John Oldham 
to fliis place to trade with the Indians. Oldham was a con- 
tentious, turbulent man, who had come from England to Plym- 
outh in the ship " Ann," in (he year 1623, where, owing to his 
superior abilities, he was invited to a seat in Governor Brad- 
ford's council. In 1625, however, his strong attachment to 
Episcopacy led to his being banished from the colony. He 
subsequently found his home in the neighboring colonies, and 
in 1636 he made a visit to Block Island for the purpose of 



830 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

trading with the Indians. While lying here with his vessel, 
the Indians of the ishmd, whose secret hatred he had incurred 
by his friendly relations with the Narragansetts, who were their 
enemies, made an attack on him and murdered him on board' 
his vessel. The deed had scarcely been done when another ves- 
sel, commanded by John Gallop, came past the island, and being 
attracted by the suspicious actions of the Indians, whom he saw 
in great numbers on board Oldham's vessel, he made the dis- 
covery of what had been done and attacked the Indians in their 
boats as they were attempting to flee, and killed a large number 
of them before they could reach the shore. 

Oldham's murder greatly incensed the people of Massachu- 
setts, of which colonj- he was then a wealthy and prominent 
citizen. "God so stirred up the hearts of the honored governor. 
Master Harry Vane," says the quaint chronicler, *'and the rest 
of the magistrates to send forth one hundred well appointed 
soldiers under the conduct of Captain John Enicott." An ex- 
l)edition was thus fitted out with orders " to put the men of 
Block Island to the sword, but to spare the women and chil- 
dren." 

It is said that the Indians made very little resistance, but soon 
fled to the woods. Here the terrified inhabitants concealed them- 
selves while the English destroyed two plantations — about two 
hundred acres of corn, partly harvested — and some sixty wig- 
wams, and then re-embarked. The island at that time (1637) 
was well timbered, their corn fields being protected on all sides 
by forests. One of these corn fields was on the southerly part 
and the other on the northerly part. The latter was known by 
the early settlers as the "Corne neck," and is still known as the 
Neck. 

This exijedition, having made no definite settlement of tlie 
Indian question, another was soon after fitted out under com- 
mand of Israel Stoughton. The latter landed his forces on the 
island in the night, and making a sudden attack on the natives, 
killed a few and burned a number of wigwams. They then came 
to a parley and made a treaty of subjugation, by wliich the In- 
dians were to pay a tribute of one hundred fathoms of "'wam- 
pum peague" to Massachusetts annually. 

From this time on Massachusetts claimed the island, and the 
Indians acknowledged the conquest by paying the stipulated 
tribute to the governor annually, and they were considered, as 



HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 831 

Roger Williams said, "wholly said governor's subjects." Tn 
1658 the general court of that colony granted the island to Gov- 
ernor Endicott, Richard Bellinghain, Daniel Dennison and Wil- 
liam Hawthorne. In the year lOGO these men sold it for £400 
to sixteen individuals, who had it surveyed and apportioned 
among themselves. 

August 7th, 1060, these purchasers met at the house of Dr. 
John Alcock to confer about the premises above mentioned and 
"concerning the erecting of a plantation on the aforesaid Block 
Island." This took place in Boston. Considering the remote- 
ness of the island to them, it was attended with some consid- 
erable expense, and each one bore his part by mutual agree- 
ment. 

The sixteen purchasers of the island already referred to were 
Richard Billings, Samuel Derring, Nathaniel Wingley, Tormot 
Rose, Edward Vorse, John Rathbone, Thomas Faxon, Richard 
Ellis, Felix Wharfon. John Glover, Thomas Tei'ry, John Sands, 
Hugh Williams, John Alcock, Peter George and Simon Ray. 
The division of the lands already referred to was made by a Mr. 
Noyes, of Sudbury, Mass., acting surveyor, accompanied by 
Mr. Faxon, acting as a committee of the proprietors. The meet- 
ing at which the division was agreed upon and ordered was held 
in September, 1660, at the house of Felix Wharton, in Boston. 

The island was divided into three parts, the northern, the 
western, and the southeastern, variations in the quality of the 
soil suggesting different sized allotments. The lots in the north- 
ern part were numbered and apportioned to individual owners: 
In the northern division — 1, Richard Billings; 2, Samuel Der- 
ring; 3, Nathaniel Winglej^ and Tormot Rose; 4, Edward Vorse 
and John Rathbone; 5 and 6, Thomas Faxon; 7, Richard Ellis; 
8, Felix Wharton; 9, John Glover; 10 and 11, Thomas Terry; 
12, John Sands; 13, Hew Williams; 14, John Alcock; 15, Min- 
ister's land; 16, Peter George; 17, Simon Ray. In the western 
division — 1 and 2, Thomas Faxon; 3, Nathaniel Wingley and 
Tormot Rose; 4 and 5, Thomas Terry; 6, Felix Wharton; 7, 
John Alcock; 8 and 9, Peter George and Simon Ray. In the 
southeast division — 10, John Rathbone and Edward Vorse; 11, 
Richard Billings; 12, Richard Ellis; 13, Hew Williams; 14 and 
15, John Glover and James Sands; 16, Samuel Derring. 

In the beginning of April, 1661, two vessels Avhich had been 
built for the purpose, a bark, under the command of AVilliani 



832 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Rose, and a shallop under command of William Edwards and 
Samuel Staples, started on their voyage to the island, the for- 
mer from Braintree, and the latter from Taunton. Sailing to 
the island they commenced a settlement. 

The name of Rose is the only name of an original settler 
now represented among the residents of the island. It is 
highly probable that some of the purchasers never remained 
for any length of time and indeed may never liave come hither 
to settle at all. Of those who did come, James Sands was 
among the prominent ones. He was born in Reading, in the 
county of Berks, England, and was among the settlers of Poi'ts- 
mouth, but left that town with Mrs. Hutchinson and joined 
in the work of erecting a house for her at East Chester, near 
New York. Mrs. Hutchinson, having been doomed by the In- 
dians and Sands himself driven out of their territory, he re- 
turned to Rhode Island, and with his wife, Sarah, became one 
of the tirst settlers of Block Island. He subsequently repre- 
sented the town in assembly for a number of years, and built 
a stone house here, to which the inhabitants were in the habit 
of resorting in times of special danger. He died March 13th, 
1695, having had five sons and three daughters. His wife, 
Sarah, wlio survived him for several years, was for a long time 
the doctress of tlie island, being skilled in surgery as well as 
in medicine. In her will she provided for tiie manumission of 
her slaves, and made provision for their bringing up. She 
died in 1702. The children of James Sands were John, James, 
Samuel, Edward, Job, Sarah and Mercy, and a young daughter 
who was drowned in a mill pond near the house. Job married 
Sybil, a daughter of Simon Ray; Edward married Mary, 
daughter of John Williams; Mercy married Joshua Raymond 
of New London; John, Samuel and Job went to Long Island. 

The stone house before spoken of, built by Mr. Sands, stood 
near a mill pond not far from the harbor. The house was so 
commodious that when the French took jiossession of the 
island in 1689 they disarmed the men and imprisoned them in 
this house. 

John Alcock was an educated man, being a graduate of Har- 
vard College in 1646. He came to the island at its settlement, 
tut died near Boston March 27th, 1667. His estate here was 
divided among his children. 

Simon Ray remained at the island and became a distinguished 



IirSTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 833 

character in usefulness and honors in the new settlement. Be- 
sides filling many positions of trust, he was wont, in a laudable 
Christian manner, to hold meetings in his own house on 
Lord's days, conducting the same in prayer, singing psalms 
and exhortations. His children were Sybil, Mary, Dorithy and 
Simon. The last named was born April 9th, 1672. He was a 
captain in 1705, and held the office of deputy altogether twenty- 
one years. He was twice married. By his wife, Deborah Greene, 
he had four daughters who married as follows; Judith, Thomas 
Hubbard of Boston; Anna, Samuel Ward, afterward governor 
of Rhode Island; Catherine, William Greene, who also became 
a governor of the state; Phebe, John Littlefield, whose daugh- 
ter, Catherine, became the wife of General Nathaniel Greene. 

Mrs. Greene says: "Simon Ray, Sen., was a puritan and 
lived and died in the faith of the puritans. He held public 
worship very many years on Sunday in his own house and that 
he had committed the New Testament and the Psalms to mem- 
ory. When he was old and blind she heard him complaining 
of being ill and that he had been able to repeat to himself but 
lift}' chapters of the scriptures that day." 

He lies buried beneath a massive slate slab on a hill from 
which a large part of the island and the surrounding sea is in 
open view. He died March 17th, 1737, in the 102d year of 
his age. 

It is said of him that when the French came upon the island 
he suffered considerable torture at their hands on account of 
his refusal to disclose the hiding place of his treasures. Atone 
time they placed him in a clieese press and turned the screws 
down on him, on another occasion they tied him and whipped 
him, and again they struck him down with a blow from a fence 
rail on the head and nearly killed him. At his death he set 
free by his will his three slaves, Esther, Sofa and Warwick. 

Hew Williams was a hatter. Why the name appears in the 
form that it does the writer is not able to explain, except on the 
general principle that great carelessness in spelling prevailed at 
tliat day. " Hew " joined the Boston church January 1st, 1642. 
His will was dated October 21st, 1674. He probably had some 
domestic difficulty, as we find he deeded his property to his 
brother John and his sister, Mrs. Hale. An action at law ap- 
pears also to have been brought against him for defamation of 
his wife. 



834 IIISTOHY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Jolin Rathbone, one of the original proprietors, was a sur- 
veyor of highways in 1676, and a deputy from 1681 to 1684, in- 
clusive. He and his wife Margaret both died in 1702. His son 
John fell heir to his mansion. His daughter Sarali married a 
Mr. George. Thomas was born in 1657 and became identified 
public!}^ with the interests of the early settlers. 

William Tosh, another of the original purchasers, did not 
come to the island till the year following that in which the com- 
pany came. He had a family of ten children, viz.: Mercy, 
Sarah, Daniel, William, Mary, Catherine, John, Bethiah, James 
and another whose name we have not been able to find. It is 
said that one of these sons started on a very stormy day to 
come to the island from the mainland, in a small boat, and was 
lost in the raging sea, never being seen again. 

William Rose, who was captain of the barque when the 
projirietors came here to settle, appears to have gone hence soon 
after, as his name disappears from the records, but Thomas 
Rose, otherwise called Tormot, who is supposed to have been a 
son of William, remained on the island, and died in 1684. His 
son John mai'ried Mary Dodge, and had children: Tormot, 
Daniel, John, James, Mary, Catherine and Ezekiel, among whom 
the i^arental estate was divided. 

Samuel Derring married Mary Ray, who, dying in 1657, he 
married Frances Newcomb. His son returned to Massachusetts, 
and nothing further is known of the family here. 

Peter George, as well as Simon Ray and Samuel Derring, was 
of Braintree, Mass. He did not live long after removing to the 
island. Some of his children, it is supposed, settled in New- 
port. Com. Stephen Decatur is said to have been one of his 
descendants. 

Thomas Terry came from England in 1635. Although one of 
the first settlers on the island, he afterward removed to Free- 
town, Mass., where his descendants yet reside. 

Thomas Faxon returned to Braintree, where he was pressed 
into the service under Sir AVilliam Phipps, in the expedition 
against Quebec. 

Richard Ellis was of Dedham, and returned thence, after 
which nothing of him is known here. 

Before the town was incorporated the colonists appeared to 
be in some uncertainty as to whether they were rightfully a 
part of Massachusetts or of Rhode Island. Their government 



TIISTOKY OF NlCWPOltT COUNTY. 835 

was a pure clemocracj', subject to no law superior to their own 
will, and they probably differed in opinion as to which colony 
they would prefer to belong to. The island was settled by 
Massachusetts puritans, who had but little sympathy with the 
people or institutions of Rhode Island. It was during this 
time, in March, 1664, that the general assembly of Massachu- 
setts requested the governor and deputy to proclaim to the peo- 
ple here that they were under the care of that jurisdiction, and 
to direct James Sands, as constable, to call the most able and 
deserving men of the island to the general court of Massachu- 
setts in May to be made freemen of that colony, in accordance 
with the usual custom. Tlie candidates accordingly pre- 
sented were accepted by the assembly and made freemen, and 
James Sands and Thomas Terry were appointed by the assem- 
bly to call the newly made freemen and inhabitants together 
and read to them the orders of the court for their present regu- 
lation and to inform them that they were to be owned as free- 
men, and to take from them their acceptance of the terms and 
conditions under which they were received as freemen of the 
Massachusetts colony. 

Sands and Terry were by the assembly appointed selectmen, 
and the freemen were directed to elect a third to act with them, 
as also a clerk and a constable. The people of the island were 
authorized to send two deputies to the general assembly, a code 
of laws was furnished the new town, and the people were as- 
sured on the strength of " His Majesty's most gracious pleas- 
ure," "That no person within the said colony at any time 
hereafter shall be in any way molested, punished, disquieted, 
or called in question for any difference of opinion in matters of 
Religion that do not actually disturb the civil peace of the said 
colony.'' 

The list of freemen of 1664 was as follows: James Sands, 
Joseph Kent, Thomas Terry, Peter George, Simon Ray, Wil- 
liam Harris, Samuel Derring, John Rathbone, John Davis, 
Samuel Staples, Hugh Williams, Robert Guttory, William 
Tosh, Tormot Rose, William Gaboon, Tristram Dodge, John 
Clarke and William Barker. Hugh Williams had made some 
expressions inimical to the colony, which he was required to 
retract before he was accepted as a freeman. Thus carefully 
did the colonists guard the walk and conversation of their mem- 
bers. 

53 



836 IIISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNT f. 

The town was admitted to the colonj^ as Block Island May 
4th, 1664. Some of its earl 3' orders and regnlations were curios- 
ities, and as such a few are mentioned. It was ordered that 
Joseph Billington should "plant and sufficiently tend three 
acres of corn the next ensuing year, and so yearly during his 
abode here, and if he do not he shall depart the island." It 
was also ordered " that the town's book shall be constantly kept 
in the hands of the town clerk. And a town clerk to be chosen 
yearly for that end who can both read and write." 

During the year 1665 James Sands and Thomas Terry were 
elected to represent the town in the general assembly, they be- 
ing the first deputies from this town chosen to that body. 

Among those mentioned as freemen in 1664 is the name of 
Tristram Dodge. He was not one of the original settlers, but 
closel}' followed them, and soon became conspicuous in the new 
settlement, as have also many of his descendants down to the 
present time. 

Edward Ball, of English lineage, and his wife Mary George, 
came still later, settling here in 1678. He was deputy warden 
in 1702, and sheriff in 1704. His son, Peter, was a prominent 
representative in the colonial legislature, and a prime mover in 
obtaining a pier for the island in 1735. The Hon. Nicholas Ball, 
who has been so instrumental in an official capacity in subserv- 
ing the interests of the islanders, and who will be mentioned 
again more fully, is a descendant of Edward Ball. 

Nathaniel Mott was admitted a freeman in 168 i. In 1695 he 
was town clerk, which office he held for many years. He was 
a representative in the legislature in 1710. 

Captain Thomas Paine, who commanded the expedition 
against the French privateers in 1690, and who has the honor of 
having fought the first naval engagement on the waters about 
the island, came at a later period than the last mentioned. He 
was one of the solid and loyal citizens of the town during the 
revolution, representing the town in the general assembly in 
1753, 1757, 1761, 1765 and 1775. 

The family of Littlefields have been very numerous on the 
island for many years, being descended from Nathaniel and 
Caleb, who were admitted as freemen in 1721. Nathaniel was 
a representative in the Rhode Island assembly in 1738, 1740, 
1748 and 1754. Caleb Littlefield, Jr., was one of the committee 
of the island to oppose the English tea tax. John Littlefield 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 837 

was made a freeman in 1738, and was a representative from 1747 
until the revolution, serving during a period of nearly thirty 
years. "William Littletield was an active soldier in the revf)lu- 
tion. In 1775 he was appointed ensign, and subsequently lieu- 
tenant captain. Catherine Littlefield, daughter of John, mar- 
ried Major-General Nathaniel Greene and became an intimate 
associate of the wife of General Washington. 

There are many others who were among the early settlers of 
the island who deserve mention in this connection, but we have 
not been informed concerning them, and will close this subject 
by giving a list of the freemen in 1678. The entire list for that 
year was as follows : James Sands, Simon liay, Peter George, 
John Williams, Robert Guttory, John Sands, John Rathbone, 
Sen., Nathaniel Niles, James Sands, Jr., Thomas Mitchell, 
John Rathbone, Jr., Thomas Rathbone, Tristram Dodge, Jr., 
Nathaniel Briggs, Daniel Tosh, Tormot Rose, Tristram Dodge, 
Sen., Edward Ball, John Ackers, William Frode, Benjamin 
Niles, William Rathbone. 

Nathaniel Winslow, Nathaniel Mott and John Mott were 
made freemen August 2()th, 1682; Nathaniel Coddington in 
1683; Josiah Holling, Joshua Billington, William Carder and 
William Hancock in 1684; James Danielson in 1685; Dr. John 
Rodman and Job Carr April 7th, 1690; and Joshua Raymond 
November 17th of the same year. 

Something of the mode of life of the early settlers of the 
island is narrated by Mrs. Governor Greene, in a manuscript 
yet extant, which gives a hint in regard to those times, in the 
following language: "The first settlers had one cow to three 
families. They made mush of Indian meal which they eat with 
a little milk instead of molasses. They had a fish called horse 
mackerel. This was their daily fare. They eat their breakfast 
and went sometimes several miles to their work of clearing, and 
on their return this was their supper." 

Within a few years after the settlement of Block Island the 
whites began to experience trouble with the Indians. The lat- 
ter, conscious of their greater numbers, began to look upon the 
sixteen families as intruders. Moreover, traders sold fire-arms 
and "lire-water" to the Indians, and thus ini2)eriled the infant 
colony. Concerning these unpleasant disturbances the Rev. 
Samuel Niles relates the following: 

"At Block Island, where I was born, some time after the 



838 nisTOKY OF xewpokt county. 

Island began to be settled by the English, there then being but 
sixteen Englismen and ahoy, and about three hundred Indians, 
the Indians were wont, some of them, to treat the English in a 
curly, lordlj^ manner, which moved the English to suspect they 
had some evil design in hand; and it being in the time of Phil- 
ip's war, there was a large stone house garrisoned, erected by 
James Sands, Esq., one of the first settlers. To this garrison 
the women and children were gathered. But this was not 
esteemed a sufficient defense against such a great number of 
Indians as were then on the Island. They therefore kept a very 
watchful eye on them, especially when they had got a consider- 
able quantity of rum among them and they got drunk, as is 
common with them, and then they were read}- for mischief. 
Once when they had a large keg of rum and it was feared by 
the English what might be the consequence, Mr. Tliomas Terry, 
then an inhabitant there, the father of the present Colonel 
Terry, Esq., of Freetown, who had gained the Indian tongue, 
went to treat with them, as they were gathered together on a 
hill that had a long descent to the bottom, where he found their 
keg or cask of rnm with the bung out, and began to inquire 
who had supplied them with it. They told him Mr. Arnold, 
who was a trader on Rhode Island. Upon which he endeavored 
to undervalue him and prejudice their minds against him; and 
in their cups they soon pretended they cared as little for Mr. 
Arnold as he did. Hp told them, that if they spake the truth 
they should prove it, which is customary among them, and the 
proof he directed was to kick their keg of rum and say ' Tuck- 
isba Mr. Arnold;' which one of them presently did, and with 
his kick rolled it down the hill, the bung being open as was 
said, and by the time it came to the bottom the rum had all run 
out. By this stratagem the English were made easy for this 
time. 

"The Indians still insulting and threatening the English 
people, they became more cautious and watchful over them. 
About this time or perhaps not long after, Ninicraft himself 
came over to visit this part of his dominions, as these islanders 
were his subjects, but his own seat was on the mainland over 
against them, and there came wilh him a number of his chief 
men with many others, which gave the English new grounds of 
suspicion, fearing what might be their design, as they were 
drinking, dancing and reveling after their usual customs at such 



HISTORY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 839 

times. Whereupon the Eiiglisli went to parley with them and 
to know what their intentions were. The before-mentioned 
James Sands, who was tlie leading man among them, entered 
into a wigwam where he saw a very fine brass gun standing and 
an Indian fellow lying on a bench in the wigwam, jirobably to 
guard and keep it. Mr. Sands' curiosity led him to tal-ce and 
view it, as it made a curious and uncommon appearance. Upon 
which the Indian fellow rising up hastily and snatches the gun 
oui uf his hand, and withal gave such a violent thrust with the 
butt end of it as occasioned him to stagger backward. But 
feeling something under his feet he espied it to be a hoe, which 
he took nj) and improved and with it fell upon the Indian, upon 
which a, mighty scuffle ensued, the English and Indians on the 
outside of the wigwam closing one with another; which proba- 
bly would have issued in the destruction of the whole English 
party, as they were but a handful in comparison with the In- 
dians into whose hands they seem to have fallen, had not God, 
by a remarkable instance of his power, prevented it. For in 
the time of this tumult and impending tragedy, Ninicraft, who 
was at that time on the Island, was retired into a hot house; 
there ran a messenger from the company and acquainted him 
with the affair upon which he came with all haste and running 
into the wigwam took a scarlet covered coat and brought it out, 
swinging it around among the people as thej- were scuffling, and 
cries, 'King Charles! King Charles!' intimating thereby that as 
they were all King Charles' subjects they ought not to contend; 
which broke up the fraj' and they became peaceable and friendly 
together for that time. This coat and gun were likelj' sent by 
King Charles to Ninicraft, to engage his fidelity and friendship 
more strongly to the English. 

"Another instance of the remarkable interposition of Provi- 
dence in the preservation of these few English people in the 
midst of a great company of Indians; the attempt was strange 
and not easily to be accounted for, and the event was as strange. 
The Indians renewing their insults with threatening si)eeclies 
and offering smaller abuses, the English, fearing the conse- 
quences resolved these sixteen men and one boj^ to make a for- 
mal cliallenge to fight this great company of Indians, near or 
full out three hundi'ed, in open pitched battle and appointed 
the day for this effort. Accordingly when the day came the 
before mentioned Mr. Terrv livinji on a neck of land remote from 



840 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

the other English inhabitants, just as he was coming out of his 
house in order to meet them, saw thirty Indians with their guns 
very bright as though they were fitted for war. He inqnired 
from whence tliey came. They replied from Narragansett; and 
that they were Ninicraft's men. He asked their business. They 
said to see tlieir relations and friends. And for what reason had 
they brought their guns? They replied they knew not what 
game they might meet with in their way. He told them that 
they must not carry their guns any farther but deliver tliem to 
him; and when they returned he would deliver them back to 
them safely. To which they consented and he secured them in 
his house, and withal told them they must stay there until he 
had got past the fort; as he was to go hy it within gunshot be- 
tween two ponds. The Indians accordingly all sat down vei'y 
quietly, but staid not long after him; for he had no sooner 
passed by the fort but the Indians made their appearance on a 
hill in a small neck of land called by the English Indian-head- 
neck. And the reason of its being so called was because wlien 
the English came there they found two Indians' heads stuck 
upon poles standing there— whether they were traitors or cap- 
tives I know not. When they at the fort saw those thirty In- 
dians that followed Mr. Terry they made a mighty shout; but 
Mr. Terry had as I observed, just passed by it. 

"However, the English, as few as they were resolved to pur- 
sue their design, and accordingly marched with their drum 
beating up a challenge (Their drummer was Mr. Kent, after of 
Swanseyj and advanced within gun-shot of it, as far as the 
water would admit them, as it was on an island in a pond near 
to and in plain sight of the place of my nativity. Thither they 
came, with utmost resolution and war like coitrage and mag- 
nanimity standing the Indians to answer their challenge. Their 
drummer being a very active and sprightlj^ man and skilful in 
the business, that drum, under the overruling power of Prov- 
idence, was the best piece of their armor. The Indians were 
dispirited to that degree that they made no motions against 
them. The English after inquired of them of the reason of 
their refusing to tight with them when they had so openly and 
so near their fort made them such a challenge. They declared 
tliat the sound of the drum terrilied tliem to that degree that 
they were afraid to come against them. Prom this time the In- 
dians became friendly to the English; and ever after. In this 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 841 

insfance also God appeared for the defence of tliis small num- 
ber of English people in their beginnings; for it was not the 
rattling, roaring sound of the drnm, which doubtless they had 
heard befoie this time, but Divine Sovereignty made this a 
means to intimidate them and restrain their cruel and barbarous 
dispositions." 

In addition to the troubles experienced from the Indians the 
inhabitants of Block Island .suffered from repeated invasions 
made by French privateers during the war between France and 
England. The invasion by William Trimmings was very dis- 
astrous to the island. This lawless navigator entered the har- 
bor in July, 1689, with a fleet composed of a bark, a barge, a 
large sloop and a small one, and represented himself as George 
Austin, a noted English privateer. His men first captured the 
soldiers on the island, and after imprisoning them in James 
Sands' house, made a general pillage of the island. They re- 
mained on the island about a week, killing cattle, plundering 
houses, stripping people of their clothing, bedding, etc., and 
impoverishing the inhabitants in various other ways. A part; 
of this fleet was afterward captnred by the colonies, and Trim- 
mings himself was killed on Fisher's i.sland, to which he had 
been pursued. 

A second visit was made to the island during the same year, 
this time in the night. Mr. Samuel Niles, who was a sufferer 
at the hands of these privateers, wrote of it as follows: " I sup- 
pose I was the greatest sufferer of any under their hands at that 
time; for before I had dressed myself one of theii' company 
rushed into the chamber where I lodged. Being alone, without 
any of his company, not knowing what dangers might befal 
him, on a sudden, and with a different air, he says to me. 'Go 
down, you dog.' To which I replied, ' Presently, as soon as I 
have put on my stockings and shoes.' At which, with the muz- 
zle of his gun he gave me a violent thrust at the pit of my 
stomach, that it threw me back on the bed, as I was sitting on 
the bed-side, so that it was some time before T could recover my 
breath. He drew his cutlass and beat me with all his power, to 
the head of the stairs, and it was a very large chamber. He 
followed me down the stairs, and then bound my hands behind 
me with a sharp, small line, which soon made my hands swell 
and become painful." 

A third demonstration of the kind occurred on a Sunday. 



S42 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTi'. 

The inhabitants tied immediately to the woods for safety. The 
staj' of the invaders this time was short, as they soon saw the 
English man-of war. under command of Captain Dobbins, ap- 
proaching. 

On the 1st (;f June, 1706, a Captain Walker was approaching 
the island witii a cargo of provisions from Connecticut, when he 
saw a French privateer pursuing. He ran his vessel ashore and 
alarmed the inhabitants, who, by beat of the drum, mustered 
abouta hundred men in a few hours, and they took two sloops 
and under command of Major Wanton went out to meet the 
privateer, put her to flight, pursued her, and on the next day 
captured her with twenty-seven men on board. 

On the 18th of April, 1717, a strange sloop of the largest class 
anchored in the bay. After the crew cajne ashore and laid in 
a fresh supply, they returned to their vessel. Just before weigh- 
ing anchor they kidnapped three men from the island, George 
Mitchell, William Tosh and Doctor James Sweete, and took 
them away with them. It is not known what ever became of 
those men. It is supposed that the sloop belonged to tlie noted 
pirate. Captain Kidd. 

For a period of about twenty-tive years the distressed inhab- 
itants of Block island thus had their homes invaded and their 
houses demolished by lawless bands of pirates, against whom 
they were jjowerless to defend themselves, or to obtain redress 
for the useless and wanton destruction of their property and 
peril of their lives. 

During the revolutionary period the islanders suffered more 
than at any former time. No other place was exposed to greater 
dangers. Yet the little colony, without the pale of protection, 
put its property, lives and sacred honor on its countrj^'s altar, 
and heroically waded through that bitter struggle. 

In August, 1775, the Rhode Island assembly passed an act 
that took from the island all the cattle and sheep (about 2,000 
in all) not needed there for immediate sustenance, and a large 
company of men to secure the stock until it could be brought 
off. The assembly ordered again, in February, 1776, that the 
sheep and cattle and firearms should be brought away from the 
island. The object of this was to prevent their being seized by 
the enemy. The execution of the order was not prompt enough, 
however, for as Joseph Dennison 2d, was transporting the cat- 



IIISTOHY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 843 

tie and arms in the schooner "Folly," all were captured by the 
British. 

About this time the colony sent Jonathan Hazard to the 
island with instructions to "earnestly exhort the inhabitants to 
remove from the island." This was immediately followed by 
an act forbidding them to hind on the Rhode Island coast ex- 
cept to become citizens on the main under i^nalty of fine and 
iuiprisonment. Rev. S. T. Liverniore, in his history of the 
island, continues this subject as follows: "This was the result 
of a military necessitj^, as it could not be protected by her, and 
as its resources left there would have been captured by the en- 
emy and the island, as stated in the bill of excommunication, 
was 'entirely in the power of the enemy.' The tish-lines and 
sampmortars, hand-cards and spinning-wheels were left to the 
islanders. Cut off from groceries, from mechanic shops, from 
flour mills, from all markets, and left to the mercy of an enemy 
wJKJse ships were constantly hovering around her shores, the 
little isolated colony braved the terrors of thesituation as uobly 
as any band of Spartans found upon the pages of history. We 
iiave no record of a murmur from their lijjs against the mother 
colony, nor of an act that indicates a regret of their patriotic 
offering of their all upon the altar of liberty. But their situa- 
tion, painful in the extreme, heroically endured, was too pitiful 
for endurance on the mainland, and it awakened the deepest 
sympathies from the parent colony, whose assembly relaxed its 
stringency, and allowed, in 1777, a limited communication to be 
resumed. The last act of colonial severity toward the island 
was in February, 1779, and that act fell upon the already scathed 
and isolated few like the crash of a thunderbolt, whose force 
was partially spent upon Waite Saunders, Thomas Carpenter 
and Peleg Hoxie, as they were arrested for ' having carried on 
ail illicit commerce with the inhabitants of New Shoreham,' 
i. e.. Block Island. Their conviction would of coarse implicate 
also the islanders, of whom ' William Gorton, Robert Champ- 
lin, John Cross, Samuel Taylor, Simon Littlefield, Joseph Sands, 
.lohn Paine, Stephen Franklin, Edward Sands and Robert Cong- 
don,' were summoned to appear immediately before the assem- 
bly, 'upon the penalty of £150 lawful money each, for non- 
:ipi)earance.' Whether these principal men of the island were 
•diivicted of participating in said 'illicit commerce,' or what 
the result of the investigation was, we have not been able to 



-I 



844 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

ascertain. No doubt there were some upon tlie island wliose 
extremities made them yield to the temptations of British bribes, 
and for tliis reason, in one of its preambles, the general assem- 
bly of Rhode Island made this record : ' Whereas, the said 
town of New Shoreham hath been for a long time, and still is, 
within the power and jurisdiction of the enemies of the United 
States, whereby they obtain, in consequence of the evil practices 
aforesaid, supplies for theniselves, and iutelligence from time to 
time of the situation of our troops, posts and shores ; by which 
means they are enabled to make frequent incursions, and thereby 
commit devastations upon, and rob the innocent inhabitants of 
their property, and deprive them of tlieir subsistence; where- 
fore. Be it enacted,' &c. 

"Suspicions were sharpened against the islanders in Septem- 
ber, 1779, when a British vessel was captured by an American 
privateer, and whom should our brave sailors find upon the 
decks of their prize but two Block Islanders — John Rose and 
Frederick Willis ! Thej^ were arrested by the sheriff, delivered 
to Col. Christopher Greene, and by him passed over to Maj. 
Gen. Gates to be treated as prisoners of war. In May of 1779, 
Stephen Franklin, an islander, was arraigned before the general 
assembly for complicity with the British, and passed over to 
Gen. Gates to be tried as a spy." 

Perliaps no history would be fairly complete without some 
narration of that wonderful story of the ship '■'•Palatini'' and 
the "phantom ship," of which so much has been thought, said 
and heard, and perhaps seen. 

Sometime during the early j'^ears of the eighteenth century a 
ship named the "Palatine" left Holland for America, with a 
large number of emigrants on board, who intended to settle 
somewhere in Pennsylvania. The passengers also had with 
them a considerable amount of value in money and other arti- 
cles, with which they intended to purchase land and establish 
themselves in tlieir new homes. The officers of the ship, at- 
tracted by the amount of treasure on board, formed a conspiracy 
for the purpose of securing it. They accordingly kept the ship 
at sea for many weeks, and having possession of all the provis- 
ions on board, starved the passengers to the extremity of pay- 
ing extortionate prices for every article of food they required 
to use. "Twenty guilders for a cup of water, and fifty rixdol- 
lars for a ship's biscuit soon reduced the wealth of the most 



IIISTOKY OF NKWPORT COUNTY. 845 

opulent among them, and completely impoverished the poor(er) 
ones." 

Death by starvation actually put an end to the terrible suf- 
ferings of many, and others were reduced to such extremes of 
emaciation and disease that they never recovered. Finally, 
when the ship had become a pandemonium and a pest house, 
the officers, having secured all the treasure they could make 
way with, deserted the ship and left her to drift upon the high 
seas with her helpless passengers wherever the winds and the 
waves might toss her. 

The ship linally struck on Sandy Point, on a Sunday morn- 
ing about Christmas time, and the island wreckers made their 
way aboard of her. Sixteen living persons were rescued, being 
all that were alive except one woman, who positively refused to 
leave the ship. Although the wants of those brought ashore 
were carefully administered to, all but three of them died, two 
of tliem remaining on the island for several years, and from 
whom the terrible story of the fate of ship and passengers was 
learned. As the tide rose around the ship, it became evident 
that in spite of all efforts to hold her there, she would drift off, 
and as a last resort to frighten the lone woman on board to come 
ashore, the ship was set on fire, but even this failed of its ob- 
ject, and it is said, "she obstinately maintained her place be- 
side her valuables while the 'Palatine' drifted away into the 
gloom and darkness of the stormy night." 

'"Over the rocks and seething brine, 
Tliey burned the wreck of the Palatine." 

Superstition and human credulity have associated a singular 
light which is seen at irregular intervals off the shore of this 
island with the event just narrated, ])icturing the unexplained 
light as tlie phantom of the burning ''Palatine" which is ever 
drifting upon the open sea. always burning but never consumed. 
And as she drifts, at long intervals she appears to the vision of 
the islanders off the westei'n coast, and they 

" Behold again with sliininier and shine, 
Over the rocks an<I seething brine, 
The flaming wreck of \}m Palatine" 

The following description of this singular light is given in a 
private letter written December lOth, 1811, by Doctor Aaron C. 
Willey, a well known resident physician of Block Island who 



846 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

had enjoyed two different o}>poi'l unities of viewing the phe- 
nomenon : 

" This curious irradiation rises from the ocean near the north- 
ern point of the island. Its appearance is nothing different 
from a blaze of fire; whether it actuallj- touches the water, or 
merely hovers over it, is uncertain, for I am informed that no 
jjerson has been near enough to decide accurately. It beams with 
vai'ious magnitude, and ajipears to bear no more analogy to the 
ignis fatuus than it does to the aurora borealis. Sometimes it 
is small, resembling the light through a distant window; at 
others, expanding to the height of a ship with all her canvas 
spread. When large it disj^lays either a pyramidical form, or 
three constant streams. In the latter case, the streams are 
somewhat blended together at the bottom, but separate and 
distinct at the top, while the middle one rises rather higher 
than the other two. It may have the same apx^earance when 
small, but owing to distance and suiTOunding vapors, cannot 
be clearly perceived. This light often seems to be in a con- 
stant state of mutation; decreasing by degrees, it becomes in- 
visible, or resembles a lucid point, then shining anew, some- 
times with a sudden flare, at others by a gradual increasement 
to its former size. Often the mutability regards the lustre only, 
becoming less and less bright until it disappears, or nothing 
but a pale outline caixbe discerned of its full size, then resum- 
ing its full splendor in the manner before stated. The duration 
of its greatest and least state of illumination is not commonly 
more than three minutes; this inconstancy, however, does not 
appear in every instance. 

"After the radiance seems to be totally extinct, it does 
not always return in the same place, hut is not infrequently 
seen shining at some considerable distance from where it dis- 
appeared. In this transfer of locality it seems to have no 
certain line of direction. When most expanded, this blaze is 
generally wavering, like the tlame of a torch. At one time it 
appears stationary, at another progressive. It is seen at all 
seasons of the year, and for the most part in the calm weather 
which piecedes an easterly or southerh' storm. It has, how- 
ever, been noticed during a severe northwestern gale, and when 
no storm innnediately follows. Its continuance is sometimes 
transient, at others throughout the night, and it has been 
known to appear several nights in succession. 



IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 847 

"This blaze actually emits luminous rays. A gentleman, 
whose house is situated near the sea, informs me that he has 
known it to illuminate considerably the walls of his room 
through the windows. This happens only when the light is 
within half a mile of the shore; for it is often seen blazing at 
six or seven miles distance, and strangers suppose it to be a 
vessel on lire. 

"This lucid meteor has long been known by the name of the 
Palatine light. By the ignorant and superstitious it is thought 
to be supernatural. Its appellation originated from that of a 
ship called the ' Palatine,' which was designedly cast away at 
this place, in the beginning of the last century, in order to con- 
ceal, as tradition reports, the inhuman treatment and murder of 
some of its unfortunate passengers. 

"From this time, it is said, the Palatine light appeared, and 
there are many who firmly believe it to be a ship on fire, to 
which their fantastic and distempered imaginations figure masts, 
ropes, and flowing sails. 

"The cause of this roving brightness is a curious subject for 
philosophical investigation. Some, perhaps, will suppose it 
will depend on a peculiar modification of electricity, others 
upon the inflammation of hydrogenous gas. But there are, 
possibly, many other means, unknown to us, by which light may 
be evolved from those materials with which it is latently asso- 
ciated, by the power of mechanical affinities." 

The light was witnessed in the summer of 1880 by Mr. Joseph 
P. Hazard, of Narragansett Pier, who thus describes it: 

" When I first saw the light it was two miles off the coast. I 
suspected nothing but ordinary sails, however, until I noticed 
tliat the light, upon reapi^earing, was apparently stationary for 
a few moments, when it suddenly started towards the coast, and, 
immediately expanding, became much less bright, assuming 
somewhat the form of a long, narrow jib, sometimes two of 
them, as if each was on a ditlerent mast. I saw neither spar 
nor hull, but noticed that the speed was very great, certainly 
not less than fifteen knots, and they surged and pitched as 
thougli madly rushing upon raging billows." 

At a meeting of tlie Massacliusetts general assembly, Novem- 
ber 6th, 1672, the petition of the inhabitants of Block Island 
" for the liberty and privileg of a towneship" was granted, and 
the town of New Slioreham accordingly incorporated. The 



848 HISTORY OF Newport county. 



name was adopted as a reminder of a place in England dear ro 
the memory of the islanders, or, as they expressed it, "as 
signes of our unity and likeness to many parts of our native 
country." This name for a long time was no doubt a popular 
one, but as the sentiment in regard to the native localities of 
the settlers faded out with the early generations, the more sug- 
gestive and common name of Block Island rose in po[)ular use. 
On the incorporation of the town the freemen wei'e to meet four 
times a year to attend to their town affairs. The officers 
of the town during the remainder of that century are 
not known. For the year 1700 they were : Simon Ray, 
head warden; Joshua Raymond, deputy warden: ISTathaniel 
Mott, town clerk; James Danielson, sergeant; Edward Mott, 
constable; Thomas Rathbone, ftrst townsman; Joseph Carder, 
second townsman. The freemen of the island in 1700 were about 
forty in number. 

,The officers of the town in 1887 were: Town council — Presi- 
dent, John P. Champlin ; vice-president, Herbert S. Millikin ; 
other members, John R. Payne, Alamanza Littlefield and Daniel 
Molt; town clerk, Ambrose N. Rose; town treasurer, Edward 
H. Champlin; overseer of poor, Hamilton L. Mott; town ser- 
geant, Jeremiah C. Rose. 

During the wars between France and England, and all 
through the long struggle of the colonies for independence, 
Block Island, with no earthly ally, amenable to no other than 
its own civil authority, was left to itself, and became virtually 
but a little, forsaken, war-pillaged island, at the mercy of the 
combatants on both sides. From the year 1690 until after the 
war of the revolution, Block Island was in sight and hearing of 
the wrathful guns of the enemy almost constantly, but it so 
happened that the war of 1812 brought friendship and ])rosper- 
ity instead of hostility to the island, in consequence of its being 
declared neutral ground. The Britisli here replenished their 
vessels with water and provisions, and paid the gold ]ii)eral]y 
for these supplies, leaving the islanders to enjoy their prosper- 
ity in peace. 

Among the first improvements which the condition of things 
seemed most urgently to demand was some kind of a suitable 
and safe harbor for shipping to lie in on the shores of the island. 
The surrounding waters were well supplied with fish and 
bivalves, and some harbor facilities were also needed to facili- 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 849 

tate the taking of these, which indnsti-y promised to yield prof- 
itable returns if the needful accommodations could I)e obtained. 

As early as the year 1665, upon a petition of Thomas Terry, 
in behalf of Block Island and the privileges thereof, the general 
assembly ordered that the governor and depul}' governor and 
John Clarke should take pains to visit the island "to see and 
judge whether there be a possibility to make a harbor, etc., and 
what convenience there nmy l)e to give encouragement for a 
trade of fishing." In 167(> the general assembly appointed a 
committee to raise contributions " to make a.convenient harbor 
there to the encouradging fishing designs;" but nothing was 
done worthy of note until about ten years later. 

An incident connected with this subject may be mentioned in 
passing. A negro boy by the name of " Wrathy," who be- 
longed to Peter George, in .the year 1775 was publicly whipped 
with twelve lashes, "for staling fish from Steven the Indian." 

In the j'ear 1680 a harbor company was organized and a chan- 
nel was cut through the narrow rim of sand on the west side of 
the Great pond connecting this little Mediterranean with the 
ocean. This inlet became navigable for vessels of seventy or 
eighty tons burthen, but the improvement was not attended 
with sufficient prolit to make it a success, and after fourteen 
years of variable existence the company surrendered its charter. 
From the year 1694 the town undertook to maintain the affair, 
but in 1705 "a prodigious storm broke down the above said 
harbor and laid it waste," upon which the attempt to maintain 
the improvement was abandoned altogether. 

During the year 1702 the record given is instructive, and ac- 
quaints us with the fact that the fishing business at that time 
had become quite lucrative. We quote the following: 

"Then Capt. John Merritt brought before us one John Meeker 
for being a delinquent for absenting himself from out of said 
Merritt' s employment, being his servant for the fishing season, 
for forty shillings per month with six pounds of bread and six 
pounds of pork per week, tiie which consideration the said 
Meeker did promise to his faithful service till the middle of 
June or thereal^outs as by witness on oath doth appear before 
us. We therefore determine and give our judgment that the 
said Meeker shall perform the said conditions as above said. 
The forty shillings per month is to be paid current money of 
the colony with cost of Court, which is one shilling for the Con- 



850 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

stable's fees and two shillings for other charges which said 
Meeker is to paj. 

"Given under our hands. 

"Simon Ray, Sen. Warden. 

"Edward Ball, Dep. Warden." 
In the year 1723 New Shoreham petitioned for aid to con- 
struct a new pier, saj'ing that they were without a landing to 
bring off any of their produce; neither had they any "riding 
for vessels in a storm." In reply to this petition the Rhode 
Island legislature, to whom it was made, took some preliminary 
action, but no actual work was done until several years latei' 
That legislature evidently regarded the erection of a pier as a 
much needed imj^rovement to the island, "for the encoiu'adging 
of the navigation of this Colony, especially the fishery which is 
begun to be carried on successfully. 

Ten years later the assembly appointed the governor, Cap- 
tain Benjamin Eilery, Colonel William Coddington, Mr. James 
Whipple, Colonel James Stanton, Captain James Potter, Cap- 
tain William Wanton, Jr., and Mr. George Goulding to go over 
to Block Island to consider a place most convenient to build a 
pier or a hai^bor. This action was followed by an api)ropriation 
of £1,200 for the work of erecting a pier, which work was be- 
gun in 1785 and completed in Maj', 1745, other appropriations 
having in the meantime been made, which raised the sum total 
to £1,800. The committee in charge of the work was composed 
of Simon Ray, Peter Ball, Henry Bull, William Brown and 
William Wanton, Jr. Frequent storms retarded the work at 
times. Though it was thought the pier was built sufficiently 
strong to withstand the force of the waves, yet actual trial 
found the structure too weak to stand the test for any consid- 
erable length of time. By rapid degrees it was broken down 
by the beating of heavy storms upon it. 

In 1762 Edward Sheffield and Joseph Spencer, deputies from 
New Shoreham, presented a petition to the general assembly, 
praying for a lottery to be granted to defray the expenses of 
building a new harbor, representing that on the westermost 
side of the island was a large pond covering a thousand acres, 
which formerly had connection with the sea by a creek; that 
then the fishing for cod was well known, and bass was to be 
caught there; that since the creek had been stopped the fishing 
ground for cod was uncertain, and the bass had mostly left the 



lITSTonV OK NKWI'OllT COTTNTY. Sill 

island. Tlie plan proposed was to open the channel so that a 
jmssage could be obtained large enough for vessels to pass and 
re-pass and find a safe harbor within. This would improve the 
fishery, and the fishing boats would not again need to go to New- 
port. New London or any other port half loaded to make a harbor 
against an uprising storm. During the following year a com- 
mittee of inspection, consisting of Joseph Brown and Thomas 
Cranston, visited the island, and after viewing the premises, re- 
ported, advising that a channel capable of admitting vessels of 
fifty tons burthen be made. In their report the committee 
stated that there was no landing then at Block Island " but by 
putting goods afloat in the surf; and even passengers could not 
land in the smoothest time, as we ourselves experienced, with- 
out wading in the water above the knees or being carried by 
those that do." 

The place proposed for opening a communication with the 
sea was about a quarter of a mile southward from the old 
channel, where the water is much deeper. The lottery project 
did not succeed. 

During the revolution all attempts at making a harbor 
ceased, but in the year 1816 the Pole harbor, the most suc- 
cessful of any up to that time, was begun. This was an indi- 
vidual enterprise, each man as he chose, at low tide setting 
his own piles, where many of them are still to be seen near 
the Government harbor. This method was continued for a 
period of more than fifty years, and at one time these poles 
were over one thousand in number. 

In 1838 the United States government began to take notice of 
the matter through its appropriate departments, but nothing 
definite was at that time accomplished. In 1854, through the 
efforts of Hon. Nicholas Ball and :->enator Sprague, the neces- 
sary appropriation for a harbor here was secured, and the work 
begun and carried to completion. Mr. Ball held correspondence 
and personal interviews with the boards of trade of the cities of 
New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Providence, prepared 
petitions to congress, and labored with other men of influence 
in different parts of the country, never relaxing his efforts till 
the work was accomplished. Of Mr. Ball's appearance before 
the senate committee, the Boston Journal said: "The committee 
were so impressed with Mr. Ball's plain facts that they voted 
to recommend an appropriation of $40,000." 
54 



852 HISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Worls on the j^resent liaiborwas begun in October, 1870. The 
government had .previously made a survey of the Great pond, 
but it was decided that an attempt to improve that water would 
meet with failure. Work was begun, therefore, building the 
present harbor, and in eight years thereafter, in the month of 
November, it was completed. In securing the various appro- 
priations which were necessary to carry this work through, the 
name of Hon. H. B. Anthony is deserving of especial mention 
for the active and energetic part which he took in favor of the 
cause. 

In June, 1872, congress granted the third and last appropria- 
tion, consisting of $50,000, and under this provision the Hon. J. 
<J. Sheffield completed his contract to place 10,000 tons of stone 
in the breakwater, making the whole cost of the entire works 
but $155,000, when the United States Engineers in 1868 had es- 
timated it would cost $372,000. 

As a place of resort Block Island has been comparativelj^ un- 
known to the pleasure seeker till within the past few years. 
Hotel enterprise has, however, done much to disseminate a 
general knowledge of the place, and the little sea-girt isle, with 
its natural charms, its equable climate, and its many superior 
advantages as attractions, receives now a host of tourists every 
season. The establishment of the breakwater has also contrib- 
uted very largely to facilitate this immigration. Previous to 
the construction of these works the pleasure seeker was hardly 
willing to subject himself to the risk of landing in small boats 
through the surf, which sometimes became difficult and even 
dangerous. As soon, however, as the harbor was an assured 
fact large steamers began visiting the island, bringing hundreds 
of people curious to see this hitherto almost inaccessible place. 

As a summer home for invalids Doctor C. H. Hadley, a resi- 
dent of the island, says: 

"Block Island is noted for the longevity of its people, the 
rate of mortality being astonishinglj' low. During the ten years 
from 1873 to 1883, the average death rate was less than eight- 
tenths of one per cent.; the ratio of births to deaths is about 
two to one. The health of those residing here during the whole 
year must be the best criterion of the healthf ulness of the island. 
There is a remarkable freedom from epidemics. The resident 
population numbers about 1,300, with a large influx of visitors 
during the hot season. During the four years I have spent on 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 853 

the island there has been no epidemic of measles or scarlet 
fever, only three or four sporadic cases of each, but o/ic case of 
pneumonia, no case of diphtheria or membranous croup, only 
one or two cases of typhoid fever annually. No malaria aris- 
ing here. Cholera morbus and cholera infantum unusual, es- 
pecially the latter, and dysentery is not often met, not more 
than two or three cases occurring annually under the care of 
the physician. Acute inflammatory rheumatism which might 
naturally be expected to be common from the occupation of the 
people (fishermen exposed to the inclemency of the weather) is 
quite rare. The climate is of remarkable purity, and invalids, 
particularly, convalesce from exhausting diseases, and children 
recover from cholera infantum with marvelous rapidity. In re- 
gard to consumptives my experience has been, that as a rule 
a short sojourn during the hot summer months is very beneficial 
to a large majority of cases, the debilitating night sweats seem 
benefitted, the cough less harassing, the appetite improves and 
the patient takes a new lease of life. As is well known, the sea 
air, free from the influence of the laud, often puts to rest neural- 
gia and effects a final cure, and it is to that large class of people 
suffering from neurasthenia or nerve tire, that Block Island is 
par excellence a place of rest. 

"The climate is superb, and a fair description seems like 
gross exaggeration. During the years 1882 and '83, according 
to the U. S. Meteorological Station, the highest point reached by 
the thermometer was, 1882— June 81°, July 86°, August 82°: 
1883— June 78°, July 82°, August 81°." 

Mr. Alfred Card opened the first hotel for boarders in 1842. 
It stood where the Adrian House is now located. His first parly 
of guests consisted of seven men from Newport, one of whom 
was Mr. Van Bnren. They remained a few days, employing a 
boat to take them out fishing, John L. Mitchell and Samuel \V. 
Rose, of the island, going as oarsman. 

In 1858 the hotels had increased to three in number. They 
were patronized only by a few who resorted here chiefly to en- 
joy the fishing. In 1873 the Hon. Nicholas Ball erected the 
Ocean View House, which from time to time has been enlarged 
as the demands of the business have required. It has a charm- 
ing location, about five hundred feet from the landing, on a 
high bluff overlooking the harbor and ocean, and is a large, 
well-equipped and well conducted house. Ocean View Cottage 



854 IIISTOHY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 

is connected with this hotel by a bridge which spans the little 
valle}^ intervening. The Spring House, situated about a quarter 
of a mile from the landing, and several hundred feet back from 
the bluffs, was built in 1852. In 1870 it was remodeled and en- 
larged bj' its present proprietor, Hon. B. B. Mitchell. The 
name is derived from the springs in the little ravine below the 
house, from which the house is supplied with water by means 
of a hydraulic ram. About five hundred feet from the Ocean 
View stands the Manisses, formerly called the United States 
Hotel. It was purchased by Doctor O. S. Marden in 1882, and 
during the following winter was thoroughly remodeled and en- 
larged. The Connecticut House, jileasantly situated on elevated 
ground close by the main road leading across the island, about 
three fourths of a mile from the landing, is owned and con- 
ducted by Mr. M. M. Day. It was built in 1878, and is a sub- 
stantial, comfortably furnished, homelike place, and is liberally 
patronized every season. Not far from this stands the Hotel 
Neptune, built in 1882. It is kept by the genial proprietor, 
Rev. W. A. Durfee. It is situated on a little eminence, sur- 
rounded by green fields, and commands a pleasant prospect. 
TheWoonsocket House, about half way between tlie Connecticut 
House and the landing, is kept by Mr. Alamanzo Rose. The Sea 
Side House was erected by Mr. C. W. Willis in 1884. It is 
nicely situated, commanding an excellent view of the sea. The 
Block Island House, opened in 1883 by Captain George W. 
Conley, is a first class hotel, as are also the Central Hotel, en- 
larged in 1883 by its owner, Ray S. Littlefield ; the Pequot 
House, owned and conducted by Mr. E. B. Dodge ; the Narra- 
gansett Hotel; the Union House, built in 1883 by Mr. L. A. Ball; 
the Adrian House, one of the oldest in the village, and kept by 
Ml'. Nathan Mott ; and the Rose Cottage, on the hillside near 
the Spring House. These are all well patronized every season. 
It is estimated that about twenty-five hundred visitors annually 
come to Block Island. 

Aside from the hotels, tlie public buildings of Block Island 
are few in number, but worthy of a passing notice. Chief among 
these is the town hall. This was built in 1814, not then as a 
town hall, but a church edifice, for which purpose it was used 
many years. It was at that time located on Cemetery hill, but 
was subsequently moved, rebuilt and has since been the town 
hall, and latterly also used as a high school building. Not far 



HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 855 

from this stands the First Baptist clnirch, erected in 18.-)7. It is 
similar in size and general ap[)earan(;e to the average country 
church. 

The first place of meetinij for religious services was, as we 
have before stated, the dwelling house of Simon Ray. At that 
and the house of his son religious services were held on Sab- 
baths for many years. The first meeting house was erected in 
1756. It was located near the north end and easterly of the 
Fresh pond. At that time, though the population was more 
sparse than now, yet all the houses on the island, witli the ex- 
ception of two or three, were within two and a half miles of the 
meeting house. The third meeting house of the island was lo- 
cated on Gravel hill, and stood a little east of the center, ou 
the north side of the road from the harbor to the center and 
on the first little hill east of the last mentioned point. It was 
built on shares, but was not occupied till the year 1857. 

The fourth meeting house was built in 1863, and dedicated 
on the 25th of August of that year. This honse cost $2,500, and 
was fitted with a furnace for heating, the first fixture of this 
kind ever seen on the island. 

The First Free Will Baptist meeting house was built on the 
west side in 1853. It vpas burned in 1863, and a second one v^as 
partlj' built in 1869. Before this was completed, however, it 
w:is demolished by a heavy gale, which occurred during the 
month of September of that year. The third house erected by 
them is the one Lhey now occupy. 

Tlie chapel at the harbor was erected by the First Baptist 
ciiurch in the fall of 1885, for the accommodation of summer 
visitors of all evangelical denominations. 

Odd Fellows' Hall at the harbor and the Block Island post 
office are plain, substantial buildings, well calculated for the 
uses for which they were erected. 

The school houses of the island are plain buildings, but of 
good size and are well arranged. 

The schools of Block Island, according to the testimony of 
the commissioner, are "as good as those in anj' of the coun- 
try towns of the state." In addition to the Island high 
school, which was opened in 1875, there are five district schools, 
all in charge of well drilled teachers. To Reverend S. T. Liver- 
more we are indebted for points of information in regard to 
the schools and churches, which we take this occasion to 
acknowledge, iiiul whose hiiignage we quote as follows: 



856 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

" The iirst school of which we have any account was located 
a little east of the north end of Fresh Pond, and was a com- 
mon school in which were taught the alphabet, spelling, read- 
ing, writing and arithmetic. It existed when it was a frequent 
occurrence for men to sign a paper bv each making his 
'mark.' 

"The next school was opened on the Neck, and according 
to tradition was quite largely attended, and was conducted in 
the usual manner of schools on the main land. These have 
been followed by others, one on the West Side, one near the 
Harbor and one at the GuUey. All the old houses of these 
five schools have disappeared, and new ones with modern iin- 
provements have been substituted. But few populations of less 
than twelve hundred have sustained five schools in a better 
condition. 

" The Island High School at the Center was opened for the 
first time November 29th, 1875, by Mr. Arthur \V. Brown, of 
Middletown, R. I., with sixteen pupils during the Iirst term. 
After several terms of successful studies under its first princi- 
pal, as he left the Island highly esteemed by many warm friends, 
the school has continiied to prosper under the management of 
its present princijial, Mr. C. E. Perry, a native of the Island. 
As an act of encouragement the town gave to the school the 
free use of the Town Hall." 

Concerning the churches and ministers we quote the following 
l)aragraphs in the language of Reverend Mr. Liverniore: 

"The first call to a minister on the island was made in March, 
1700, not by a church but by the town, at a regular meeting, 
where a preamble equivalent to a brief sermon was signed by 
twenty-eight freemen, ten by 'his mark.' This preamble 
deeded to him 'live acres, giving the right and disposition 
thereof to Samuel Niles and his heirs forever." He accepted 
the call, accepted the land, but either he as a disciple of Har- 
vard College was not accejitable to his Baptist hearers, or they 
were not congenial to him, and he sold his land andsettled in 
Bi'aintree, where he was ordained May 23, 1711. 

"A missionary period of about fifty years, with perhaps short 
pastorates, seems to have intervened between the resignation of 
Mr. Niles and another permanent settlement of a minister. In 
1756 Rev. Samuel Maxwell, a Baptist ordained in Swansea, 
Mass., Apr. 18, 1733, received part of the rents of the 'Ministry 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 857 

Lot,' and in Sept., 1758, he received from the Island <£124, 'old 
tenor,' 'for his serving as a minister in said town the last four 
months.' This was by vote at a town meeting. The 'Ministry 
Lot,' in 1756, rented for ' £400, old tenor,' and this sum was 
equivalent to .^oO.OO, and Mr. Maxwell's appropriation from the 
town in 1758 was $15.50. 

"The Island religion was indicated in a town vote August 
28th, 1759, to employ Rev. David Sprague ' so long as said 
Sprague shall serve the inhabitants of the town by preaching to 
them the gospel of Christ according to the Scriptures of truth, 
making them, and them only the rules of his faith, doctrine 
and practice.' He complied with these terms fifteen years, un- 
til he moved from the Island in the summer of 1775. 

"The first church on the island was organized under Mr. 
Sprague's ministry. He had been ordained on the 12th of July, 
1739. At an adjourned meeting, October 3d, 1772, the organiza- 
tion was effected. They had previously drawn up articles of 
faith and practice. Their services, though brief, were compre- 
hensive and solemn. The minister, four brethren and three sis- 
ters were assembled, and ' then read the articles of fellowship 
with one another, and then the church gave Elder Sprague the 
right hand of fellowship) to administer the ordinances of God as 
an evangelist.' Three months afterward, for the appointment 
of a deacon, the pastoi-, at a meeting, called upon each brother 
' to pass single before the Lord to see whether there was one in 
the church tliat was called of God to the office of a deacon.' 
Thomas Dodge, in doing so, expressed the conviction of his call 
to that service. Then the pastor 'met him in a covenant way 
and declared that he believed that his dedication was of God, 
and gave him fellowship in the office of deacon.' While hold- 
ing tjiis office during the revolution, without a pastor, until 
1784, he gained ' a good degree,' for he was then ordained as 
the successor of Mr. Sprague. 

"A Free Will Baptist church was organized on the island 
about the year 1820, and also a Seventh Day Baptist church, in 
April, 1864. although it has had no house of worship. 

"One of the remarkable things of Block Island is that while 
the Christian religion has been well represented here more than 
two hundred years, in an average population of over 1,000 dur- 
ing the last hundred years, only one denomination has here 
existed, while the members of the first church at one time 



858 HISTOKY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

were over four hundred, and those of the other two were one 
hundred and fifty. On this island neither sprinl'Cling, nor 
pouring, nor sighing of the cross for baptism; nor human 
grades of ecclesiastical authoritj- have ever been recognized 
by its inhabitants." 

Rev. A. Braitlnvaite is the present pastor of the F'irst Baptist 
church at the center, and Rev. Charles W. Griffin is pastor of 
the Free Will Baptist church on the west side. 

When Block Island was taken from the Indians it was well 
timbered, and had large corn-fields, protected on all sides by 
forests. These were gradually cut away as the land was needed 
for cultivation. Sixty years ago the inhabitants had sufficient 
timber for fnel and fencing. For a centurjr previous to about 
1860, however, peat was mostly used for the former purpose, 
and in later years coal is used lioi the same purpose. The sur 
face of the island is very uneven, and between the low hills are 
hundreds of ponds, while the Great ])oud may almost be called 
an inland sea. The soil is naturally quick and productive, but 
very full of granite boulders and pebbles. These have been by 
hard labor utilized in tlie construction of multitudes of stone 
walls, with which the little farms all over the island are fenced. 

The agricultural products have not been sufficient to give 
su[)port to the population, though the soil has been well nour- 
ished by the liberal application of fish offal and sea-weed, of 
which about 10,000 loads annually are cast up by the sea upon 
the shores and gathered by the farmers. Since the attractive- 
ness of the place has made of.it a summer resort, the popula- 
tion have found a home market for their farm and garden pro- 
ducts, fish, etc., and are in a more prosperous condition than 
they once were. Besides agricultural and mercantile pursuits, 
the inhabitants are largely engaged in the fisheries, the value of 
that industry being estimated at about seventy-five thousand 
dollars a year. 

The island is well supplied with stores, which are filled with 
-•1 large assortment of general merchandise, and add much to 
the general appearance of the place. Nicholas Ball began 
trading on the island in 1853, and soon after was followed by 
Mr. J). B. Dodge. The latter was succeeded by J. T. Dodge in 
or about 1875. Mr. D. B. Dodge is now captain of the United 
States Signal Service station here. A partnershii) was formed 
in 1873 between Messrs. C. C. Ball and C. WAVillis, which con- 



HISTORY OK NEWPOKT COUNTY. 859 

tinned tliree yeai's, iifter wliicli it was dissolved and each carried 
on bnsiness by himself. Mr. Lorenzo Littielield, in a large, 
handsome, modern building, is carrying on a large trade at the 
Center. Ray S. Littlefield, J. N. Lathan, A. Sprague and others 
are also engaged in the mercantile business. The drug store 
built in 1882, is kept by Mr. Frank C. Cundall, a son-in-law of 
Hon. Nicholas Bali. 

The following graphic account of the Block Island mails is 
given by Mr Livermore: 

" Their first postmaster, William L. Wright, was appointed 
December 13th, 1832, and his office was his bedroom. From 
that date up to 1876 the arrival of the mail was the great event 
of the island. Then news by letters and papers was fresh 'from 
Americva.' As the mail was opened a circle of faces gathered 
around, and by a custom kept more than forty years the whole 
island was duly informed of the arrival of each letter, whether 
of love or business. For the postmaster proclaimed to the 
anxious listeners the name of each person addressed, and his 
hearers from all parts of the island carried home and reported 
the news of the last arrivals. It was customary for one neigh- 
bor to answer for several others who were absent from the calls 
of the j)ostmaster at the distribution. 

"The first contractor for carrying the Block Island mail was 
Captain Samuel W. Rose, on a salary of §416 a year, leaving 
the island on Wednesday morning at eight o'clock, and return- 
ing from Newport at the same hour on Thursday. Captain 
Rose was succeeded by his son. Captain John E. Rose, who, 
rather than be underl)id by his competitor, contracted to carry 
tlie mail to Newport for one cent a year, and after four years 
of faithful service to the gcjverninent he had received only one 
cent of the four due, and that one was paid by a Providence 
gentleman who wanted the honor of paying from his own pocket 
the whole expense of carrying the Block Island mail one year. 
Now, in summer, the mails are daily, and part of the time several 
each day, and the Islanders, by their own steamer and telegraph, 
are thoroughly identilied with other nations." 

The following list gives the names of all the postmasters of 
Block Island and the dates of their appointment: William L. 
Wright, December 13th, 1832; Samuel Dunn, July 26th, 1837; 
Alfred Card, June 12th, 1841; George Rose, September 23d, 
1845; Rev. Charles C. Lewis, April 17th, 1852; Rev. Elijah Mac- 



80(1 mSTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

coml)er, May 17th, 18j5; Samuel J. Osgood, August 4tli, 1860; 
William L. Millikin, June oth, 1861; C. W. Willis, present, 
May 9th, 1878. 

Block Island has two light houses. The first one was erected 
on Sandy Point in 1829. It stands on the northern extremity 
of the island, and hence its name, the North light. A second 
one was erected on the same point in 1837, and a third in 18.57. 
All these were rendered unserviceable by storms and shifting 
sand. The present one, a substantial granite building, was 
built in 1867. It gives promise of withstanding the agencies of 
nature for a long time. 

Mr. William A. Weeden, of Jamestown, R. I., was the first 
keeper of this light. He held the position till 1839, when he 
was succeeded by Simon Babcock. The latter was relieved by 
Edward Mott, who received his appointment from President 
Harrison in 1841. He served till 1861, when his place was filled 
by the appointment of Hiram D. Ball, the present keeper, who 
was appointed by President Lincoln. 

The South light, sometimes called the New light, is situated on 
the southeastern part of the island, near the edge of the famous 
Mohegan bluff. The building is of brick, and the lantern stands 
at an elevation of two hundred and four feet above the level of 
the sea. It was erected in the summer of 1874, at a cost of 
$75,000. The glass of the lantern, consisting of prismatic lenses, 
scientifically arranged so as to produce the best effect, is said 
to have cost $10,000. It was lighted for the first time February 
1st, 1875. It burns one thousand gallons of oil a j'ear, and its 
light is visible thirty-five miles at sea. 

Tlie fog signal connected with this house is an immense 
trumpet, opening toward the sea. The trumpet is of metal, 
seventeen feet long, and is blown by a four horse-power steam 
engine. Mr. H. W. Clark has charge of this light and fog sig- 
nal. 

The cable office of the United States Signal Service, or mili- 
tary telegraph, is in a wing attached to Mr. J. T. Dodge's gen- 
eral store. The cable extends from a point near the North 
light to Point Judith, about eleven miles distant, and the wires 
go thence over the land to Narragansett Pier, where they con- 
nect with the Western Union telegraph system. The cable was 
laid by the government in the spring of 1880, petitions for it 
having been circulated and forwarded to congress by Hon. 



niSTOllY OF NEWroKT COUNTY. 861 

Nicholas Ball, and headed by the late Professor Joseph Henry, 
in the year 1870, and again in 1878. The telegraph is available 
to the public for private messages as well as for its official work. 

On Block Island there was a wrecking organization, consist- 
ing of about sixteen men, whicli did all the business until about 
twenty years ago. Then Darius B. Dodge and twenty-eight 
others formed a rival company, under the name of "The Inde- 
pendent Wrecking Company." After the usual reverses, in face 
of organized and successful pompetition, this new company made 
a beginning, and within two years compelled recognition, and 
an equal division of the earnings in the Block Island district. 
The influence of this business matter upon local politics is quite 
phenomenal. Prior to 1872 there were only two dozen demo- 
crats on the island, only seven votes being cast for Horace 
Greely. After the company was organized and began business 
Mr. Dodge, the originator of the organization, was nominated 
for general assembly, and was elected bj' eighty-four majority. 
Since that time the town has been represented in the legislature 
by democrats only. 

Simon R. Ball was one of the original eight in the old wreck- 
ing company, as also was Francis Willis. Hiram D. Ball was 
captain and Samuel Allen was contractor. The company was 
made up of trained and practical seafaring men. 

Biographical Sketches. 

Samuel Allen, born in 1824, has been warden of the peace, 
councilman, and was one year in the legislature. His children 
are: Plieba, Helen, Samuel, Wanton J. and Sylvester R. Mrs. 
Allen is Mary A., daughter of Simon R. Ball. 

Hon. Nicholas Ball.— On the last day of the year 1828, in 
an humble Block Island cottage, situated about halfway between 
Salt lake and Trimm's pond, so called, and overlooking the bay 
on the east, a son was born to Edmund and Charity (Dodge) 
Ball. He was a descendant of Hon. Peter Ball, of English 
lineage, who was prominent as a representative in the colonial 
legislature, and a prime mover in obtaining a pier for the island 
in 173.'). This pier, however, like othtMs built later, served only 
a temporarj' purpose; and the subject of this sketch was ush- 
ered into life on an island without a harbor, subject to the toils 
and hardships of a remote seafaring connnunity, and enjoying 
few of the comforts of civilization. 



862 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

At tile age of eight years he began to attend a private school, 
very primitive, and in session only about half the year. His 
text-books were the old English Reader, Webster's Spelling 
Book and Daboll's Arithmetic; his schoolmates preferred play 
to work; but his teacher was an earnest lady of rare tact, and 
the boy performed his tasks carefully and conscientiously, mak- 
ing rapid progress. His two ciphering books, aggregating 
nearly four hundred pages of foolscap, are still pi'eserved, and 
are filled with the solutions of i^roblems, accompanied by state- 
ments of iirincijiles and rules, and infers^iersed with well drawn 
pictures of full-rigged ships. They show no sign of the trait 
which some people manifest in starting a diary with minute 
fidelity, and day by day giving it less attention; for to the very 
last page there was no diminution of the care with which every 
letter or figure was made, and the heading of every subject or 
page ornamented and shaded. It may be doubted if two books 
of this size were ever filled more carefully by one so young. 

He attended only one entire school year, for during liis ninth 
summer he went to sea as a cook at a salary of six dollars per 
month, which was increased to .seven dollars the following sum- 
mer. Thus, attending school some four months each winter, 
and making short voyages summers, or working for farmers at 
from ten to twenty cents i^er day, he passed his time until 
March, 1843, when he secured a berth as cook for ten dollars a 
month, and afterward as a seaman, his wages steadily increas- 
ing until, as chief mate of a large vessel, he received twenty- 
eight dollars per month. In addition to all the ports along our 
Atlantic coast, his voyages took him to the West Indies, Eng- 
land, France, and, in 1849, after a triji of one Imndred and sixty- 
one days, around Cape Horn to California. His father was 
jtroud of the industry and enterprise of his son, but would have 
liked for him to exchange his roving disposition for the quiet 
home life of his brothers and sisters. He was accustomed to 
say that all of liis numerous children were sure to prosper ex- 
cept Nicholas, who was not likely " to store much honej- in the 
hive." The young man seemed to share this idea, for on Jan- 
uary 19th, 1851, from the mines at Rattle Snake Bar, North 
Pork American River, he wrote to his brother-in-law, Joseph 
Sherman, brother of General T. W. Shernum of Newi)ort, a let- 
ter containing these words: ''You express a wish that I maj'' 
soon return with my j)ockets full of shining dross. I cannot 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 863 

promise that my pockets icill be full, for this gold is very slip- 
pery, as all the world knows, and very heavy. My pockets fnll 
would make me rich for life, according to my present idea of 
riches." 

In ISf)! he made a short visit to his home, and then 
went back to California, where, either mining or in voyages 
along the Pacific coast, he remained until 1854, when he re- 
turned to Block Island and .engaged in mercantile pursuits. 
He was at once elected representative to the general assembly 
of Rhode Island and re-elected the following year. He was 
made a state senator in 1858, and, except in 1860, 1861 and 1862, 
he held that position until 1873, when, on account of increasing 
business, he declined to be a candidate for any office. From the 
time he first sailed for California until he finally abandoned the 
sea, he had been part owner or captain of the ve.ssels on which 
he had served ; and the money he was thus enabled to save, 
together with his acquisitions at the mines and his later profits 
in the home business, gave him the means for traveling and 
buying books or j^apers wlienever he wished to probe a legisla- 
tive question to the bottom. He soon became very influential 
among legislators, as he had formerly been with ship owners 
and officers. He was noted as a financier, also for keeping track 
of every bill pending before the legislature or in congress, and 
for always knowing what was the proper thing to do next with 
any important measure. In his voyages he had learned the 
possibilities of improving his native island, and as a legislator 
he soon saw how the desired improvements must be obtained, if 
at all, and he threw his whole being into the work. 

His first triumph, obtained by his own indefatigable efforts 
and the aid of powerful coadjutors, was the government break 
water, which has cost some $::i()(),000, and now extends its huge 
arm seaward from Block Island 1,500 feet. An idea of what 
was necessary to obtain this may be gained from a paragraph 
by the historian, S. T. Livermore: "In this brief sketch only an 
index can be given of the time, money and personal effort put 
forth by him in this nationalenterpri.se — one which had repeat- 
edly proved a failure under tlie administrations of the town 
alone, and the town and colony combined. Mr. Ball's judg- 
ment, personal influence, indomitable perseverance and success 
in this public enterprise furnish an example which it would be 
gratifying to see others endeavoring to excel. His personal in- 



864 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

tervievvs with congressmen at Washington, with the boards of 
trade at Philadeljihia, at New York, at Providence and at Bos- 
ton, visiting some of these cities repeatedly; his petitions ob- 
tained by him from mercantile firms in Bangor,Boston, Newport, 
Providence, Stonington, New London, New York, Philadelphia 
and other places directed to their respective congressmen; and 
his unceasing correspondence, all of wliich was carried on from 
1867 to 1870, required an expense of time, money and brains 
which but few could afford. Both approvals and complaints 
point to Hon. Nicholas Ball as the principal founder of the 
Government harbor at Block Island, and while accepting some 
of the pecuniary fruits of the enterj^rise, he enjoys the satisfac- 
tion of seeing his town enriched thereby thousands of dollars 
where he is profited hundreds." 

An idea of how these petitions and appropriations were ob- 
tained may be gathered from a paragraph from the Boston 
Journal, February 18th, 1867: "Hon. Nicholas Ball was before 
the Senate Committee of Commerce this morning to advocate 
the appropriation for a breakwater at Block Island. The com- 
mittee were so impressed by Mr. Ball's plain facts they voted 
to recommend an api^ropriation of $40,000.00." 

Having witnessed from boyhood the great destruction of prop- 
erty wrecked on the island, with its attendant risk or loss of life, 
he turned his attention to devising and obtaining means for its 
protection, as soon as he obtained rest from his labors for the 
breakwater. By similar persistent efforts he secured a life 
saving station on the west side of Block Island in 1872, and soon 
afterward one near the breakwater. The same course was pur- 
sued in getting the immense siren and the light house at South- 
east point, the latter costing §75,000, being one of the finest in 
the world. In 1877 Mr. Ball sent to Congress a petition headed 
bj' Professor Joseph Henry, signed by many prominent com- 
mercial men from Calais, Me., to Philadelphia, and recom- 
mended by many boards of trade in our seaport cities, asking 
for an appropriation for a signal station at Block Island, to be 
connected with tlie main land by a sulnnarine cable. After re- 
peated disappointments and as constantly renewed attempts, 
the appropriation was made; and at 5 o'clock P.M., April 21st, 
1880, Mr. Ball had the pleasure of making the congratulatory 
address on the laying of the long desired cable, which has since 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 865 

been of great service to commerce, to the signal service, and to 
the general public. 

Space does not permit detailing the minutia of his story, 
which is closely intei'woven with various other improvements 
of both local and national iniportance. Although his career 
has been essentially a public one, his private enterprise has 
been no less marked. Himself a hard worker, the execution 
of his plans has given eniployment to hundreds. His mer- 
cantile career was very successful, but was brought to a close 
in 1874, when he turned his attention to the erection of the 
Ocean View Hotel, which has become famous as the summer 
home of prominent men, and which has grown to colossal size 
iinder the demands of a constantly increasing business. As 
is well known, its reputation is hardly equalled by that of any 
other hotel on the Atlantic coast. 

Though not inclined to be radical in his views, he is a strong 
supporter of the republican party, of which he has been a 
member since its oiganization. He married, in 1851, Eliza 
Milliken, daughter of Abraham and Sybil (Littlelield) Milli- 
kin, of Block Island. Their surviving children are: Cassius C, 
Effie A. (Cundall), and Schuyler C. L. Mrs. Ball died April 
14th, 1870, and Mr. Ball subsequently married Mrs. Almeda 
R. (Dodge) Littlefield, daughter of Solomon and Catharine 
Dodge. 

The above is but a brief outline of the history of a man who, 
deprived of his mother when but seven months old, experi- 
enced in his early life such hardships and privations as would 
crush the youthful aspiration and ambition of most boys: yet 
who stemmed the tide of circumstance and rose superior to his 
misfortunes and poverty, lifting his native island with him; 
for the contrast between his present wealth and his former want 
is not greater than that between Block Island as he found it 
and as he will leave it. With no great examples of human en- 
deavor around him to inspire, with but scanty advantages for 
education, and without the great incentives to action found in 
large communities, his invincible native energy and his strong 
determination to make the most out of the stuff that was in 
him, manifested itself very early in life and impelled him to a 
career in which he has made an impression upon his age which 
will continually deepen as his story becomes better known. 
The visitor to Block Island can see on every side evidences of 



866 HISTOKY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

the work of Nicholas Ball; but his monument will be the break- 
water which st.ays the proud waves of the ocean and affords 
shelter to many a storm- tossed vessel. 

And there shall it stand for centuries after its great founder 
has gone, a huge monument of granite, stretching its mighty 
arm of protection fifteen hundred feet into the sea, a perpetual 
reminder to the many thousands who shall enjoy the great 
blessings of security, of wealth, and of the comforts it shall 
bring, of the indomitable energy and unswerving purpose of 
Block Island's greatest citizen. 

Hiram D. Ball, for twenty-six years keeper of the Norih 
light, is a brother of Nicholas Ball. He was born in 1821, fol- 
lowed the sea in the merchant service, coastwise and in tlie 
West India trade, about twenty years. His wife was Mary 
Ann Mott. They have four children: Hiram Ansel, Charity, 
now Mrs. Edward S. Payne, Macy A. and Adriatta. 

Simon R. Ball, retired seaman and farmer, was born in 1816, 
and named for his father, Simon Ray Ball. At fourteen he 
went coasting, then to the West Indies and in European trade 
as mate in the ship "Tremolion," of Boston. He married Celia 
Ann Mitchell, who died leaving four children: Mrs. Samuel Al- 
len, Celia Adelaide, Amos D. and Emma A. His present wife, 
Alice, is a daughter of Samuel Dodge. Their children are: Ed- 
ward M., William N., Simon R., Jr., Hiram D., 2d, and Pheba 
R. Mr. Ball was with the Old Wrecking Company during those 
years when that business was very profitable. He was seven- 
teen years overseer of the poor. 

William Pitt Ball, whose father bore the same name, is a 
grandson of Simon Ray Ball. He was born in 1835, and married 
Sarah, daughter of Christoplier E. Champlin. They have four 
sons: Irving 0., Eugene, Everett and Fenner. . Of the two older 
boys, the former is a student at fhe State Normal school and 
the latter at Deans' academy. Mr. Ball has been in the town 
council and has served several j'ears as assessor. 

Martin V. Ball, brother of William P., was born in 1839. 
His wife, Mary J., is Edward H. Champlin's daughter. Their 
children are: Susie R. and Florence A. Mr. Ball has had the 
mail contract to and from Block Island nearly all of the last 
eighteen years. He is an officer and one of the owners of the 
steamer "G. W. Danielson," and has considerable farm interests 
in town. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 867 

Leander a. Ball, born in 1831, is a son of Gideon D. Ball, 
whose father was Isaiah Ball. His wife is a daughter of Robert 
C. Mitchell, a son of Amos Mitchell. They have two sons and 
fonr danghtei's. At the age of seventeen he began work as car- 
j)enter and builder, learned the trade, and followed this busi- 
ness until 1879. In 1882-3 he built the " Union House," which 
accommodates fifty guests, and which he now owns. 

Captain William G. Card, carpenter, born in 1844, is 
the son of Alfred Card, who, prior to 1870, was for twenty-five 
years a prominent man here. Captain Card was for five years 
in the First Rhode Island cavalry, and was captain of the New 
Shoreham life saving station seven years. In 1875 he opened the 
first public bathing houses here. Mr. Card is married to Ann 
E., daughter of James Dodge. Their only child is Junietta 
Card. 

John P. Champlin. — While two hundred and twenty-six 
years have been working the inevitable extinction of many of 
the old family names which were a part of the pioneer record of 
the white race on Block Island, other family names have from 
time to time been brought into prominence, so that the third 
century of local history seems destined to be strongly marked 
by families unknown here in the first century of the white man's 
occupancy. 

One of these is the Champlin family. Tiie name Champlin 
and Champlain, quite generally disseminated through New Eng- 
land, suggests the probability of a common ancestry, although 
the orthography here used has come down in an unbroken line 
for at least five generations. 

Christopher Elihu Champlin, son of one Joseph Champlin, 
the ancestor of all who bear the family name on this island, was 
born in North Stonington, and spent his active years in Wake- 
field, R. I. His son, Nathaniel L., married Captain Hull's 
daughter. Thankful Hull, of Block Island, a wealthy farmer, 
from whom they there inherited a considerable land property. 
This Nathaniel came to the island prior to his marriage, which 
was probably about 1775. He was a thorough and successful 
farmer, of wliicli many instances bear evidence. Here his seven 
children were born. The sons were Uriah, Peleg C, John, 
Edward TL, Christopher E.; the third being named in honor of 
grandfather Hull. In tlie settlement of the estate Peleg and 
55 



868 HISTOIJY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Jolin had the land. John died at the age of fifty-one, leaving 
five children, who sold their place and left the island. 

The youngest son, Christopher E., was born February 16th, 
1807. In 1831 he purchased the estate on which he died May 
30th, 1885, and here he reared his family of seven children. 
His only son was his third child, John P., born December 15th, 
1837, who was married in 1859 to Lydia M., a daughter of Wil- 
liam M. and Wealthy Maria Rose. Mr. Ro.se was a man well 
and favorably known here. He bore his part in local public 
affairs, being town clerk several years and in the town council. 
He owned and ran the mail packet for a long time, and was 
once customs inspector for New Shoreham. 

Mr. and Mrs. John P. Champlin have three sons: Hon. Chris- 
topher E. Chami)lin, Dr. John C. Champlin and William Rose, 
a lad of nine years. 

Christopher E. was born in 1860. His early education was in 
the common schools. He also availed himself of the advantages 
offered by the high school of Block Island, and was afterward 
employed two years as teacher in the district schools. Aiming 
at a professional career, he became a student in Greenwich 
Academy, and finally completed his preparatory studies in 
Brown University. In 1882 he entered the Boston University 
Law School, taking his degree in 1884, and on the 8th of July 
following was admitted to the Suffolk county (Boston) bar. 
His office training was with Edward H. Hazard and Charles H. 
Parkhurst, of Providence. His admission to the Rhode Island 
bar soon followed in 1885, when he opened an office in Provi- 
dence. In the sjiring of 1887, being still regarded as a resident of 
Block Island, the democratic jtarty of that town selected him as 
their candidate for state repi-esentative, in a campaign promis- 
ing to be, as it proved, one of the most sharply contested com- 
bats ever settled by ballot on Block Island. The canvass closed, 
showing a large majority for Mr. Champlin, over John C. Shef- 
field, the republican candidate. 

Doctor John C. Champlin, the second son of John P., was 
boin February 12th, 1864. He, in early boj'hood, had a long- 
ing for a life on the sea, and at one time had his clothes packed 
awaiting an opportunity for his escape. He was finally per- 
suaded to give up the idea, and he returned to his books and 
received, like his bi'other, a liberal education. Being of that 
turn of mind which would naturally adapt one to his profession, 




^ 7^ C /^ i^ii-z.-^^ 



HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 869 

he decided to turn his attention to the unfortunate of earth ; 
and in the fall of 1882 he entered the Boston University Med- 
ical College, taking his degree with marked distinction in the 
class of 1885. Early in the course he joined and became a 
prominent member of the Hahnemann Medical Society, from 
which he also received a diploma. Soon after he graduated, 
being importuned by friends, he returned to his native town 
and opened an office in the fall of 1885, being the lirst resi- 
dent physician Block Island ever produced; where he still re- 
mains building up a splendid business, and highly esteemed 
by many friends. 

The senior Mr. Champlin, whose name appears at the head, 
of this article, was bred to the farm. At the age of twenty-four, 
two years after his marriage, he began the improvement of his 
father's farm, and upon him, as the only son, soon devolved 
the duty of managing, more or less, the affairs of his father, in 
his declining years. As a farmer he is counted among the first 
in the town in point of sj'^stem and success. His farm property, 
very pleasantly situated, comprising the old homestead estate of 
his father, is one of the most valuable on the island. He is one 
of the original members of the Independent Wrecking Com- 
pany, to which his father also belonged. 

In the spring of 1873 Mr. Champlin was elected a member of 
the town council, taking his seat as a democrat. The following 
year he was again chosen, and in 1876 he was elected second 
warden and vice president of the council. This position he 
held until 1884, when, as a just recognition of his fidelity to 
public interests, he was jilaced at the head of the town gov- 
ernment as first warden and president of the council. Each 
year since then his townsmen have endorsed his coui'se by a 
re-election. 

It has long been Mr. Champlin"s judgment that the Great 
Salt pond in New Shoreham should be opened to the sea. This 
is a measure to which the democracy of Block Island has been 
pledged for several years. Since Mr. Champlin has been at the 
head of town affairs a bill, endorsed by Hon. Joshua T. Dodge, 
has been passed by the state legislature authorizing the work 
and empowering the town to raise $12,000, if needed for the 
purpose. The work was begun in September, 1887. The recent 
influx of summer boarders and cottage builders has turned pub- 
lic attention somewhat to the rights of the town in the bathing 



870 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

beaches and other similar interests. Mr. Champlin, both in liis 
private and public capacity, is credited with taking a judicious 
view of the questions involved for the best interests of the 
town. 

Among minor laublic services he has been for the last twelve 
years a member of the school committee, and has for as long a 
time earnestly urged the establishment of a free high school in 
the town. As the son of a democrat and the father of demo- 
crats, he has steadily maintained that the great underlying prin- 
ciples of that party embody the proper basis of the wisest 
public policy. 

Uriah Champlin (deceased), the oldest son of Nathaniel L., 
married Mary G. Card. Their only child, Nancy C, married 
William H. Perry. Her only child is Charles E. Perry, tlie 
teacher of the Block Island high school. 

Weeden H. Champlin, farmer and assessor, and Edward H. 
Champlin, farmer and town treasurer, are' the only surviving 
children of Peleg C. Champlin, the second son of Nathaniel L. 
Edward H. has three children : Mary J. (Mrs. Martin V. Ball), 
Carrie E. and Edward P. 

Elisha R. Coe, born in 1808, is a son of Benjamin T. Coe, who 
was a lieutenant in 1812 at Fort Adams, in Newport. The lieu- 
tenant's father was Benjamin Coe, of Little Compton, in which 
history the family is further mentioned. Elisha R. married 
Sybil P., daughter of William Ball. They have raised one son and 
five daughters. Theson, Benjamin T., born inl839, married Maria, 
daughter of Gideon Dodge. Elisha R. was six years town treas- 
urer and twelve years in the town council. His father was in- 
spector of customs for Block Island from 1818 for about twenty- 
five years. 

Captain George W. Conley, of the steamer " G. W. Daniel- 
son," is a grandson of Philander Conley. He married Arabella 
E. Dodge, who died, leaving four daughters: Mrs. Ray G. 
Lewis, Mrs. Dr. Champlin, Hattie D. and Jennie A. His pres- 
ent wife is Maria C, youngest daughter of Christopher E. 
Champlin. They have one son, George H. Captain Conley 
solicited the subscriptions to the stock and organized the com- 
pany to build the steamer. He let the contract, superintended 
the building in 1880, and has been captain of the boat and man- 
ager of the company ever since. 

Dickens point, a name applied to the farms now owned by 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 871 

A. B. Dickens and Samuel Allen, takes its name from Thomas 
Dickens, a Scotchman, who bought it of Mr. Greene before the 
latter was governor. Prom Tliouias Dickens it descended to 
Caleb, his son. Caleb had two children, one of whom, Ray- 
mond, the father of Anderson B. Dickens, had the part which 
Mr. Dickens now owns. Raymond's sister married Wanton 
Allen, who came here from South Kingstown about 1810, and her 
portion of the property passed to her son, Samuel Allen, the 
present owner. 

Anderson B. Dickens was born in ]824. His wife was 
Loxy A. Sprague. Their three children are: Lovell H., Annie 
M. (Mrs. Daniel Mott), and Isabella (Mrs. Clarence Rose). 

Uriah B. Dodge is a son of Joshua, and grandson of Noah. 
His wife is Emma E., a daughter of James M, Dodge. They 
have one son, Lester E. Since the democratic party has had 
the ascendency in Block Island, Mr. Dodge, although holding 
no offices himself, has been a leader and organizer in local pol- 
itics. Since 1879, when the light house board was given charge 
of the harbor and the range lights at the breakwater, he has 
been harbor master and light keeper. 

Joshua Truman Dodge, a brother of Uriah B., was born in 
1842. At the age of 19 he went to sea, and in November, 1873, 
began his present mercantile business as successor to his brother, 
Darius. In 1875 he married Miss Sayles, of Connecticut. Their 
children are : Sadie A. and Lucretia M. Mr. Dodge has repre- 
sented this town three years in the assembly and four years iu 
the senate, by the unanimous vote of the town. 

Giles P. Dunn, the treasurer of the Free Will Baptist So- 
ciety, is a son of the late Giles P. Dunn and grandson of 
John Dunn. His wife, Abbie L., is a daughter of William 
Green Littletield. They have three sons. The oldest, Thaddeus 
P., is married and resides here. The second bears his father's 
name, the third is Dwight A. Mr. Dunn is considerably inter- 
ested in trap fishing. 

John F. Hayes, carpenter and builder, was born in 1855. His 
father, Edward, born 1832, died 1884, was a son of Jolin Hayes, 
the first of the family on this island. Mr. Hayes learned his 
trade with Swinburn & Peckham. He has worked here fifteen 
years, the last eigiit as contractor. In 1884 he built the only 
steam mill on the island, where he has put in facilities for 
planing and moulding. 



872 HISTORY OF KEWPORT COUNTY. 

William P. Lewis, born 1822, is a great-grandson of Enoch, 
grandson of Eiioch and son of Jesse Lewis, who came to Block 
Island from Wakefield. Mrs. Lewis is Wealthy, daughtei' of 
Gideon Dodge. Their danghter Alice, deceased, was Mrs. C. C. 
Ball. Their fonr children living are: John R., Ray G., Cordelia 
J. (Mrs. Hiram A. Ball) and Jesse. Ray G. Lewis' wife is Addie 
E. Conley, the captain's daughter. Mr. Lewis has been twenty- 
five years in the town council, notary public for the last fifteen 
years and is commissioner of wrecks for Block Island. 

Hon. Lorenzo Littlefield. — Among the names conspicuous 
in the history of Block Island for the last century is the name 
of Littlefield. A tradition well authenticated is to the eflfeot 
that Ephraim Littlefield was an ajiprentice on an English man- 
of-war, once lying in Boston harbor, and was left in America 
when the ship was ordered back to England. 

On the homeward voyage the ship and all on board were 
lost, and Ephraim' s father in England, supposing his son had 
shared the common fate of the crew, named a younger son after 
the unfortunate naval apprentice. Time passed, and Ephraim 
the okler, with the industry and economy which has character- 
ized each generation of his descendants, accumulated enough 
to buy a tract of land where Yorkshire, Me., was afterward 
built. 

Later on, among a company of young men seeking homes in 
the new world, was the second Ephraim Littlefield, who bought 
land in the same vicinity; and thus in the same town there came 
to be two men of the same name, unknown to each other, yet 
sons of the same parents. The elder is credited with first noticing 
the family resemblance, and from the younger Ephraim he 
learned the supposed fate of the naval apprentice. Recognition 
followed, the strangers became neighbors, the neighbors became 
brothers, and from them is supposed to have sprung the whole 
Littlefield family in New England. 

In 1721 Caleb and Nathaniel Littlefield were admitted free- 
men. The latter was in the genei'al assembly five years; each 
had a son, Caleb and Nathaniel, admitted freemen in 17.56. 
John Littlefield was in the assembly thirty yeai's, after 1747. 
William Littlefield married Phebe Ray; their daughter, Cathe- 
rine, married Major Nathaniel Greene. This William was active 
in the revolution, being an ensign in 1775. He represented the 
town in 1785 and 1792. Other names known in the social 





Ol^. 



'-t^O'XyO 




'c-^-€^ 



^*^tiA1»^, \. %\t»%^vQ-\ ^. ■( 



HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 873 

and commercial history of the island are Henry, Nathaniel, 
Ellas and Anthony Llttlefield. In 1887 thirty-two estates and 
properties in the town were taxed in the name of Littlefield. 

The subject of this sketch traces his lineage through Thomas 
Littlefield, whose wife was Susan Long. Their son, Nicholas, 
was a successful farmer, acquired a fair property, became a man 
of affairs, married a daughter of Elam Packer of Mystic, Conn., 
and raised nine children. The oldest of their five sons was 
named in honor of his grandfather and was the Elam Packer 
Littlefield so well known here as the successful merchant in the 
middle half of this century. The other sons were Nicholas, now 
living at Cranston, R. I.; Elbridge P., Asa, who died in the 
West Indies, and Alamanzo now living here. 

Elbridge P. was for some time in business in Charleston, S. C. 
He afterward returned to Block Island and built, at the center, 
a store which was burned February 23d, 1879. He was a promi- 
nent man, wielding a large personal influence, although never, 
it is said, acting in a public office. 

Elam P., the older brother, was born in 1813, and during his 
life filled many stations of public and private trust. He was 
customs inspector at the time of his death, which occurred 
suddenly on the flrst day of April, 1856, in the 43d year of 
his age. 

His children now living are: Lorenzo, whose name appears at 
the head of this sketch, Elam P. and Ray Sands Littlefield, 
each of whom bear well the honorable family name. 

Lorenzo, the oldest son, inherited in a marked degree the 
keen business insight of his father, and that indomitable energy 
and push which gave financial success to several generations of 
ancestors. Born in 1835, and having but the limited advan. 
tages of the common schools, he nevertheless was marked by 
men of riper years as available for positions of public trust, and 
in 186], when but twenty-six years of age, he was made the 
candidate of the democratic party and elected to the slate sen- 
ate, where he represented his native town two years. Five 
times since then he has been elected treasurer of the town. 

As his own financial affairs have demanded increased per- 
.sonal attention, although accredited in the councils of the party 
for the last twenty-five years with a deep insight into the prac- 
tical problems of local and state politics, he has given less atten- 
tion to such subjects. 



874 IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT OOUNTr. 

Mr. Littlefield's business careei', which has already covered a 
period of over thirty years, be^an in the old store whicli his 
uncle Elbridge built at the center. Although not aspiring to 
public office, he has ever remained alert to the best interests of 
the town, and the success he has attained in his private affairs 
has given weight to his judgment upon any question of public 
policy in the town. 

A genial disjoosition and a pleasing address, combined happily 
with a fine physique, make Mr. Littletield a gentleman whose 
acquaintance is enjoyable. His cordiality toward the young 
and toward those less favored than he in worldly affairs, has 
contributed no less to his success in life than to that popularitj'' 
which he among all classes so justly enjoys. In his domestic 
relations Mr. Littlefield is very pleasantly situated. His wife, 
Annie E., is a daughter of George E. S. Eley, of New Bedford, 
Mass. They have two sons, Clarence and Prank. Clarence 
graduated at Brown University with the class of 1885, being, it is 
believed, the only graduate from that institution from this town. 
He has a i)osition in the internal revenue office at Providence, 
with fair prospects of success for the future. Frank, following 
in the footsteps of his father, takes a seat in the state senate 
when but twenty-three years old. He was elected in 1887 with- 
out opposition. Thus the subject of this sketch enjoys a pros- 
pect, which to many is denied, of seeing generations come and 
generations go and a family name maintained, to which broader 
significance should be given by the generations which are to 
live with broader opportunities. 

Ray Sands Littlefield, a brother of Lorenzo, was born in 
1847. His wife, Sophronia. is a daughter of William M. Rose. 
Their children are Charity I. and Harold R. Mr. Littlefield 
served nine years in the senate, was associated in business with 
his brother for some time, opened the "Central Honse" for 
summer boarding eight years ago, and began business as mer- 
chant for himself in 18S4. His store is on the site where his 
father's store was burned more than thirty years ago. 

John E. Littlefield, merchant at West side, succeeded his 
father, E. R. Littlefield, in the business in 1872. He is warden 
of the peace and agent for the Merritt wrecking organization. 
His grandfather and great-grandfather were each named Thomas 
Littlefield. It appears that Henry W. Green, in 1850, had a 
store at the Harbor, and made E. R. Littlefield his agent for 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 875 

the west side of (he island, consigning goods to liim for sale 
there. From this beginning ]\Ir. Littlefield's business developed 
and since then the business has been increasing. 

J. Eugene Littlefield, merchant at the Harboi', was burn 
in 1858. His father, John N., son of Joshua, was grandson of 
William Littletield. Mr. Littlelield, prior to the erection of his 
store in 1887, was fifteen years in the menhaden fishery with 
tlie Church Brothers. His wife, Mary A., is a daughter of Hon. 
John G. Sheffield. 

Orison Sweet Marden, M. I)., deserves a prominent place 
in this history. Of all the resorts for which this county of 
Newport is justly famed, none is more popular than Block 
Island, "the gem of the sea;" and to Mr. Marden, more than 
to any other one man, is due the credit of discovering the superi- 
ority of Block Island as a summer resort. Though not the 
first to discover it, he was the first to see its great possibilities. 
He found it occupied in summer by a mere handful of guests, 
not a lirst-class hotel on the whole island, and only a few houses 
that took boarders at all; his far-sighted sagacity and wise and 
judicious advertising have made it the resort of as fine a class 
of peo])le as can be found at any resort in the country. What- 
ever else Mr. Marden is distinguished for, or shall be, he 
will be remembered with gratitude by thousands who have 
through him found rest, and health, and refreshing in the 
almost matchless atmosphere of this sea-girt isle. 

Doctor Marden has had a renuirkable career. He was born 
in the town of Thornton, New Hampshire, in the year 1848, and 
is therefore still a young man. His early history was a hard 
and painful one, but its very hardships onlj^ serve to emi)hasize 
the traits of character which have won him success. Deprived 
of a mothers care at three years of age, he became doubly or- 
phaned at seven in the death of his father. Of constitution by 
no means rugged, with no relatives who could care for him, he 
was placed in the care of a guardian, to whom was also en- 
trusted the care of the small property left by his father, suf- 
ficient to have given the child a good home and a fair education. 
Little of this property did the lad ever receive; and so far from 
enjoying the blessings of home, he never knew a home until he 
made one for himself. His mincnity was spent in cruel neglect 
and hardship, in service to those who heartlessly oppressed him 
with too much work. Few men in our Christian New England 



876 JIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

have such bitter memories of childhood to look back upon as 
he has. His schooling was also utterly neglected, and lie had no 
legal redress. Yet by sheer pluck what he could not gain by 
right he won by barter — he bought by his labor the privilege of 
attending school a little. This little meant more to him than 
much more would to other lads. At seventeen, therefore, we 
are not surprised to see the lad at an academy, paying his way 
by chopping wood, ringing the academy bell, attending to the 
tonsoi'ial needs of the institution — in fact, by any means in 
which hard work would turn for him an honest penny. A few 
terms in this way, alternating with hard labor in a saw-mill, and 
next we find him teaching district schools. His first experience 
at teaching was in a private school, organized in an old shoe shop, 
an experience which gave him confidence, and for which he re- 
ceived twelve dollar's a month. In this way he attained his 
majority. Of his little patrimony, as has been mentioned, he 
received almost nothing. His health also was poor, and gave 
promise of continuing so through life. Indeed, it was more 
than doubtful if he would live to middle life. Neverthe- 
less, he had tasted of success, and his appetite for study was 
insatiable. In his twenty-second year he set out for the New 
Hampton Literary Institute and Academy at New Hampton, N. 
H. It was here that the writer first met him, during the second 
year of his course. He had entered with but poor preparation, 
necessai'ily far behind most in his class; yet in the second year 
he was one of the most prominent men in the academy. 
Throughout his course here he maintained a high rank in 
scholarship and character, and his influence was felt for good in 
every department of the institution. He was graduated fr(jm 
this academy in 1873. 

It was during his course here that he first became interested 
in hotel life. With several other students, he went in the sum- 
mer of 1872 to the Crawford House, White Mountain Notch, to 
wait on the table. The second year he was advanced to the 
position of assistant head waiter, and the third season to that 
of head waiter. Thus began that life in the hotel business, 
learned practically and laboriously, step by step, that has made 
him so distinguished a success in the position which he now 
occupies. 

It is seldom that a man succeeds well in more than one line 
of effort. Doctor Harden has succeeded well in two very im- 





iM^^^^ 



V%'\&TT?1l. t %\\'k%\W'!l> "fc 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 877 

portant lines. As a hotel manager he is the peer of any. It is 
not generally known by his hotel acquaintances, however, that 
parallel with hissnccessful laborsin this direction he iiasalso car- 
ried on a remarkably successful and systematic course of study. 
He has been an indefatigable student ever since. To large abilities 
he adds a strong and healthy ambition, indomitable perseverance, 
and a will that never yields. Above his ambition to succeed in 
his worlc of ministering to the wants of the weary "summerer," 
and above liis thirst for knowledge, Doctor Harden has a tine 
ambition to be useful to the world. All his labor is means to 
this end. It is not surprising, therefore, tiiat during all these 
years he has been assiduously pursuing course after course of 
study, during the months while his hotel work has not taken 
all his time. 

On graduating from the academy, Mr. Marden's plans were 
not matured. Beside the need to continue in his hotel work in 
the summer for financial reasons, he also found his health so 
poor that a college course seemed out of the question. Being 
an earnest Christian, in this emergency he went to the Theolog- 
ical Seminary at Andover and joined the junior class there, 
following the advice of friends. He continued there one year. 
At the end of that time, feeling the great need of a college edu- 
cation and finding his health liad improved, he applied for ex- 
amination at the Boston University, was matriculated, and 
befoie the end of the year passed on into the sophomore class. 
He graduated honorably with the first class which graduated 
from this institution in 1877, taking the degree of A. B. The 
severe strain of double work, soon after his entrance, brought 
on an affection of the eyes which threatened to end his career 
as a student. He was advised by his best friends to abandon 
his plans and leave college. Instead, he employed a student to 
read liis work to him, his eyes gradually grew better, and after 
a time he had the satisfaction of recovering their I'li]] use, 
though he has ever since had to use them with great care. In 
187!) lie graduated, witli high honors as an original writer, from 
the Boston University School of Oratory, under Professor Lewis 
B. Munrop, and received the degree of A. M. from the univer- 
sity. In the following year he studied law in the Boston Uni- 
versity Law School, covering the full course of study in one 
year, and next year received the degree of LL.B. During 1881 
and 1882 he pursued the course in the Harvard Medical School, 



i 



878 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

and gTaduiited in the full course in the latter year, receiving 
the degree of M. D. A tour in Europe, attended with an almost 
fatal illness in Rome and Florence, a post graduate course in 
the Harvard Medical School, medical practice and lecturing on 
physiology and hygiene, occupied the spare months of the next 
year. Since that time he has kept uj) a systematic course of 
private study and general reading in his spai-e time, never idle, 
always busy. 

It is a proof not only of the ability, but the energy of char- 
acter of Doctor Marden, that he could do so much educational 
work at the same time that he was doing, and doing so well, 
the work of developing Block Island. He went to tlie island in 
1877 as clerk of the Ocean View Hotel, at that time scarcely 
larger than a country tavern. It was not long before the sa- 
gacious owner, the Hon. Nicholas Ball, discovered the ability of 
his new clerk and made him manager of the house. The new 
manager had already discovered the possibilities of this won- 
derful island, and began at ouce that system of advertising 
which has brought it to the notice of the wealthy and influen- 
tial. Knowing also that it would be useless to attract the rich 
to the island if there were not suitable accommodations for 
them after they came, he began a systematic course of enlarge- 
ment and careful attention to the quality of his accommoda- 
tions. His policy has been surprisingly successful. Year by 
year, as business steadily increased, he enlarged his house until 
in a few years he had a strictly first class hotel, capable of ac- 
commodating five hundred guests. 

Meanwhile, the virtues of this wonderful island, as a health 
resort and summer resting place, have been so apparent to the 
people whom Doctor Marden has drawn hither, and guests go- 
ing away have cai-ried such glowing reports to their friends of 
this magical island out there in the midst of the ocean, that 
Block Island has become the temporary home of a rapidly' grow- 
ing summer population. A visitor to the island would not know 
it as the quiet, dull, uninteresting place of ten years ago. On 
every hand have sprung np fine hotels and beautiful cottages; 
distinguished strangers from all over the land flock hither to 
enjoy the balmy air and magnificent ocean scenery; business 
has increased many fold; real estate has advanced almost fabu- 
lously, and still inci-(iases in value. For this great prosperity 
Block Island and its inhabitants are largely indebted to the wis- 



HISTORV OF NKVVPOltT COUNTY. 879 

doni and enterprise of Doctor Marden; and it is pleasant to re- 
cord that tiiey appreciate this fact to a hirge extent. He has 
also liimself prospered with the prosperity of the island; is 
owner of the "Hotel Manisses," one of the finest of tlie island 
hotels; also of qnite a large amount of real estate, and is the 
trustee of several land syndicates. He is also treasurer of the 
Fort George Island Company in Florida. 

Doctor Marden's career thus far gives promise of an enviable 
future. Clear-headed, far-sighted, careful, pains-taking, labori- 
ous, with large and honorable ambition, dauntless courage, tire- 
less energy and invincible will, he is also a conscientious, unsel- 
fish, cultured Christian gentlemen. Such qualities will always 
enrich not only their possessor, but the world. 

Captain Arnold R. Millikin was born in 1836. At the age 
of fifteen he began a .seafaring life of twenty-five years in the 
merchant marine, in the coasting trade, having command of a 
vessel eighteen or twenty years. He has been and is corre- 
spondent for the New York Board of Underwriters. His father 
was Archibald, and his grandfather was Archibald Millikin. 
The latter was in the Rhode Island legislature several years. 

Hon. Bauzilla B. Mitchell. — The ancestors of the Mitchell 
family of Block Island, now honorably represented here by the 
gentleman whose name heads this article, were among the early 
settlers of the island, and the public and private life of mem- 
bers of this old family have formed, in every generation, no in- 
considerable part of the social, the political and the business 
history of the town. 

Mr. Mitchell was born here in 1838. His father, who bore the 
same name, was a well-to-do farmer, who, through tliat system 
of mixed husbandry which still prevails here, and through his 
connection with the old wrecking company, obtained a compe- 
tency for those times, and lived and died a respected citizen. 
The grandfather, Jonathan Mitchell, was one of those plain men 
whose ambitions and tastes let their peaceful lives run on in 
uneventful channels to their close. 

The Mr. Mitchell of to-day was surrounded in his boyhood 
by those stern circumstances which limited his privileges of an 
education to the public school system of his native town. These, 
however, he used to an advantage, and on the foundation there 
laid he, like many another, by ob.servation and experience, de- 
veloped a mental discixiline which the college and the university 



880 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

often fail to impart, and in the supreme test of practical life, 
either in public or private affairs, he has acquitted himself 
fully. 

In business he became a member of the old wrecking company, 
and was one of the foremost in the political movement by which 
Ray S. Littlefield and Darius B. Dodge became the first demo- 
cratic members of the state legislature from this town, Mr. Mitch- 
ell having nominated them for the position. In this movement 
the young men of the town were more in personal sympathy with 
each other than with the older men, who, as republicans, had 
controlled the town for years. Mr. Mitchell was but one of the 
young men of that period, claiming no special credit for results, 
but it is a significant fact that two years later he went to the 
legislature himself, and was re-elected for six years in succes- 
sion. In the legislature he was a working member of various 
committees; one was the committee on fisheries, of which lie 
was chairman. 

When the laying of the present telegraph cable from Block 
Island to Narragansett Pier was being agitated, the only man 
from Block Island who went to Washington in the interest of 
the measure was Mr. Mitchell. He presented to Secretary 
Eudicott, of the war department, his argument in behalf of 
the town for an appropriation for this purpose. General 
Hazen, the chief signal officer, was next interested in behalf 
of the cable, and the plea for the appropriation, as thus en- 
dorsed, went to the United States senate committee on the 
Urgent Deficiency Bill, and was made an amendment to that 
bill and passed with it. Mr. Mitchell is still chairman of the 
meteorological committee for Block Island, charged with the 
monthly inspection of the means and the methods at the gov- 
ernment signal station here. 

Probably no one feature, except harbor protection, has given 
this island so great an impetus as that which naturally flows 
from good electric connection with the outside world. Brokers 
now direct, from the corridors of the hotels here, the movements 
of their afl'airs in Wall street, almost as readily as from a Broad 
street office. 

Mr. Mitchell is affiliated with the great Masonic brotherhood 
through membership in Atlantic Lodge, and is a member of the 
First Baptist church of Block Island. He esteems the building 
of churches and the maintenance of the Christian ministry a 







lleJu^l^ 



IIISTOHY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 881 

duty lying along the line of good citizenship, and hence con- 
tributes liberally to their support. He donated one half of the 
site for the new Episcopal chapel built in 1887. 

Mr. Mitchell, although widely and favorably known in polit- 
ical and social life, is likely to be longest remembered throngh 
his successful business career as proprietor of the Spring House, 
tlie popular summer resort, mentioned in another section of this 
cliapter. No doubt the crowning event in his career was out- 
side of all these relations in life which we have noticed; for 
upon the foundation of a man's home, if it be a happy one, 
rests the whole superstructure of what the man may be. His 
wife was a daughter of Archibald Milliken and a sister of Capt. 
Arnold R. Millikin, an old family of which i)roper mention ap- 
l^ears in its proper connection in this chapter. 

D. A. Mitchell, born in 184.'), the proprietor of the "High- 
land House," is a son of Amos D. and a grandson of Amos, a 
son of Jonathan Mitchell. Mrs. Mitchell was Rozenia Ball. 
They have one son, John E. Mr. Mitchell built his hotel in 
1875, and the annex in 1886. This house, which accommodates 
one hundred guests, is on the highest ground occupied by a 
hotel in this part of the town. 

Aarox W. MiTCHP^LLis proprietor of Mitchell Cottage, which 
was built in 1866, accommodating thirt}^ guests. His wife is 
Jane M., daughter of Cornelius Rose. Mr. Mitchell's father, 
Robert C, was a son of Amos and a grandson of Jonathan 
Mitchell. 

Sylvester H. Mott, born in 1828, is the last of the five chil- 
dren of Thomas Mott, who was born in 1792 and died in 1868. 
Thomas' father, Edward, was a son of Daniel and a grandson 
of Edward Mott. From the age of thirteen until five years ago 
Mr. iMott was engaged in hshing and coasting. His wife was 
Hannah Elizabeth Liitletield. They have two cliildren: Eliza C. 
(Mrs. S. D. Mott) and Lovina G. (Mrs. John R. Payne, Jr.) 

Edw.vhd Mott, second, is a son of Samuel, grandson of Sam- 
uel, and great grandson of Daniel, who was a son of Edward 
Mott, the ancestor of this family. Mrs. Mott was Isabelle, 
daughter of Luther Dickens. They have one son, Leon L. Mr. 
Mott followed the sea five or six years, built the Pequot House 
at the harbor, conducted it four years, and is now engaged in 
farming on the heights north of the center. 



882 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

John R. Paynk, born in 1825, is a son of Rebo Payne, who 
died in 1854. His ancestors in direct male line for several gen- 
erations were named John. His wife, Pheba C, is a daughter 
of Edward Sands. Their children are: Edward S., John R. and 
Fannie E. Mr. Payne has served several years in the town coun- 
cil. He is considered a model farmer. He owns part of the old 
Sands' property, including the house built about two hundred 
and eight years ago. 

Alamanzo J. Rose, the proprietor of the Woonsocket House, 
is a son of Alanson D. Rose, who built this house in 1872. The 
grandfather was the old town clerk, Gideon Rose. The hotel 
was visited when new by a large party from Woonsocket, hence 
the name it bears. ' The proprietor was born in 1859. His 
mother is a sister of William P. Lewis. Mr. Rose was a mem- 
ber of the general assembly two years, 1885-1887. 

John Rose, carpenter and contractor, was born in 1852. He 
learned something of the trade under Alamanzo Littlefield and 
with C. B. Angel in Providence. His father, Caleb L. Rose, 
was a son of Caleb L. and a grandson of John Rose. The Rose 
family is one of the oldest in Block Island. Mrs. Rose was 
Caroline Mitchell. They have one son, Samuel M. Rose. 

Six generations of the Sands family have been known in the 
local history here. Once numerous, the family name now in- 
cludes but three voters. William C. Sands and Robert T. are 
sons of Edward and grandsons of Treadwell Sands, whose father 
was John, son of Edward Sands. William C. Sands married 
Joanna H., daughter of Christopher E. Champlin. They liave 
two daughters : Maria E. (Mrs. Albert W. Smith), and Marian 
R. (Mrs. Macy A. Ball). 

Simon Ray Sands, born in 1815, is a son of William Pitt 
Sands and a grandson of Edward Sands. He was named in 
honor of Simon Ray, one of the original white jiroprietors of 
the island in 1661, and is also handed down in the name of 
Simon Ray Sands, Jr., an only son. Mrs. Sands, deceased, was 
Mary Ann Gorton. The present Mrs. Sands was Tamar R. 
Mott. Mr. Sands was in the general assembly in 1840-1848, and 
in the town council several terms, of which body he was moder- 
ator one or more years. 

John G. Sheffield and Homer A. Sheffield and Arthur N. 
are sons of Hon. John G. Sheffield, who was born in 1819 and 
died in 1886. His father was Nathaniel L. Nathaniel L. Shef- 



HISTORY OV NKWPOHT COUNTY. 883 

field's father was Edinond, son of Edmond who, with Godfrey 
Sheffield, owned a tract of land on Block Island, to which 
Nathaniel L.'s father moved in 1756, and died shortly after. 
He was buried in Newport, where are the graves of three earlier 
generations of the Sheffield family. Nathaniel married Mary 
Ann Gorton, daughter of " Gov." John Gorton, one of the most 
influential men of the island in his day. The Sheffield home- 
stead is the old Governor Gorton place. John G. Sheflield's 
wife was Anna, daughter of John R. Payne. She died in April, 
1886, leaving two children. 

Simeon R. Sheffield is tlie only son of the late George 
Sheffield, who was a brother of the senior William P. Sheffield, 
of Newport, and cousin of the Hon. John G. Sheffield men- 
tioned in this chapter. 

Francis Willis, the proprietor of the " Seaside House," 
was born in 1825. He married Hannah I., daughter of Hiram 
Dodge. Orlando F. Willis is their only son. Mrs. Anna D. 
Winslow, of Putnam, Conn., is their only daughter. Mr. Wil- 
lis followed the sea for ten years prior to 1851, spent two years 
in California, built the " Seaside House " in 1853, and has since 
made farming his business. 

C. W. Willis, postmaster and merchant, born in 1845, is a 
son of Hiram D. Willis, whose father was Hiram D. He was 
with Benjamin Tallman, of Portsmouth, in the menhaden 
business for two years; lie kept the "Adrian Hotel" at one 
time, and was three years partner with Nicholas Ball, in the 
firm of Ball & Willis, merchants. He bought the old " Surf 
Cottage" in 1876, and built the new cottage in 1884. His wife, 
Permelia A., is a daughter of Hamilton L. Mott. Their children 
are: Adella P. (Mrs. Charles E. Littlefield) and Jennie B. 



56 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



TOWN OF TIVERTON.* 



By H. W. Blake. 



The Boundary Question. — The White Man and his Title. — Purchasers of Po- 
casset. — The Commons and the House Lots. — The Proprietors of Puncatest. — 
The King Philip War. — Tiverton as a Town. — The Period of the Revo- 
lution. — Howland's Ferry and Stone Bridge. — Postal and Railroad Facilities. — 
Tiverton Four Corners. — North Tiverton. — Prominent Localities.— Mills. — 
Taverns. — Highways. — Churches. — Schools. — Library and Reading Room. — 
The Town Government. 



THAT portion of Newport county occupying the peninsula 
east of the Seconnet river and whicli now comprises the 
towns of Tiverton and Little Compton, was a part of that unex- 
plored country which the Enj^lish charter of April lOrh, 1606, 
presumed to confer upon the Plymouth Company. It was 
therefore transferred by that more marvelous document of 
1620 which created the Council of Plymouth to supersede the 
company of 1606, and which, over the royal seal of James I., 
put more than a million square miles of land into tlie absolute 
control of forty men. 

Not all the jirinted books on New England, that topic and 
field so rich in historic interest, contain a page of the local his- 
tory of the Tiverton of to-day. Whoever, then, would write of 
her history must navigate a trackless sea; having not the op- 
portunity which he who comes hereafter will enjoy, of an out- 
line chart on which, the criticisms of the many being passed, he 
may correct somewhat the traditions and memories of the few. 

An important relation obtains between the Plymouth colony, 

* Among the many who rendered assistance in the preparation of the sketches 
of Tiverton and Little Compton especial thanks are due to John T. Cook and 
Frederick R. Brownell, Esqs., for e.xtracts from public records; to Benjamin 
Barker, Esq., and the late Holder N. Wilcox for the use of the proprietors' 
records; and to Honorable William P. Sheffield of Newport and Peleg D. Hum- 
phrey, Esq., of Nanaquacket. 



HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 885 

the state of Massachusetts and the two towns of Tiverton and 
Little Couipton; and as no other towns in Newport, county sus- 
tain that relation to the jiarent colony, something more than a 
passing mention is reqnired at some point in tiie discussion, 
regarding those political relations which were sustained by 
these two towns to Massachusetts prior to Jannai'y 27th, 
1746-7. 

The liistory of Tiverton in its relation to the white race may 
be regarded as beginning in 1629, when William Bradford and 
his associates obtained a charter from the forty English gentle- 
men who had secured nine years before such substantial evi- 
dence of royal favor. Although there is no evidence that this 
charter to Mr. Bradford was ever confirmed by the crown, yet 
the colonists were recognized by the kings of England and held 
their jurisdiction over the territory for more than one hundred 
and sixteen years. In the charter to Mr. Bradford his western 
boundary included one-half of the waters mentioned as the 
Narragansett river. This was understood to refer to the river 
east of the island of Rhode Island; for in 1643 Roger Williams' 
first charted from the Earl of Warwick recognized the same 
boundary as the east line of " The Plantations " and in that 
year, while the colony of Rhode Island was denied admission, 
Plymouth, separated from it on the west by the Seconnet, be- 
came a member of the United colonies of New England. Thus 
the boundary between the two colonies, which is now the west- 
ern line of Tiverton and of Little Compton, remained undis- 
puted while Cromwell, the friend of the colonies, succeeded the 
headless Charles, and was in turn succeeded by the second 
Charles, who in 1063 gave Rhode Island another [tatent by 
which he thought to put the dividing line some three miles 
farther east. To this the eastern people objected, and in 1064 
the commissioners appointed to hear the case reported against 
the new line, but their report was confirmed by the crown, and 
thus the Seconnet again became the recognized boundary. 

Plymouth colony, in 1685, was divided into the three coun- 
ties of Plymouth, Bristol and Barnstable. Tiverton was then 
embraced in Bristol county, which, with the other two, in 16!)1, 
was united by order of William and xMary to the colony of 
Massachusetts. 

Forty-nine years after the union of Plymouth witli Massa- 
chusetts the people of Rhode Island, in 1740, applied to the 



886 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

king for a re-examinntion of their eastern bonndary, whicli, as 
we liave seen, had remained essentially the same as defined in 
the Plymouth charter of 1629. 

The policy of George II. to lessen the territory and limit the 
influence of Massachusetts had been already foreshadowed, and 
he appointed a committee, whose report he confirmed on tlie 
28th of May, 1746, by which Tiverton, Little Compton and three 
other towns were added to the jurisdiction of Rhode Island. 
To define the new state boundary thus provided for, the two 
colonies were to appoint surveyors instructed to run six lines, 
each three miles long, from six certain points on the eastern 
bounds of Rhode Island, and to unite their eastern ends by other 
straight lines, which, together, should form the proper bound- 
ary between the two states. Rhode Island appointed James 
Honey man, Jr., Gideon Cornell, George Brown, George Wan- 
ton and Walter Chaloner on the 11th of November, 1746, and 
on the 2d of December they ran the line without the aid of the 
Massachusetts surveyors. From their report they appear to 
have followed the king's order that land within three miles of 
the shore of Seconnet river be set off to Rhode Island; for they 
established three of the six points in the new state line, each 
point from the shore due east three miles, and the two lines 
connecting them was reported as the state line, so far as it con- 
cerned the towns of Tiverton and Little Compton. One meas- 
urement was made from a point in the present city of Fall River, 
on the shore four hundred and forty rods south of the mouth 
of the Fall river, one from the cove south of Nancquastkett 
[Nanaquacket] in the town of Tiverton, and one from Church's 
cove in Little Compton. 

The northeast corner of Tiverton, by this survey, was on 
Ralph's neck, southeast of North Wattuppa pond. The whole 
of South Wattuppa pond and Sawdy were in this town. The 
course surveyed from Ralph's neck was described as south, 22° 
west, 2,125 rods. The next coui'se, on the east boundary of 
Little Compton, was south, 2° 15' west, 1,941 rods, to the east 
coast of Little Compton. 

This business was approved by the Rhode Island legislature 
January 6th, 1746-7, and Massachusetts, supposing the bounds 
had been properly run and marked, accepted the new line, and 
did not examine it until 1791, when she questioned the survey 
and appointed commissioners, with power to examine the sub- 



HISTORY Ol'' NKWl'OUT COUNTY. 887 

ject, with the aid of a similar committee, should Rhode Island 
so appoint. These commissioners found that the teiTitory of 
Massachusetts had been inrrin<i,ed upon, but were unable to de- 
termine the true intention of the king's order of forty-five years 
previous. 

It was noticed above that one of the courses was run east from 
a point on the shore south of the mouth of the Fall river. Now 
the length of this line determined the width of Tiverton east- 
ward from the river, but hs position determined the boundary 
between Tiverton and Freetown, Massachusetts, on the north; 
hence, when Fall River came to be in fact, if not in name, a 
city, built up on both sides of the northern boundary of Tiver- 
ton, the position of the line came to be of more importance than 
its length. Accordingly, in 1844 each state appointed three 
commissioners, and five of the si.x agreed upon a line. The 
legislature of Massachusetts, under the pressure of Fall River 
influence, flatly refused to ratify the report of their commis- 
sioners, and in 1852 the whole question was taken in equity to 
the supreme court, which, in 1860, appointed engineers to es- 
tablish a line. The decree of the court the next year settled the 
dividing line where it now is, giving Massachusetts jurisdiction 
after March, 1862, over a territory that in 1860 contained over 
three thousand of the population of Rhode Island, and so chang- 
ing the eastern boundary of Tiverton as to leave in Massachu- 
setts the ponds, South Wattuppa and Sawdy, with their con- 
necting stream, from which a valuable water sux^ply is afforded 
to Fall River. 

Although the white man's relations to Tiverton date from 
1629, the fifty years that followed that date were marked chiefly 
by those diplomatic relations already noticed. Then the terri- 
tory was yet the hunting ground of the ti'ibes whose extermin- 
ation, as a factor in the public economy of New England, was 
practically accomplished within that fifty years. The sachems 
of Pocasset had sold the lands of their people to William Brad- 
ford and his people, and with a moi'e just title than tiie king 
had given them, the first permanent white settlers made homes 
for themselves, in 1680, in the hunting grounds of the Pocassets. 
The red man had no longer any rights liere which the white man 
had need to respect, but for a dozen years the name of the tribe 
was given to the little settlement by those descendants of the 
Pilgrims who chieflj' composed it. 



888 HISTOIIY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

From the date of settlement until 1694 a sort of provisional 
government existed in lien of anything that could proj)erly be 
called a town, but in that year the Puncatest and Pocasset 
communities were incorporated by Massachusetts as the town 
of Tiverton. This provisional government and the relation it 
sustained to the body politic will more clearly appear in the two 
following sections, wherein the pui'pose will be to show how. in 
two great tracts, the soil of Tiverton came to be the property of 
two bodies of men, not wholly distinct as individuals, but known 
then as now by the distinctive titles, " Purchasers of Pocasset " 
and " Proprietors of Puncatest." 

The Purchasers of Pocasset. — It has already been no- 
ticed that William Bradford and his associates Jield chartered 
rights to this territory, and under the corporate title of New 
Plymouth they had purchased from tlie sachems for an ac- 
cejited consideration the tract possessed or claimed by the Po- 
casset Indians. When, two years after tlie accession of Charles 
II., this tract was deeded by the officers of New Plymouth to 
eight persons named in the "Grand Deed," a new factor was 
created in the government of the colony, to become known in 
}a.w and in history as the "Pocasset Purchasers." Their terri- 
torial jurisdiction was coextensive with their ownershij:). It 
comprised the northern two-thirds of what is now Tiverton and 
a vast tract lying east and north, including most of the present 
site of Fall River. To them was given, by various orders of the 
superior court of Plymouth, control over local affairs before the 
town government was organized. In this control, ownership 
was a condition precedent to the right of a vote; the community 
of interests being primarily a financial or property interest, the 
idea of the right to the ballot being one of the accompani- 
ments of land ownership, was forcibly fixed in the public mind. 
Finally, in view of his probable inheritance of the land, the 
oldest son of an owner might vote in anticipation of his pros- 
pective ownership. 

In their quasi judicial capacity the proprietors met from time 
to time, and the record of these meetings constitutes that 
quaint and interesting document known as " The Proprietors' 
Records." By the courtesy of Benjamin Barker of Tiverton 
and Fall River, whose father, Abraham Barker, was the last 
clerk of the proprietors, we are enabled to give extracts from his 
and former clerk's entries. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 889 

The original of the Grand deed itself has been scrupulously 
preserved. It is written on the real parchment of that day 
in which it was made, a skin some twenty by thirty inches in 
size, and in elegant chirography, with ink scarcely dimmed by 
two hundred years, we read: 

"To all to whom these presents shall come, Josiah Winslow, 
Esq., Governor of the Colony of New Plymouth, Major Wm. 
Bradford, Treasurer of the said Colony, Mr. Thomas Hinckley 
and Major James Cudworth, Assistants to the said Governor, 
send Greeting ; and whereas we, the said Governor, Treasurer 
and Assistants, or any two of us, by virtue of an order of the 
General Court of the Colony aforesaid, bearing date November, 
A. D. 1676, are impowered in the said Colony's behalf to make 
sale of certain lands belonging to the Colony aforesaid, and to 
make and seal deeds for the confirmation of the same, as by the 
said order remaining on record in the said Court rolls more at 
large api)eareth ; now, know ye that we, the said Governor, 
Treasurer and Assistants, as agents, and in behalf of the said 
Colony, for and in consideration of the full and just sum of one 
thousand and one hundred pounds in lawful money of New 
England, to us in hand, before the ensealing and delivering of 
these presents, well and truly paid by Edward Gray, of Plym- 
outh, in the Colony aforesaid; Nathaniel Thomas, of Marsh- 
field, in the Colony aforesaid ; Benjamin Church, of Puncatest, 
in the Colony aforesaid ; Christopher Almy, Job Alniy and 
Thomas Waite, of Portsmouth, in the Colony of Rhode Island 
and Providence Plantations; Daniel Wilcox, of Puncatest, and 
William Manchester, of Puncatest, in the Colony of New Plym- 
outh aforesaid, with which the said sum, we, the said agents, 
do acknowledge to be fully satisfied, contented and paid, and 
thereof do acquit and discharge the said [grantees] and their 
heirs, executors, administrators and assigns forever ; by these 
presents have given, granted, bargained, sold, aliened, enfeoffed 
and confirmed ; and by tiiese presents for us and the said Col- 
ony of New Plymouth, do freely, fully, and absolutely give, 
grant, &c., to the said [grantees] all those lands situate, lying 
and being at Pocasset, and places adjacent in the Colony of 
Plymouth aforesaid, and is bounded as foiloweth : — Northward 
and westward by the Freemen's lot, near the Fall River ; west- 
ward by the Bay or Sound that runneth between the said lands 



890 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

and Rhode Island ; southward partly by Seaconnet bounds, and 
partly by Dartmouth bounds, and northward and eastward up 
into the woods till it meets with the lands formerly granted by 
the Court to other men, and legally obtained by them from the 
natives, not extending further than Middlebury town bounds 
and Quitquissit ponds." Several small reservations previously 
sold are here named, and the deed proceeds in the usual form, 
and adds " that is to say, to the said Edward Gray nine shares 
or thirtieth parts ; to the said Nathaniel Thomas five shares or 
thirtieth parts ; to the said Benjamin Church one share or thir- 
tieth part ; to the said Christopher Almy three shares and 
three-quarters of one share ; to the said Job Almy three shares 
and one-quarter of a share ; to the said Thomas Waite one 
share ; to the said Daniel Wilcox two shares; to the said Wil- 
liam Manchester five shares." [The rest of the deed is in the 
usual form of a warrantee deed.] 

Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of witnesses, 
March 5, 1679-80. 

JosiAH WiNSLOw, Governor. 

Wm. Bradford, Treasurer. 

Thomas Hinckley, 



^ , Assistants. 

James Cudworth, 

The deed was acknowledged on the day following, and is reg- 
istered by Samuel Ilowland, register, in the Deed Book of Bris- 
tol county, Mass., under date of December 19tli, 1723. The 
official record of the Pocasset proprietors begins with April 11th, 
1681, when a meeting was held wherein "It was ordered and 
agreed That the fall River with . . . ' land to it be Left in 
common undivided to belong to all the Proprietors according 
to Proportion of each mans share.' Also it is agreed that the 
land from sinning flesh River to . . . Ferry be laid out 
into thirty house Lots & one Lot for a Minister & two ferry lots 
with Common ways & streets to the said Lots. And that all 
the Rest of the land be laid out into great Lots according to 
quantity & quality at the discretion of the layors out, & to run 
so high from the salt water, as the Pond, which is near the 
Road that goeth over the fall River, is from the Bay or salt 
water afores'd. And that there shall be a highway across all 
the lots from the ... . land to the ferry & fromm the ferry 
to Puncatest Lands, the persons chosen to lay out the afors'd 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 891 

lands are Cliristopher Almy, William Manchester, John Man- 
chester, & Nathaniel Thomas, Surveyor." 

"Also the Proprietors voted & agreed all of them that no one 
shall keep Publiqne ferry hnt only such as the said ferry lots 
shall be let or hired unto." The laying out of the Purchase 
into farm lots and house lots was the public business of primary 
importance. Tlie land which they voted to leave in common, 
undivided, included that water privilege that has since de- 
termined the location of a great manufacturing city. It was 
thirty rods wide, extending to the Wattuppa pond, and con- 
tained sixty-six acres. This piece also was divided into thirty 
shares, and sold by the f)i'iginul proprietors. Colonel Church 
and his brother, Caleb Church, of Watertown (who was a mill- 
wright), bought twenty-six and a half shares of the sixty-.six 
acres, and thereby became the chief owners of the water power. 
On tlie 8th of August, 1691, Caleb Church sold his right in this 
property (thirteen and a half shares) to his brother Benjamin, 
who thus became the owner of twenty-six and a half shares. 
Probably John Borden, of Rhode Island, purchased the other 
three and a half shares. In 1703 Colonel Church had moved to 
Fall River, and improved the water power by erecting a saw 
mill, grist mill and fulling mill. He continued at Fall River 
but a few years; and September 18th, 1714, then living at Little 
Compton, sold the above named twenty-six and a half acres 
(liis son Constant signing the deed with him) to Richard Bor- 
den, of Tiverton, and Joseph Borden, of Freetown, sons of John; 
and thus the land on both sides of the river, with all the water 
power, came into the possession of the Borden family as early 
as 1714. 

Beginning then at the northern bound of the purchase, lots 
from lifty-two to lifty-six rods wide were laid out on the river 
or bay, extending in length eastward to that bound mentioned 
in the vote just quoted. 

The landmarks referred to by the surveyors as "The bounds 
of the Great Lots" were principally the trees which they 
marked and numbered. At the left of the description of each 
lot is set in the margin of the record the number of the lot. 
The record shows "the name of the ovtner of the said lot as 
they fell by alotment, set in the margent." 



892 HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY, 

1 Edward Gray 16 John Cook 

2 Edward Gray 17 Christopher Almy 

3 William Manchester 18 Job Almy 

4 Edward Gray 19 John Cook 

5 William Manchester 20 Gideon Freeborn 

6 Benjamin Church 21 Edward Wanton 

7 Christopher Almy 22 William Cory 

8 Edward Gray 28 Thomas Waite 

9 Christopher Almy 24 Job Almy 

10 Daniel Wilcox 25 Edward Gray 

11 Job Almy 26 Edward Gray 

12 Edward Gray 27 Nathaniel Thomas 

13 Jacob Mott 28 Christ(jpher Almy 

14 Nathaniel Thomas 29 Nathaniel Thomas 

15 Edward Gray 30 Edward Gray 

In the twenty-fourth lot Kobert Hazzard had a one-half in- 
terest with Job Almy. These fourteen owners of the "Great 
Lots " included the eight original purchasers of the tract. Be- 
tween the twelfth and thirteenth lots was a highway, and be- 
tween the twenty-third and twenty-fourth lots was the ferry 
lot, with a highway on either side, and the "land laid out for 
the ministry." 

The thirty farms above mentioned covered the whole water 
front or western boundary of the Pocasset purchase except the 
water power " Common" at the north and the thirty house lots 
and the beaches adjacent, near the present village of Tiverton. 
The division into thirty farms was merely for convenience in 
allotting the land among the eight proprietors and their five 
assigns according to their several unequal investments. In the 
same manner the house lots were thirty in number and were al- 
lotted to the same thirteen men. The survey and the allotment 
is recorded as — 

"The bounds of Pocasset House Lots as they were laid out 

by the persons chosen for that end April 2l8t, 16S1, with the 

names of the owners as the lots fell, set in the margent * * * 

" The first lot is bounded Northward by the land 

Gideon laid out for the Ministry and rangeth East 

1 South East eighty rod & is eight rod wide 

Freeborn bounded southward with a sapling at the fort 

marked 1. & a stake marked 1. 2." 

In the same manner the other lots were described, bounded 
and numbered, and the names of the owners entei'ed. 



HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 



893 



2 Nathaniel Thomas 

3 Edward Gray 

4 William Manchester 

5 Nathaniel Thomas 

6 Nathaniel Thomas 

7 Christopher Almy 

8 Benjamin Church 

9 Edward Gray 

10 Job Almy 

11 Christopher Almy 

12 Edward Gray 

13 John Cook 

14 Daniel Wilcox 

15 Edward Gray 

16 Job Almy 

17 Job Almy 



" The ground ordered for 
a training field burying 
place & to build a meeting 
liouse on." 
" Ministers lot." 

18 John Cook 

19 Christopher Almy 

20 Edward Gray 

21 Thomas Waite 

22 Edward Wanton 

23 William Cory 

24 Edward Gray 

25 Edward Gray 

26 Jacob Mott 

27 Edward Gray 

28 William Manchester 

29 Christopher Almy 

30 Edward Gray. 



"The highway" 

" The ferry lot which lieth 

over against Sanford Henry " 
The following document would indicate that a common, in- 
cluding the beaches south of the stone bridge, was reserved as 
not included in the thirty house lots, a question of great 
interest of late as related to the proposed railroad along this 
beach. 

"To the Proprietors of the Town of Tiverton now met in 
their meeting in Said Tiverton, This Twenty-fifth day of March 
A. D. 1772. Whereas Yo'r. Petitioner having together with 
his Son i^urchased a Dwelling house Standing on the Bank 
or Commonage Next the North End of Nanaquaket pond, as 
also one right and Three quarters of a Right in the Commons 
and Beeches lying along shore from Sineflesh River so called 
'till it comes to the Ministrie Lott, but as there is no fixed 
part of said Commons & Beeches for to give this said Right 
& Three quarters jiroper boundaries, & Yo.r Petitioner having 
no right to any other land in Said Town, To erect so much as a 
Garden, or yard to plant Greens or any kind of Sauce, Is un- 
der Necessity to erect a spot or two for that use on the 
beech or be forced to hire, And as it cant be done without 
as mucli cost as perhaps tlie thing will be worth when done, 
Nevertlieless inasmuch as it will also better accommodate round 
the said house for going in and out, or round the low part 



894 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

thereof. Yo'r. Petit'r seems to be under necessity of doing it, 
as lie may find himself able, & being Loth to Risque so much 
cost with the house and all on any after division of said Com- 
monage, & a Draught for Rights where they shall Ly, as may 
be the case, Tho't. it the best security if this said meeting of the 
proprietors, Could in any wise See fit to grant that the Right 
& Three quarters purchased ))y Yo'r Petition'r & his Son be 
fixed & Determined to be where the said house stands. & ex- 
tending each way therefrom Untill it may Contain ye said 
Right & Three quarters and Yo'r Petition'r. as in dutj^ bound 
shall ever return you thanks. 

"Benjamin Shelden." 

The indefiniteness of the eastern and northern bounds of the 
great Pocasset property gave occasion very soon for controver- 
sies with their neighbors on both those bordei's. 

"At a meeting of the Purchasers of Pocasset & Places adja- 
cent, Feb'r. the 2()th 1682-3 at ... . near Puncatest, The 
Pocasset Proprietors have chosen Christopher Almy & Nathan- 
iel Thomas to settle the bounds between the freemen lands & 
the said Purchasers lands & also between the township of Dart- 
mouth and the sd Purchasers lands either by composition with 
the said freemen or Town or their agents otherwise cause the 
lines between the Said lands to be Run according to . . . " 

Their neighbors on the north were the people of Freetown, or 
the proprietors of the Freemen's purchase. With them, in the 
year 1700, a settlement of the dispute was agreed to, and each 
town appointed three surveyors to run the boundary line and 
establish the bounds. Tiverton appointed Richard Borden, 
Christopher Almy and Samuel Little, who, with three men of 
Freetown, reported a line on the first of November, 1700. The 
Fall river, near its mouth, was made the boundary, and this 
continued to be the town line so long as Freetown belonged to 
Massachusetts. 

The next fifty years seem to have brought their share of 
trouble. The generous purposes of the first proprietors to re- 
serve some lands for the ministers gave rise to some practical 
problems unforeseen, which their sons had occasion to settle. 

"June 15th 1749. Then met according to ajournment and 
Received a Report from Job Almy & Joseph Almy Esqs, our 
agents that they had procured an attorney to assist them when 
they should have Occation to Imploy him- So having proceeded 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 895 

no further in anj^ thing as yet this meeting is ajoni-necl to 
Thursday ye ninth Day of November Next at ye Dwelling 
House of Nathaniel Liltles at ten oclock in the forenoon on 
sd. Day-" 

"November ye Ninth 1749 Then met according to ajourn- 
ment and are informed by Joseph Anthony Esq that he hath 
lately been sued for a certain tract of land in his possession by 
one Othniel Campbell who calls himself a Settled Minister of 
the Congregational Church in the town of Tiverton, and hath 
the aforesaid land in that capacity as appears by a Writt pro- 
duced by sd. Anthony at this meeting where upon this meeting 
is Adjourned to Monday ye thirteenth Day of this Instant at 
two oClock in ye afternoon (to consider and advise thereon) at 
ye House of Nathaniel Little in Tiverton." 

Invested witli authority, as the Proprietors were, over a 'do- 
main rapidly increasing in value, their clerk, who was practi- 
cally their chief executive officer, became a man of importance 
in the community. On the 11th of April, 1861, "Also the said 
Proprietors have chosen Nathaniel Thomas, Clerke, to Record 

the bounds of their lots & other matter and to 

keep their Records & writings untill another Clerk be cho.sen 
and sworn." 

Mr. Thomas' successors were Robert Woodman, who was 
chosen in 1716; Samuel Fordman, 1733; Abraham Barker, 1748; 
Pardon Gray, 1775; Abraham Barker, 1839. Mr. Barker, who 
died in 1855, was the last clerk ever chosen. He recorded sev- 
eral adjournments of meetings, at which no other business was 
done, and finally, "The clerk attended at the time appointed 
March 6 1848, there being but one other Proprietor present it 
was concluded to adjourn this meeting to meet at the Town 
Hall in Tiverton at One Oclock P. M. March 5th 1849 the time 
for our next annual meeting." 

The Proprietors of Puncate.st. — When the settlement was 
made in 1680 in the north of Tiverton, the southern portion 
of the town was known as Puncatest. The name alluded to 
that tribe whose title the white m.en acquired by purchase, 
and applied to that portion of the town south of the Pocasset 
purchase, already mentioned. The date of the purchase is not 
made to appear in the Puncatest Proprietors' records, but it 
may be of interest to notice that three of the eight grantees in 
the grand deed of Pocasset are named in 1679-80 as Benjamin 



896 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Church, Daniel Wilcox and William Manchester of Pnncatest. 
In the Pnncatest- records, still carefnlly preserved by the heirs 
of the late Holder N. Wilcox, the last clerk, the terms " Pnr- 
chasers of Pocasset " and "Proprietors of Pnncatest" are 
rigidly adhered to in every reference to the two communities. 
Careful comparisons of conllicting family traditions have no 
more than created grounds for a possibility that the first set- 
tlement in the town was here as early as 1673. 

The first survey of the Pnncatest purchase is recorded as hav- 
ing been made April 2()th, 1680, when William Crow and others 
measured and bounded thirty-seven lots, some of which are 
described as having been engaged to be laid out formerly by 
the proprietors. This survey is recorded by Nathaniel Thomas, 
who was chosen clerk for the projirietors, February 20th, 
1682-3 : 

" At a meeting of Purchasers of Pocasset lands & Proprie- 
tors of Pnncatest lands at the house of Daniel Willcock in 
Reference to a final settlement of all former Contests Con- 
cerning the bounds between the lands of the s'd Purchasers 
of Pocasset & proprietors of Pnncatest, the s'd Purcliasers 
and Proprietors have unanimously agreed as followeth — that is 
to say: * * * * " 

The south line of Edward Gray's lot referred to as number 
thirty of the Pocasset purchase was agreed upon as the 
northern bounds of the Pnncatest lands. The meadow at Sa- 
powet seems to have been claimed by the Pocassest people, 
hence it is recorded: 

" — & forasmuch as it doth appear to the s'd Purchasers & 
Proprietors that Pnncatest proprietors could not groundedly 
clame so much land to belong to them by virtue of former Pur- 
chases from the Indians as is comprehended within . 
boundaries. It is therefore agi-eed that all and Every proprie- 
tor in Pnncatest land that is not a first purchaser in the grand 
deed in s'd .Pocasset land shall pay . . . the just sum of 
four pounds in for every single share that such Pnncatest pro- 
prietor shall justly claim within the above bounded land." 

Daniel Willcock was appointed to receive the monies thus to 
be paid. The territory added by this agreement to what was 
conceded to belong to the original Pnncatest purchasers was 
called the " Out-lots." On the 24th of February, 1682-3, these 
out-lots were laid out and bounded, and the records show that 



IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 897 

tlie lots were then owned or claimed by: Edward Gray, Christo 
pher Almy, Nathaniel Thomas, Job Almy, William Man- 
chester, Daniel Willcock, William Bradford, Thomas Waite, 
Thomas Clark, John Cook, Benjamin Church, John Williams 
and William Brown. July 25th, 1694, a meeting was held at 
the home of lidward Gray, and the purchasers of the lands be- 
tween the Puncatest lands and the Dartmouth bounds, ordered 
tliat "the s'd lands shall be surveyed and divided into Thirty 
sliares or lotts .... as equally .... for quantity 
aiul quality leaving suflScient and common out-ways from place 
to place as they shall see needful." 

This was done in December, and on the 15th of January the 
proprietors met at the same place and drew for the ownership 
of the thirty lots. The consecutivelj^ numbered lots 1 to 30, 
fell to the following persons: Nathaniel Thomas, 1, 5, 7, 13, 25; 
Job Almy, 2, 20, 23; Lydia Gray, 3; Seth Arnold, 4; Samuel 
Gray, 8; William Manchester, 9, 19, 21; Daniel Willcock, 10, 
15; John Cook, 11, 18; Christopher Almy, 12, 14, 28, 30; Ben- 
jamin Church, 16; Ei)hra Cole, 17; Thomas Waite, 22; Samuel 
Little, 24; Nathaniel Southworth, 26; John Cole, 27; Thomas 
Gray, 29. These seventeen persons included the original eight 
purchasers of Pocasset, one other who drew a great lot there, 
and eight whose names apjiear for the first time in this allot- 
ment. 

The landmarks noted by the surveyor — the cedar bush, the 
oak shrub, the leaning pine — have passed. The marsh is no 
longer undrained, and is now the meadow. Here and there a 
large rock with no mark or definite record to distinguish it from 
a hundred more are remaining as the only boundary m^irks, 
save the patient old clerk's entry in the raw-hide covered book, 
so full of valne then, so full of interest and worm-holes 
to-day. 

The entries of land evidence are similar in form to those 
quoted from the Pocasset records. The subject matter of the 
following quotations is of historic interest, and the orthogra- 
phy, capitalization and form are retained as showing the scholar- 
ship of that period. 

" Feby 24 1682-3 

"Imprimis.— we laid a highway from the highway across 
Capt Church's land begining ar the mill dam, we laid it four 
rod wide & to run from the sd dam to the way that is ordered 



898 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

by Pocasset Purchasers across their great lots to the fall River" 

"Also at forty rods north from Capt Clinrches land we laid 
a way from the way that goeth out of Punkatest east into the 
woods as hye as the lots run of six rod wide" 

"Also At the head of Punkatest Pond all the land lying 
between Capt Churches land & the highway which runs toward 
Pocasset & the highway that runs from Punkatest east into the 
woods was ordered to ly comon that cattle might have room 
enough to come to the brook & Pond in time of Droutii Per- 
jjetually" 

Other highways and connnons were provided for in similar 
manner, and on the 4th of May following the record was made 
to explain a prior understanding regarding rights of way: 

"Imprimis. — It was agreed & ordered by the layers out of 
the lands & meadows before the lots were drawn That it should 
be allowed to every owner of any of the meadow lands to carry 
off his hay from his meadow over any other mans meadow where 
he had no other way to his own meadow soe as he doe it in such 
manner as may lest prejidise his neighbours meadow or grass" 

From some of the votes it appears, after the division of the 
lands into farms and lots, title to some part of the reserved 
commons might be given to individual i)urchasers, the sums 
paid being divided among those who were original proprietors. 
Not only was the bargain a curiosity, but the record of these 
sales of the public lands is quaintly interesting. In July, 1710, 
Job Almy was given title to a roadway: 

"And also that way that Runneth from fogland Spring to 
puncatest Creek to be drift ways to him & his heirs & assigns 
forever & he is to keepe goats & bars suffitiont for to pas & repas 
as in other Drift ways. In Consideration . . . pay Six 
pounds unto the clerk for the use of us the proprietors, he the 
s'd Almy to draw back out of the sis pounds his i)art." 

" Voted— That Will Almy Shall have About half the Land at 
the Spring Called the Spring Comon, or Comon About the 
Spring in puncatest Neck to him & his heirs & assigns forever 
* * * the sum of fifty-five shillings for the use of the pro- 
prietors and he to Expect no Draw back." 

The year 1710 was one of great business activity at Puncatest. 
The position and direction of their south line dividing them from 
Seconnet was in controversy. 

The thirty great lots were each more than two miles in length 



IIISTOIIY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 899 

and thirty rods wide. The dividing lines depended upon the 
iirst course, and no point of compass was mentioned in the or- 
iginal survey. It is therefore strange that not until February, 
1729-30, do we find application was " made to Thomas Church, 
Esq., one of his Maj's Justicis of ye peace, by sixteen of the 
proprietors in Puncatest," for settlement by the courts of ques- 
tions involving every boundary in the ''Propriete." The bound- 
ary line between Puncatest and Seconnet was the key to the 
whole question. The court of Plymouth appointed a commit- 
tee to locate this line, but before the 10th of May, 1732, the 
proprietors on both sides of the line discovered that no certain 
point of compass was mentioned in that committee's return; so 
Job Alray and Thomas Manchester for the Tiverton proprietors 
and Sylvester Richmond, Joseph Southworth and Thomas Da- 
venport for the Little Compton proprietors mutually chose' 
Joseph Mason, a surveyor, and from Seconnet river a line was 
established and recorded as binding all the parties, and thus 
the "Great lots lying east of Puncatest and home to Dartmouth 
line" were bounded on the south and between each other by 
courses "East 7° North." 

The choice of Nathaniel Thomas as the first clerk of the Pun- 
catest jiroprietors provided for the faithful discharge of the 
duties of that office until his successor should be chosen and 
sworn. The reader will notice the discrepancy in the two rec- 
ords — a discrepancj^ which suggests that the relation between 
the two great proprietorships in Tiverton was not understood 
at first to be what it finally became. The proprietors of Punca- 
test elected his successor, so far as their interests were concerned, 
in the person of John Woodman, at a meeting held at the house 
of Daniel Rowland, April 7th, 1697, at which time and place he 
was sworn by Joseph Church, then residing in Little Compton, 
who appears to have then been another of "His Majesty's Jus- 
tices of j'e peace." Restcome Sanford was chosen clerk in 1749 
and Edward Gray in 1771. Mr. Gray signed the records as mod- 
erator of the meetings. Joseph Almy recorded the one meet- 
ing in 1776, and was chosen clerk in 1780, "Edward Gray be- 
ing dead." Redford Dennis, chosen in 1794, Joseph Bailey, 
180G, and Pardon Gray, 1816, complete the list of clerks who 
maintained the succession until January 6th, 1817. From that 
time until 1873 no meeting was lield and no entry made in the 
record save a meeting held at the town hall in June, 1859. 
57 



900 niSTOUY OF NEWPOHT COUNTY. 

The effort of the few who, on May 31st, 1873, attempted to 
revive the meetings of the proprietors of Puncatest, claiming 
for themselves the rights their grandsires might one day luive 
had, was not crowned with that degree of success which sincer- 
ity is thought to mei'it. The pine bush, the marked sapling, 
the stake and stones of 1680 were as far from their reach as were 
the men who marked them, and even the shore of the restless 
Seconnet was not where it once had been. They knew all these 
Avere lost; they more than half believed the records were gone 
with them; yet they chose ffti proprietors' clerk Holder N. Wil- 
cox, at whose house they were met, and resolved that he be a 
" committee to get the Proprietors' Records if the y can he 
found.'''' On the 6th of September following, they voted him 
authority to "demand all the records and papers belonging to 
the proi)rietors, of the heirs of Abraham Barker, deceased, late 
Proprietors' Clerk of Tiverton." No doubt their vote gave him 
the authority to demand. Fourteen years later the writer ob- 
tained more records and papers of the jiroprietors of Pocasset, 
from the heirs of Abraham Barker, tlian Holder N. Wilcox, the 
last clerk of the Puncatest proprietors, lived to read. 

The experiences of the Tiverton pioneers were not essentially 
iinlike those so nearly general among the New England settle- 
ments when the well kept treaty of the royal Massasoit was 
broken by the radical advisers of Philip, his youngest son and 
second successor. The white men had made no permanent 
homes here when the territory was embraced in the scene of 
the first act of that great drama in which Philip, the king of 
the Wampanoags, so ably, and Colonel Church of Seconnet, so 
successfully, played their parts. 

Six days after the cloud of war had burst, and Swansea was 
in ashes, Philip crossed, on the 30tli of June, 1675, from Mount 
Hope to what is now Tiverton, and with six hundred men 
Avithstood for eighteen days the attacks of the organized Eng- 
lish. Colonel Church was at the English garrison on Mount 
Hope the first week in July, and with fifteen men crossed to 
Tiverton, following the then fugitive Philip. On the 8th he 
struck their trail, leading southward to Fogland. This trail 
was along the general course of the great west road as it 
now leads from the stone bridge to Seconnet point. At Fog- 
land, a point in the southwest of Tiverton, extending west- 
ward to narrow the Seconnet, Church's company was attacked 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 901 

by twenty times tlieir number, and after six hours of mana>u- 
verini;-, during whicli none of tiie wliites were killed, they 
were extricated from their dilemma by Captain Golding, who ran 
down the river with his sloop from his little island below the 
stone bridge and rescued his friends, taking them up the river 
and landing them at the foot of Mount Hope. His island is 
vaiiously known as Golding's island, Gold island, or, in the 
later corruption of the word, as Gould island. This skirmish 
has been dignified in Arnold's History of Rhode Island by the 
title of the "Battle of Fogland." 

The reader who noticed that white men were residents of 
Puncatest when the grand deed of Pocasset was executed in 1680, 
may find light on an interesting topic by consulting the authori- 
ties, who say this skirmish of the 8th of Jnly, 1675, was in a 
cultivated field belonging to Captain A] my. Tiie traditions of 
this family, as preserved by its present representatives here, do 
not confirm so early a date. However that may be, surely the 
English were driven off the territory, and Philip, gathering his 
warriors, repaired to the northward, and for ten days on the 
defensive, he and Wetamoo, his brother's widow, awaited in 
the village of the Pocassets the arrival of the English. 

Their coming, on the afternoon of July 18th, was the signal 
for slaughter to begin. The English entered the swamp and 
were shot down as rapidly as they advanced, but their numer- 
ical advantage could not be overcome and the Indians were 
driven from their ambuscades with fearful loss. Darkness fell 
upon the scene; the English were unwilling to risk the issue to 
the chances of the night and withdrew, but Philip was unwil- 
ling to risk the issues of the day to come, and accordingly, with 
Wetamoo and the ablest of their warriors, they crossed Taun- 
ton river under cover of the niglit and made their escape to the 
country of the Nipmucks in central Massachusetts. They killed 
sixteen of the whites and in their flight left their hundred wig- 
wams and a hundred of their own number to fall into the hands 
of the English. This event, one of no slight importance in the 
King Philip war, took place south of the present northern 
boundary of Tiverton, in a cedar swamp east of the Pish road 
and west of the outlet of Stafford pond. It is cited variously 
as the battle of Tiverton, the Swamp fight and the battle of 
Pocasset. 

These two engagements and the murder of Zoeth Howland 



902 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

(55), are the principal events in the King Philip war occurring in 
Tiverton. This'Zoeth Howland, the father of Daniel Rowland, 
mentioned as owning the ferry, was killed by the Indians near 
the present residence of John S. West, on the 21st of March, 
1676. The most shocking barbarities were practiced upon the 
body, and the tradition is that the stream now known as Snell 
brook, emptying into the bay south of the stone bridge, re- 
ceived the name it so long bore — Sin and Flesh river — from be- 
ing the place where they finally disposed of their victim. 

Tiverton as a Town.— When the territory of Tiverton, 
being then included in Bristol county, became, in 1691, a part 
of Massachusetts, it was still known by the Indian name of 
Pocasset. In some of the court orders for the government of 
the settlement prior to this time, and while under the jurisdic- 
tion of Plymouth, the term " settlements at Pocasset and places 
adjacent" occurs, by which it seems the intention to include 
the southern settlement at Puncatest. 

The colony of Massachusetts, in 1692, erected into towns the 
newly acquired region, and the town of Tiverton was incorpor- 
ated on the 2d of March, 1692. On that date, in the order of 
the court creating the town as a body politic, twenty-seven men 
were declared freemen of the town, and upon them were placed 
the responsibilities as well as the privileges of freemen ; for it 
must be kept in mind that votes then were not worth as much 
as they have been in modern times, and a desire for holding of- 
fice was not yet instilled into their minds as an open or secret 
ambition. The twenty-seven were : Major Church, John Pearce, 
John Cook, Gersham Woodle, Richard Borden, Christopher 
Almy, Thomas Cory, Stephen Manchester, Joseph Anthony, 
Job Manchester, Joseph Wanton, Forbes Manchester, Daniel 
Howland, Edward Gray, Edward Briggs, William Manchester, 
Amos Sheffield, Daniel Willcock [Wilcox], Edward Colby, 
Josejih Tabor, David Lake, Thomas Waite, Joseph Tallman, 
John Briggs, John Cooke, William Almy and John Cook, Jr. 

The early manuscripts contain repetitions of these names as 
men of affairs in the town, and in 1698 the records show that 
John Searle, Josiah Stafford, Benjamin Chace, Robert Dennis, 
Samuel Hix, Gersham Manchester, William Durfee, Thomas 
Cook, Jethro Jeffries and Samuel Snell were residents and 
property owners at that time. 

The vexatious questions growing out of the uncertainty of 



HISTOHY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 903 

the bounds of tlie town as Miissacluisetts had created it, have 
already been considered. Its survey in December, 1746, was 
followed, on the 27th day of the following month, by its formal 
annexation to Rhode Island; hence the Rhode Island histories 
frequently cite this as the date of incorporation. No doubt 
Rhode Island then intended to include more in this town and 
in Little Compton than the two towns had comprised up to that 
time. The general assembly was convened in special session to 
organize these and the three othpr towns annexed from Massa- 
chusetts. So much of the act as relates to these towns is in 
these words: 

" That part which was heretofore known as Tiverton, with a 
part of Dartmouth and Freetown adjoining thereto, be incor- 
porated into a Township by the name of Tiverton ; and that 
part which has heretofore been known as Little Compton, and 
a part of Dartmouth adjoining, be incorporated into a Town- 
ship by the name of Little Compton ; and that the line which 
formerly divided Tiverton and Little Compton be extended 
easterly to the colony line, and the whole to be the dividing 
line between said towns. * * * Every man possessed of 
lands or an estate sufficient by the laws of this colony to qualify 
him for a freeman, and the oldest son of such freeholders, be, 
and the same are declared hereby, freemen of tlie respective 
towns." 

At the same session John Manchester was appointed justice 
of the peace for Tiverton, and William Richmond for Little 
Compton. 

The machinery t)f tlie town government was alreadj'' in mo- 
tion, and so generally like that of Massachusetts was the genius 
of the institutions of Rhode Island, that transferring the juris- 
diction was of very slight concern to the people. The first 
town meeting under the new- regime was held on the 10th of 
February, 1747. It was subsequently seen that the towns an- 
nexed to the colony had not been made a part of any county ; 
accordingly the Rhode Island general assembly was again con- 
vened, on the 17th of February, and tlie bounds of Newport 
county changed to include Tiverton and Little Compton. Two 
companies of militia were to organize in this town and one in 
Little Compton, and both companies were to be made a part of 
the Newport county regiment. 

In 1758 John Wilcock, Edward Sowle, Ebenezer Fish, Samuel 



9U4 HISTORY" OF NEWPORT C.OUNTY. 

Crandall, William Wilcock, Jr., Thomas Tripp, Daniel Fish, 
Thomas Gray, Jr., and Stephen Gifford, of Tiverton, were ad- 
mitted freemen of tlie colony by the general assembl}' at tlie 
May session. During 1759 Walter Cooke, Benjamin Crandal, 
John Weight, Nathaniel Crandal, Jonathan Hart, Jr., Sion 
Seabnry, George Crocker, Bennett Bailej^, Christopher Borden, 
David Manchester, Recompence Gifford and Nathaniel Pettey 
were admitted; and in the following year Jonathan Greenhill, 
Daniel Dwelley and Nathaniel Greenhill were also approved as 
citizens and freemen of the colony. In May, 1757, the names 
of John Negus, Peleg Barker, William Durfee, Robert Barker, 
William Woodel, Jr., Thomas Hicks, Abraham Brown, and 
John Davenjiort were added to the list of freemen. 

At this time the ])opulation of Tiverton was 842 whites, 99 
negroes, 99 Indians, a total of 1040, which then was over three 
per cent, of the pojiulation of the colony. In 1885 Tiverton 
contained less than one per cent, of the population of the state. 
The taxable property of the town in 1748 was two and four- 
fifths jier cent., and in 1751 three percent, of the taxed property 
of the colony. The valuation in 1887 — real estate, $1,457,551 ; 
personal property, $802,527 — was together less than four-fifths 
of one per cent, of the taxed property of the state. 

The two southeastern towns of the smallest of the New Eng- 
land colonies, so near the fountain iiead of those great influ- 
ences which were destined to give birth to a republic, were 
among the first to take active public measures in behalf of a 
" government of the people, by the people, and for the people." 
Two years before Stephen Hopkins and William Ellery, as their 
representatives in Independence hall, had pledged " their lives, 
their fortunes, and their sacred honor," the honor and fortune 
of these people had been pledged by acts of their own. So fully 
were the interests of Tiverton and Little Compton during that 
period identified with each other that the stirring local events 
of those times are found to have included alike the sturdy 
patriots of both the towns in almost every event to be recorded 
here. Agreeably to the recommendations of a continental con- 
gress of May, 1774, Tiverton and Little Compton held public 
meetings, and while the people of Boston, after their tea-party 
of the ICth of the preceding December, were suffering for 
having done what the men of Tiverton and Little Compton 
would be glad to do, they, on the 3d of February, 1774, voted 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 905 

to send aid to the Boston people. Tiverton sent seventy-two 
sheep, and Little Conipton sent money. 

That these people appreciated the exigencies of the hour and 
the solemn significance of submitting their cause to the grim 
arbitrament of war, is apparent from various records of those 
days. The town meeting on the .5th of June, 1775, "Voted 
Benjamin Jenks, Gilbert Davol and Cai)tain John Cook be and 
Hereby are appointed a Committee to Deal out the Town's 
stock of powder, ball and flints to such persons as shall enlist 
into a Company to be always ready in case of alarm to Repair 
to any part of the Town where they may be wanted." 

This from the Puncatest proprietors, from whose records we 
have previously quoted: "March 29 1776. Voted That after 
this meeting be recorded this book be put into the care of Capt. 
Isaac Manchester for its safety on account of difficult times." 

Prior to this, in the same month, John Cook, of Tiverton, and 
Perez Richmond, of Little Compton, were appointed to procure 
arms and accoutrements for their respective towns. In May the 
general assembly voted to divide the Newport county regiment 
into two regiments, and put the companies of Tiverton and Lit- 
tle Compton into the Second regiment, with John Cook as 
colonel; David Hilyard, lieutenant-colonel; and Pardon Gray, 
major. The Tiverton company was officered by Isaac Cook, 
captain; Philip Corey, lieutenant; Philip Manchester, ensign. 
The second comi)any officers were Benjamin Durfee, captain; 
Ebenezer Slocum, lieutenant; Daniel Davol, Jr., ensign. Colonel 
Cook was a man of ability and fit to command such a regiment. 
He was made a member of the committee of safety, and did con- 
spicuous service during the war. Major Gray, afterward known 
as Colonel Gray (36), had charge of the commissary headquar- 
ters in the old house, immediately south of the present resi- 
dence of John S. West. This Philip Manchester had been for 
forty years a man of affairs in Tiverton. He was appointed in 
1757 to enlist volunteers for the war with the French, in which 
the colony had voted to raise, clothe and pay 450 able-bodied 
men. A third company was organized in Tiverton before the 
close of the war, to which, in July, 1781, Jeremiah Dwelly was 
appointed ensign. 

June 3d, 1776, the town "Voted that a bounty of thirty shil- 
lings lawful money shall be given to each Soldier that shall en- 
list into Colonel Richmond's Regiment." 



906 HISTORY OF NEWPORT OOUNTY. 

"Voted that Coll. William Cook and Major Pardon Graj' be 
a committee to Eqnip the said soldiers agreeable to Law and to 
draw the money out of the Town Treasury." 

"Voted that the Town Clerk be Impowered and Directed to 
Draw an order in behalf of the Town for the Quantity of Salt 
proportioned to the said Town itc." 

"Voted VVm. Cook Mr. Cook and Gilbert Devol be a commit- 
tee to proportion the salt among the inhabitants of the town 
&c." 

The general assembly having, on the 10th of June, 1776, or- 
dered a census of the colony, as recommended by congress, 
John Cooke and Walter Cooke, of Tiverton, and Thomas 
Brownell, of Little Compton, were appointed to "take an ac- 
count of the number of inhabitants in the two towns." Their 
returns show a population of 3,393, which, at the close of the 
war, was found, in 1782, to have decreased 3 per cent. 

The strategic value of Tiverton heights as a location for a fort 
overlooking the ferry must have been early appreciated, for in 
March, 1776, fortifications were raised there, the importance of 
which became very apparent during the succeeding twenty 
months. The second Newport county regiment, under Colonel 
Cooke, was encamped here in December, 1776. In March, 1777, 
an expedition, not carried into effect, was planned to dispossess 
the British of the island, which they had held since the Decem- 
ber previous. Tiverton was made the mustering point on the 
12th, and was to have been the base of the attack. Here 
Colonel William Barton was stationed when, on the fourth of 
July, 1777, with r]iirt\'-four men and six ofBcers, in five whale 
boats, he started by a circuitous route on the expedition which 
resulted twelve days later in the cai^ture of the British general, 
Prescott, on Rhode Island. Captain Dyer, of Tiverton, with 
sixty men, crossed the Seconnet on the 5th of August and had 
an engagement with a British outpostof superior numbers, which 
they drove into intrenchnients at Butt's hill. Captain Dyer 
was wounded during this raid. In the following year, July 
30th, the British, on the approach of two French ships, "blew 
up the King FisJier, of sixteen guns, and two galleys, in the 
Seconnet river." In October, 1778, a British galley, ''The 
Pigot,^'' of two hundred tons, armed with eight twelve pound- 
ers, blockaded the Seconnet river. Major Silas Talbot, in a 
small sloo]p, with two three-pounders and sixty men under 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 907 

Lieutenant Helme, descended tlie Seconnet on the night of the 
28th, Und after passing Fogland ferry under cover of the dark- 
ness, surprised "^Z/e Pigof and captured the whole crew 
without the loss of a man on either side. 

The thirtj--four months during whicli the British held the is- 
land were dark days for the people of Portsmouth and Middle- 
town; Tiverton became the asylum of such as might get to her 
shores. The general assembly of Rhode Island provided in 
March, 1777, for the general election of those two towns to be 
held in Tiverton by such as could find it practicable to attend, at 
the house of William Durfee. The same session of the general 
assembly appointed Walter Cook of Tiverton and Pliilip Taylor 
of Little Compton to enroll in the two towns all persons able to 
bear arms. 

The tirst meeting of the Piincatest proprietors after the war 
was on the 21st of August, 1789, at the house of Captain Isaac 
Manchester. In a town meeting on the 18th of October, 1790, 
this vote was recorded: " Major Christopher Manchester be and 
hereby is appointed to receive and Collect all the Guns and ac- 
contremenrs belonging to the Town of 'J'iverton." 

The fortifications at Tiverton heights continued of importance, 
especially while Butt's hill, to the westward, was occupied bj' 
the British. Here, in 1778, Generals Sullivan, Green and La- 
fayette were rendezvoused on the eve of August 9th witli ten 
thousand men, prior to the battle of Rhode Island, and to this 
encampment they returned on the night of the thirtieth, after 
their ill-starred work was over. General Stark was encamped 
here in October of 1779, and from here with his troops crossed 
the Seconnet to take possession of Newport after the evacuation 
by the British. The barracks at Tiverton were occupied by the 
troops during the terrible winter following. Ice locked the 
waters of the bay and the river for nearly two months, and ex- 
tended far out to sea. The suffering of the citizens and the 
soldiery was unprecedented. Wood was worth twenty dollars 
per cord, and corn sold for four dollars per bushel, silver 
money. 

The barrack here was made oue of the hospitals for the French 
soldiers in June, 1780, and the resources of the people were 
taxed to the utmost capacitj^; but they made their sacrifice in 
the cause of -colonial libertj' a religious duty, and their sanctu- 
aries were held sacred to the uses of the soldiery. Tiie meeting 



908 HISTORY OF KEWPORT COUNTy. 

house of the peace-loving Friends was arranged for a hospital, 
the pulpit and pews of the Congregational church were removed 
and the buildings occupied to the close of the war for military 
purposes. 

The question of fidelity to the interests of the colony was, 
toward the close of the war, becoming a serious one, and the 
few who had been known or suspected of open or secret tory 
proclivities were placed in an unpleasant relation to the great 
body of the people. Their estates were confiscated, their lands 
were sold or appropriated to pay wages and bounties to the 
soldiers. In October, 1779, the general assembly passed an act 
providing for a special court of adjudication to be held in Tiv- 
erton, to receive complaints about forfeitable estates in Newport 
county. This court was held on the first Monday of the 
following January before a jury of citizens of Tiverton and 
Little Compton, as provided in the act creating the court. 

The general assembly in October, 1781, resolved that Daniel 
Brown of Tiverton had been concerned in fraudulently enlisting 
men in the continental service and had absconded so that a war- 
rant could not be served on him, and ordered that the sherifi' of 
Newport county take possession of his lands in Tiverton in be- 
half of the state and report to the next session of the general 
assembly. Subsequently he paid $450, silver, to the state, and 
gave the government evidence against a gang he knew, and hence 
his lands were returned to him. Others appear to have been 
suspected; some wrongfully, as this from the town records in- 
dicates: " Nov. 5, 1781. Whereas Gilbert Manchester of Tiver- 
ton appeared in the meeting and requested the moderator to take 
the opinion of the Freemen of the Town then present whether 
he the said Gilbert Manchester was a Tory or not and whether 
he was a Freeman of the Town or not. Voted unanimously 
that the said Gilbert was not a tory also the said Gilbert is a 
Freeman of this Town." 

Andrew Oliver, who at this time owned the Nanaquacket 
peninsula, was one of those whose projierty was confiscated. 
From the deeds recorded in the transaction it appears that his 
heirs or some of them were provided for, by lands at the south- 
ward being set off for them, and that the bulk of his propertj' 
was taken by the state of Rhode Island. On the 23d of No- 
vember, 1782, Joseph Clarke, as general treasurer of the state, 
deeded the property to "Colonel Israel Angell, Major Cog- 



HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 909 

gesliall, Jeremiah Oliiey and Captain William Tew, in trust for 
the use of the officers and soldiers of the state's regiments, 
lately commanded by the said Col. Angell, on account of mon- 
ies due to them from the state and in part compensation of de- 
preciation of money due to them for their services." \Tlcerton 
Land records. Book IV., page 116, et seq.] 

How this trust was discharged is not made fully to appear, 
but on the fourth Monday in February, 1791, the general as- 
sembly at East Greenwich passed an act " by force and virtue 
of which " Jeremiah Olney and Thomas Hughes, on the 2.'5th of 
March of the same year, conveyed this tract to John Cook, Na- 
thaniel Briggs and William Humphrey (57) "for and in con- 
sideration of eight-thousand-seven-hundred-tifty Spanish Milled 
Dollars paid by John Cook esquire, Nathaniel Briggs, mariner, 
and William Humphrey all of Tiverton * * * unto them 
the said * * * as tenants in common and not as joint Ten- 
ants." [La7id Rec, Blc. /F.] A mortgage for $5,834 was a 
part of the purchase consideration. 

In June, 1783, after congress, in April, had ratified the arti 
cles of peace, the Rhode Island general assembly appointed 
".Benjamin Howland and Lemuel Bailey to sell the bake- 
house, oven, platform and beacon-pole, in Tiverton, belonging 
to the state." 

An interesting list of the voting freemen of Tiverton is ob- 
tained from the yeas and nays on the question of adopting the 
federal constitution. The vote was taken in town meeting on 
the fourth Monday in March, 1788. 

Zm*.-— Joseph Durfee, Peleg Simmons, Jr., John Negus, 
Abner W^ood, Peleg Sanford, William Cory (son of Caleb), Ed- 
ward Woodman, Relford Dennis, Isaac Cook, Daniel Dwelly, 
Gideon Durfee, Thomas Cook, Philip Corey, Abraham Brown, 
Abraham Barker, Thomas Barker, Lemuel Bailey, Isaac Brown, 
Joseph Barker, Pardon Gray, Joseph Seabury, John Perry, 
Lemuel Taber.— 23. 

iW/?/*.-— Benjamin Jenks, George Crocker, Paul Mosher, John 
Durfee, Joseph Sowle, Benjamin Sawdy, Jr., Joseph Taber, 
William Wodell, Daniel Round, Jr., Scriton Hart, Benjamin 
Hambly, Elihu Gifford, Epliraim Davenport, John Hicks, Jere- 
miah Cook, Benjamin Chace, Thomas Sisson, Godfrey King, 
Stephen King, Stephen Mosher, Stephen Hicks, Zebedee Mosher, 
William Corey (son of David), Zuriel Fisk, William Wilcox, 



910 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

William Gifford, Isaac Case, Philip Sisson, Abner Sherman, 
Olphiee King, -Abner Crandall, Thomas Corey (son of T.), 
John Tripp, Edward Bailey, John Borden, Isaac Jennings, Hol- 
der Almj' , Isaac Harf, Isaac Wilcox, Michael Macomber, Daniel 
Brown, David Eddy, Gilbert Manchester, Gershom Wodell, Jr., 
Daniel Grinnell, Christopher Wodell, John Jenks, Aaron Bor- 
den, Obediah Dennis, Richard Sherman, Benjamin Sawdj', Paul 
Grossman, Thomas Wilcox, Daniel Sherman, Jotham Round, 
Eber Crandall, Gamaliel Warren, Israel Brownell, Gideon Grin- 
nell, Benjamin Borden, Ephraim Chamberlin, Sampson Sher- 
man, Gideon Almy, Thomas Cory, Samuel Sanford, Prince 
Durfee, James Durfee, Daniel Devol, Gershom Wodell, Knowles 
Negus, AValter Cook, John Freeman, James Tallman, Weaver 
Osband, Benjamin Borden (son of James), Philip Manchester, 
Wanton Devol, Pardon Cook, William Sawdy, Thomas Durfee, 
Gilbert Devol, Benjamin Howland, Lot Sherman, Christopher 
Manchester, Icliabod Simmons, Nathaniel Shaw, Abraham Bar- 
i-ington, Abner Simmons, Godfrey Perry, Benjamin Hambly, 
John Stafford, Constant Hart.— 92. 

The Abraham Barker voting "Aye" in this list, and Isaac 
Manchester, were, two years later, the delegates to speak for 
Tiverton in the constitutional convention at Newport. After 
the twelve other stal;es had ratified the great organic law of the 
new republic, they, on the afternoon of Saturday, May 29th, 
1790, voted "Aye" with the majority for the ratification of the 
federal constitution. 

The allotment of the thii'ty house lots at Pocasset in 1681 was 
the prophecy of a village to be built. In the development of 
the idea, and while a ferry was the only means of intercourse 
with the island, the village took the name Howland's Ferry. 
Later on the ferry gave place to a bridge, and the place was 
generally referred to as Howland's Bridge, but since a more 
permanent structure has linked tlie town to her political sisters 
to the westward, the term " Stone Bridge," as the natue of the 
rugged tie, has naturally come to signify, also, the village at its 
eastern approach. 

The ferry was operated by Isaac Howland's brother, a bache- 
lor, who, at his death, gave it to John Howland. The Tiverton 
landing was about forty rods north of tiie present stone bridge, 
and west of Major Hambly's shop (50), at a point, as the old 
measurements would show, some distance west of the present 



HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 911 

shore line, where stood a tine row of poplar trees. The shore 
changing, the i)opIais were carried away by the encroaching 
tide, and the hoys are catching " tantog" to-day in fifteen feet 
of water under the spot where once the poplars grew. 

Where now stands the post village of Tiverton was the site 
of the hamlet of one Imndied and fifty years ago, known as 
Howland's Ferry. Of it and the interests it included, very little 
has been retained in the memory of the present generation, but 
the family giving name to the old ferry and hanUet, which grew 
up hei-e, produced some of the leading characters of that time. 
One of the Rowlands (.55) was a member of congress. At Daniel 
Howland's house, which was doubtless a public inn, the town 
elections were held as early as 1703. The Howlands of Little 
Compton (132) are a collateral branch of the same old family. 

The ferry was of great importance to the settlers on the Tiver- 
ton side of the Seconnet as a means of intercourse with their 
western neighbors on the island, who bad many comfortable 
homes before the first white man's habitation was reared in the 
eastern land of the Pocassets. The people of the island were 
benefitted quite as much by this link connecting them witli the 
mainland, and the ferry was maintained in their mutual interests, 
while one generation after another laid down the oars, until 
near the close of the eighteenth century, when, in 1792, a peti- 
tion from citizens of the town of Newjiort, for liberty to erect a 
bridge between Rhode Island and Tiverton at Howlands Ferry, 
was presented at the June session of the general assembly at 
Newport, and referred to the next session for consideration. 

The legislature passed the enabling act, and within two years 
a wooden bridge was completed, which was the first driveway 
leading to or from the island of Rhode Island. The existence 
of this bridge was very brief. It was soon so weakened by being 
worm-eaten, that, despite the efforts to strengthen it by addi- 
tional piles supporting a sidewalk, an extraordinary rise of 
water in 1796 carried it away. It was immediately rebuilt, but 
in the following year it was again swept away, and for a long 
time the idea of maintaining a bridge was abandoned. In 1807 
a i)roposition to build a stone bridge was made; a subscription 
of 800 shares at $100 each was soon filled, and its construction 
commenced in the summer of 1808, under the superintendence 
of Major Daniel Lyman. The structure was completed in July, 
1810, but the September gale of 1815 carried away about two 



i 



912 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUKTY. 

hundred feet of the structure. To repair this and other damages 
an assessment was made, and the bridge was repaired and re- 
opened in the fall of 1817. For half a century it now stood 
firm against the dashing waves, but in a severe gale in Septem- 
ber, 1868 or 1869, the draw was taken oflf. 

Prior to this time it had been a loll bridge, but now the state 
assumed control, lepaired and greatly strengthened it, made it 
a free bridge, and it now seems of sufRcient strength to with- 
stand any attack of the elements. It is over two thousand feet 
in length, with .walls of heavy split stone, railing and sliding 
draw. Some 280,000 tons of stone have been used in its con- 
struction, and the cost has been over two hundred and fifty 
thousand dollars. It spans the Seconnet river, a beautiful sheet 
of water twelve miles long and a mile wide, which forms the 
eastern boundary of the island of Rhode Island and connects 
Mount Hope bay with the ocean. 

The first post office was established in Tiverton in 1811. It 
was given the name of the town and located near Rowland's 
ferry. The first postmaster was William Norton, who, ap- 
pointed April 1st of that year, served for over forty years. 
The office has been administered by the following named ap- 
pointees: Samuel Seabury, who was appointed June 8th, 1841; 
William Hodges, April 12th, 1850; Charles F. Seabury, Sep- 
tember 27t]i, 1852; John W. Almy, March 25th, 1856; Henry 
Gray, June 21st, 1861; Asa Gray, February 18th, 1864; Charles 
F. Seabury, January 9th, 1868; Samuel Seabury, March 2d, 
1868; Edwin Hambly, September 29th, 1869; Samuel Seabury, 
February 19th, 188H; Samuel Seabury 2d., February 26th, 1883. 

The extension of the Old Colony railroad from Fall River to 
Newport in 1864 gave the community a railroad station and a 
Western Union Telegraph office. It has also the same stage 
connections with Fall River as have the villages to the south- 
ward, and is connected by telephone with Boston and Newport. 

Tlie following is a copy of a curious document, the original 
in possession of Mrs. Benjamin Barker. Joseph Anthony, in 
1749, owned land in both Tiverton and Portsmouth, although it 
is not clear that tliis writing relates to the ferry between them: 

"Whereas my near neighbour, Joseph Anthony, desired me 
to give from under my hand something concerning his ferry — 
This may certify whom it may concern that I the subscriber 
liave known it to be a ferry maintained by s'd Anthony's father 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 913 

and by him for fifty years or upwards constantly. As witness 
my liand at Portsmouth, the7rh day of theTliird month called 
May, 1745. 

"Thomas Hicks." 

We have remarked the impulse wliich business interests re- 
ceived at Puncatest in 1710. Here was a valuable water power 
which bore an important relation to the development of Little 
Compton, as well as of the town in which it was located. On 
the 21st of March a committee of the Puncatest proprietors was 
appointed to act with Captain Benjamin Church and a commit- 
tee from Seconnet and measure out and bound, as had been 
previously agreed, a mill lot, to include the mill then in pos- 
session of Joseph Taber. Three days later eighty acres were 
laid out as a mill lot, located "south of the highway that goeth 
to Dartmouth." An allusion to the mill in a paper written in 
April, 1710, calls it Taber's saw and grist mill. Holder N. 
Wilcox, whose knowledge on this subject gave weight to his 
opinions, said that the two committees, Puncatest and Secon- 
net, had granted one hundred and sixty acres to Benjamin 
Church, as a subsidy for establishing a grist mill for the two 
sections of the peninsula; that Mr. Church bargained with Mr. 
Taber to take half the land and build the mill, and that the 
transaction above recorded was to give effect to those purposes 
and intentions. This mill lot of eighty acres included what is 
now the home of Mr. Wilcox's widow and the residence of 
Pardon Cory. 

The next business of general interest here in 1710 was the lay- 
ing out, on the 10th of June, the mill lot having been definitely 
located, of fifteen small lots east of it. Twelve of these were 
each six rods wide on the west end, adjoining the mill lot, and 
extended east fiftj'-five rods, to a road running north and south. 
South and west of the four corners, bounded on the east by the 
highway leading to Seconnet, and on the north by the road to 
"The Neck," fifteen other lots were plotted. Each of these 
was four rods wide at the north and south ends and fortj' rods 
long. They were bounded west by the pond and south by the 
mill lot. 

These thirty building sites were to constitute the nucleus of 
the village of Tiverton Four Corners. The pond on the west, 
and which now separates "The Neck" from these lands to the 
east, had then the euphonious name, Nonicot, as it was spoken 



914 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

and written in that day. This name became the local appella- 
tion of the village, and the mill, the foundation of its growth, 
took the designation of the Nomcot mill. 

After Stephen and Joseph Taber, the mill was owned for years 
by Taylor and Ebenezer Davenport. The Wilcoxes owned it 
when it was abandoned some time prior to 1847. To think 
of a mill of so mnch importance in the economy of a commu- 
nity as was this, and then to know that its capacity was to grind 
not more than two bushels of corn in an hour, gives a vivid im- 
l^ression tliat those were verily the days of small things. 

A litigation regarding the mill owners' claim received the at- 
tention of the courts for four years prior to 1812, when it was 
concluded favorably to the mill interests. 

During several years, including the above date, a factory for 
the manufacture of hats was in operation here. One Lindall 
Tompkins was the artisan in the enterpri.se, which was carried 
on just south of the residence of the late Holder N. Wilcox. 

Sometime about 1847 William Pitt Bateman bought the mill 
site of the Wilcox family and built the grist mill and store, 
now the property of Charles H. White. Mr. Bateman built also 
a wheelwright shop, with suitable lathes and machinery, and 
in the revival of enterprise here, this immediate vicinity — in 
allusion to Mr. Bateman — has since been known as Pittsville. 
The mill and store, with the tenement and the shops, passed, 
in 1866, into the hands of Charles H. White & Bro. Pour years 
later the real estate became, as now, the property of the senior 
X)artner — the junior, Andrew P. White, taking the business in 
charge until the close of 1876. 

In the southwest angle of the intersecting highways, which 
suggested the name, Tiverton Four Corners, is an old ruin, 
which marks the site of what was probably the first store at Pun- 
catest. Here is the stone work of the old bake-oven, where bread 
was made for the early dwellers at Fall River. Here Mr. Stod- 
dard made those delectable compounds of sweetened dough and 
ginger, that his fair good customers were so gallant as to call 
cakes. "Stoddard's cakes" became a common household terra, 
and it shared the fate of nearly every other phrase, soon or 
late; it was shortened and corrupted, and when the old baker 
was no more, other men made "'Stodercakes," and other boys 
and girls ate them, knowing that cakes, however it might be 
with roses, were just as sweet by another name. Frederick 



HISTOKY OF NKWPOHT COUNTY. 915 

Brownell and Ezra Crandall are two other proprietors of the 
old bakery whose names are still remembered. 

There were two old stores here in 1798, known then by names 
of doubtful propriety, as "The red store" and "The wiiite store." 
These were the days of decorative exteriors. These structures 
had been once painted the respective colors that then remained 
only in their names. Captain Gray had painted red. Fatlier 
Lake had painted white. Father Time had painted brown, and 
the years, as they passed by, touched the shingles' ends with 
mossy green. 

The northwest angle included the old "Wilcox corner, where 
descendants of the old first proprietor lived for many years. 
Southwest of the house — useless, and armless and gray — stands 
all that is left of the wind-mill, which bore arms, like a hero, 
in 1776. This corner belongs now to A. P. White, who erected 
the store and dwelling in 1876, and began business in it at the 
close of the year. On the northeast corner is the store of Wil- 
liam H. Davol (123). This is the stand where Captain Coi'nelius 
Seabury did business in his lifetime, and where, in succession, 
two of his sons-in-law, Andrew Cory and Oliver Hicks, did 
business after him. George Almy, Isaac Gray and a Mr. Man 
Chester, familiarly known as "Captain Jim," are among the 
others who have tried their skill at buying for casli and selling 
for credit at '"The Corners." 

The old account books, so rich a source of definite impres- 
sions on the subject and methods of business, give us a quaint 
picture of the times to which they relate. One of these, prob- 
ably belonging to Burroughs & Davenport, a day-book of 1798, 
with its entries in pounds, shillings, pence and farthings, re- 
cites on its first page that it is B. & D"s. book, and that the 
modest men, known nowhere in it by any other or fuller name 
than these two initials, did, on Tiiursday, March 21st, begin 
business in the white store. "Store bout the 7th of March. 
Possession took the 20th." 

Bitters and biscuit, rum, tobacco, cider and bread appear to 
have been the necessaries of life which their customers must 
have, even if they could not pay for them. 

Their Adamsville neighbors at the southeast had had a post 
office sixteen years, and the people at Rowland's ferry had en- 
joyed a similar privilege more than half that time, when, on 
the 4th of February, 1820, Alexander H. Seabury was appointed 
58 



916 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

first postmaster at Tiverlon Four Corners. The successive in- 
cumbents, with the dates of their respective appointments, are 
appended: Arnold Smith, October 24th, 1832; Benjamin F. Sea- 
bury, July 9th, 1863; Emily Seabury, June 9th, I860; Samuel 
G. Pierce, June 3d, 1868; William H. Pierce, March 3()th, 1874; 
Frank E. White, April 6th, 1877; Andrew P. White, March 22d, 
1878. 

The Southern Massachusetts Telephone Company have a sta- 
tion at Tiverton Four Corners, and the two steamers plying be- 
tween Seconnet point and Providence have a landing at White's 
wharf. These furnish the people here with valuable facilities. 
The Fall River and Little Compton stage, a daily mail service 
each way, completes the public means of transit. 

Some of the first settlements of the Pocasset purchase were 
in what is now the northern district of Tiverton, and which has 
recently become known as North Tiverton. The original set- 
tlers were ancestors of the well known families, Borden and 
Gardiner, who are at present identified with and interested in 
the growth and prosperity of the thriving new community which 
lies just north of their homesteads. 

James W. Counsell was the projector of the recent building 
enterprise in this fast growing community, and seems to have 
given it, from the beginning, an impetus from which it is not 
likely to recede. Mr. Counsell was born in England in 1845. 
He came to Rhode Island in 1869, and building his present res- 
idence in 1874, he became the first house owner among that in- 
creasing number of sober and industrious people, not of Ameri- 
can birth, who are making for their families snug and comfort- 
able homes in this suburb of the city. Tiiese terms may not be 
applicable to all the mill workers, but are distinctively true of 
the neighborhood to which we apply them. In the beginning of 
1866 Mr. Counsell entered into partnership with Greenwood 
Robertshaw, in the firm now doing a grocery business here un- 
der the style of Counsell & Robertshaw. Mr. Counsell, in 1886, 
was elected district collector for the sixth time, and the follow- 
ing year became member of the town council. 

His partner, Mr. Robertshaw, was also born in England. He 
came to Fall River in 1873, and in 1877 he removed to this town. 
He has been in the board of assessors seven consecutive years, 
and is now serving his fourth year as its chairman. The Rhode 



inSTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 917 

Island legislature, at the May session of 1886, appointed lioth 
these gentlemen justices of the peace for Tiverton. 

Another merchant here of English birth is Austin Walker. 
He was born in 1837, came to the United States in 1862 aTid to 
New England in 1868. He was a mill operative from 1875 to 
1882, when he began a dry goods business in Fall River. Tiiree 
years ago he opened a store here, where he has resided since 
1875. He built his present store building in 1886, and has a 
good business, in which he is assisted by his sons, William and 
Austin, Jr. 

Peleg S. Stafford (90), an old resident, carries on a store and 
has been postmaster at North Tiverton since June, 1886, at 
which time the post office was established. 

As far back as 1870 an undenominational chapel and Sunday 
school room was erected, opposite what is now the Nortli Tiv- 
erton post office, on land donated for the purpose by Mrs. Eliz- 
abeth Gardner. This was called Benefit hall. During the year 
188.5 this building was moved to a lot given by Benjamin C. 
Borden, and enlarged, and is at present a commodious building 
called Temple Hall chapel, valued at $3,000. It is under the 
patronage of the Second Baptist church of Fall River. Re- 
ligious services are held morning and evening each Sabbath, 
conducted by the pastor. Rev. George W. Gile. A flourishing 
Sunday school of one hundred pupils, supplied with a good 
library, is under the superintendence of Joseph U. Carr. 

In 1881 sixteen men conceived the idea of providing their 
community with a place for entertainments and secular instruc- 
tion. They took the title of the Garfield Hall Library and 
Reading Room Association. Two of their number, as trustees, 
took deeds of a site, and in December a free hall was finished, 
with a seating capacity of two hundred and fifty. It was 
formally opened on Christmas eve. Mr. Counsell was the first 
president; Joseph Stark the next; Jonathan Robertshaw the 
next. John Beardsworth is the present incumbent. They liave 
a library of four hundred volumes, some of which have been 
donated, Joseph Church, Jr., giving sixty-eight new volumes. 
G. Robertshaw was the first librarian, and has been succeeded 
by J. W. Counsell and Riciuird Jennings, who is now librarian. 

The Primitive Methodist Society held service in Garfield hall 
nntil the spring of 1886, when they completed their snug church 
building here. 



918 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Several localities in Tiverton have business or historical in- 
terests which have made them known by distinctive titles in 
the local geographj;- of the town. 

Nanaquacket. — This Indian name and its modern corruption, 
"Quacket/' are applied to a peninsula south of the stone 
bridge, partially surrounded by the river on the west side and 
Nanaquacket pond on the east. It is the tract said, in the re- 
cords of Plymouth, to have been granted by the town of Ply- 
mouth to Richard Morris, prior to the grand deed to the Pocas- 
sefi settlers in 1679-80. The grant of Plymouth colony to 
Plymouth town was revoked, and if any possession was ever 
taken by Morris, it must have been for a short time only. 

Boat building was carried on here at one time, and some of 
the vessels launched from this point were ships of no mean 
dimensions. Mr. Roach of Nantucket made a large offer for 
this neck as a site before he established his immense whaling 
business at New Bedford. This tract belonged to Andrew Oli- 
ver before the revolution, and is the property mentioned as 
having been confiscated by the state. Before it was finally 
settled it was measured as four hundred and forty seven acres, 
in 1785, and contracted to be sold to William Humphrey at $27 
per acre. This William Humphrey was a resident of Tiverton 
in 1799, and in 1782 was addressed as Captain Humphrey of the 
Rhode Island Regiment, stationed at Philadelphia. Only the 
northern portion of the neck was finally deeded to Mr. Hum- 
phrey, and at his death it passed to his youngest son, George 
W. Humphrey. The next generation, the Humphreys of to- 
day, reduced to practice what must have been long and favor- 
ably considered by the farmers of Nanaquacket, a bridge at 
the north end of the neck to connect their several farms by a 
more direct route with Fall River, which was becoming their 
principal market. Agreeably to a petition from the parties 
in interest, the Rhode Island legislature passed the enabling 
act, thus: 

" George W. Humphrey, Joseph D. Humphrey, Peleg D. 
Humphrey, Daniel T. Church and other associates and succes- 
sors are hereby authorized and empowered to construct and 
maintain a bridge over and across the strait which is at the en- 
trance from the sea to Nanaquacket Pond in Tiverton with the 
consent of the owners of the land upon which the abutments 
for the said bridge will be erected. Provided however, that the 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 919 

said bridge shall be constructed al a place and upon a plan to 
be approved by the Town Council of said town of Tiverton." 

Considerable opposition was manifested at first by the sea- 
fai-ing men principally, who frequented the pond with numer- 
ous small craft, especially when a plan was submitted without 
a draw, but as the question was agitated the opposition ap- 
peared to die away, but not until April 4th, 1881, was a loca- 
tion and plan submitted to the council that obtained their 
approval and which resulted in the erection of the present 
bridge. With the exception of a fifty feet opening covered 
with hard pine, it is built exclusively of stone, the foundation 
being heavy rocks riprapped to low water, and from beginning 
to end was the result of private enterprise, the contributors, 
Joseph D. Humphrey, Peleg D. Humphrey, Nathaniel B. 
Church, A. B. Durfee and Mrs. Mary West, contracting with Cap- 
tain C. A. Davis to build most of the stone work. This contract 
being completed November 4th, 1883, the work was continued 
by the contributors. On the 10th the structure was made 
passable, and after inspection by the council was approved 
March 3d, 1884. Heretofore only a private way existed along 
the point running through several farms, but in August, 1883, 
a committee was appointed by the council to mark out a public 
road, and in the latter part of that year a road was built and 
March 17th, 1884, it was accepted by the town council and at 
once became a popular thoroughfare, and has now become a 
stage road. The cost of the bridge, including §420, paid for the 
south end of Bridgeport wharf for a landing, exceeded §4,000. 

EagleviUc, while it existed, was southeast of the swamp 
which has been mentioned as the scene of the battle of Pocas- 
set. This is doubtless the exact site of the Pocasset Indian 
village. The outlet of Stafford pond furnished a desirable water 
power, and Silas Cook bought the Pocasset Great lot, including 
it, and built a saw and grist mill here in the early days of the 
settlement. The mill property was bouglit about sixty years 
ago by George Durfee and Asa Coggesliall, wiio took down the 
two mills, or what remained of them, and erected a cotton fac- 
tory and a woolen factorj^ wliich they operated for several 
years. Tiiey were substantial stone buildings, one of wiiich is 
still standing, though unoccupied. Tiie woolen mill was burned. 
The old stone house north of the higliway was built as a part of 
this mill enterprise. 



920 HISTORY OF NEVVPOliT COUNTY. 

Bliss Four Corners received its name from Cyreniis Bliss, who 
was horn in Rehoboth, Mass., in 1807. Mr. Bliss came here in 
early life and found, as all men find who make from the wilderness 
a home, that hard work must be done ; he cleared the land and 
in the place of forest trees fruit trees were soon growing; in- 
stead of a hut in a forest;, a home in a civilized community was 
enjoyed. In 1827 the wants of the people were met by the gro- 
cery store which Mr. Bliss opened. Later on dry-goods, and 
goods for those who were dry, were added to the stock. In ad- 
dition to his mercantile business he carried on farming. In 
1857 a post office was established here, supplied from Fall River. 
The iirst postmaster, Cyrenus Bliss, was appointed January 
15th. Cornelia J. Bliss succeeded him, being appointed on 
the 7th of April in the same year. Laura A. Bliss was ap- 
pointed December 7th, 1860, and the office was discontinued 
April 8th, 1864. Mr. Bliss made Bliss Four Corners all that it 
has ever been. His home is still there. He has been several 
times elected to the state senate. His deceased wife was Sarah, 
a daughter of Isaac Rounds. 

For/land. — Fogland point was a point west of Nonquit or 
Nomcot pond, in the Puncatest tract, extending into Secounet 
river. Prior to the revolution, a ferry was established between 
this point and the island of Rhode Island. A building used as 
a kind of depot was standing here in those early days, and the 
fact that Job Almy was the iirst white man who owned this 
land supports the tradition that he owned and ran this ferry. 
At a later jieriod it was owned by John Almy and operated by 
Thomas Wilcox, who is elsewhere mentioned as maintaining a 
system of signals with Isaac Barker on the island. The ferry 
must have been in operation during the war of the revolution, 
for Arnold mentions that on the 22d of September, 1777, the 
British had possession of the Rhode Island end of a ferry con- 
necting here. 

Bridgeport is a point south of Stone Bridge, containing one 
of the oldest buildings in the town used for business purposes. 
A grocery store here is kejit by Pierce & White. William Gi'ay, 
Mr. McCurry, Albert Gray and Henry Brown are some of the 
men who have done business at this landing. A tish packing 
business was carried on here to a considerable extent at an ear- 
lier period than that of either of the men mentioned, and the 
landing was important in the days of the rum and molasses 
business. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 921 

White's Wharf. — In the early part of the present century 
Peleg Corey, an old coaster, owned a tract of land nortii of Fog- 
land iioint. He bnilt there a wharf and from this point he ran 
a sloop to Providence, and in this way the people of Tiverton 
Four Corners and vicinity secured their supplies in the way of 
.merchandise. At Mr. Corey's death he left one-fourth of his 
estate to his son Thomas, who, for over twenty years, with oc- 
casional intervals, sailed the sloop as his father had done. Af- 
ter Thomas Corey, Benjamin Wilcox sailed a packet boat to and 
from Providence. Then Holder N. Wilcox put on a freight and 
passenger boat, "The Temperance." Christopher White and 
Cai)tain J. A. Petty owned a boat which plied on this route for 
several years, and subsequently Captain Petty, buying out Mr. 
White, conducted the sail packet until, in 1887, the " Queen 
City," owned by a stock company, was put on this line. This 
steamer makes a trip from Seconnet to Providence daily. The 
"Dolphin," an older steamer, is also run on this line by Holder 
Wilcox. These steamers both stop at White's wharf on every 
trip. 

About twenty five years ago Isaac Gr. White bought that part 
of Peleg Corey's estate which was left to Thomas Corey. Alex- 
ander S. Pierce (76) owns the balance. Mr. White has enlarged 
and greatly improved the wharf, and White's wharf is now of 
considerable importance. Mr. White was early in life engaged 
in purse and trap fishing, and in 1862 established the oil busi- 
ness at his wharf, where the business was continued until re- 
cently. The coal business, established here in 1862, is still car- 
ried on, supplying this part of the town, and amounts to about 
live hundred tons per year. 

Mills. — Besides the mills mentioned at Tiverton Four Cor- 
ners and Eagleville, in the eastern portion of the town, is 
another knf)\vn as the "Borden Mill," situated on theCrandall 
road, between Adamsville and Fall River. It was bnilt by 
Benajah Borden (109), and was for many years the grist mill 
lor the people in this part of Tiverton and in Massachusetts to 
the eastward. 

Early in the develojjment of this section of the two states a 
saw mill was built above the grist mill on the same stream, at 
a point west of the present Crandall school house. One Stephen 
Crandall moved this mill down stream to be supplied by the 
same dam which supplied the Borden grist mill, and both mills 



922 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

on tlie same mill lot subsequently came into the possession of 
Benjamin H. Waite. The enlargement of the pond, according 
to rights previously vested but not asserted, led to the long 
series of litigations which is a part of the history of almost every 
water power privilege. Mr. Waite built the present mill, and 
after him the owners were, in 1865, David W. Simmons and 
Philip J. Gray; then Philip J. Gray, in 1867, and five years 
later Otis L. Simmons bought it and operated it for years. The 
VVilbor family are the owners of the mills at the present time. 

The carding mills mentioned as the principal business of 
Christopher Brownell in his lifetime are south of the "Borden 
Mill," on the same highway, known from the name of an early 
family as the Crandall road. 

Two of the cotton mills of the Fall River system are located 
in this town. The Bourne mill was built in 1881-2 by a stock 
comiDany incorporated under the laws of Massachusetts. Ed- 
mund Chase was first president. The board of directors were, 
besides the president, Jonathan Bourne, Charles M. Shove, 
Charles E. Vickery, George A. Chace, Lloyd S. Earle, Danforth 
Horton and Frank S. Stevens. The capital stock was then 
$400,000. The mill was built at a cost of one hundred and fifty 
thousand dollars. It is a granite structure, five stories high, 
with basement. The dimensions are 339 by 80 feet, with an L 
80 by 30 feet. It contains one thousand and eighty looms and 
forty-three thousand and eight spindles. The machinery is 
operated by one pair of engines of nine hundred horse power, 
being supplied with water from Laurel lake. The total cost of 
the machinery was $600,000. Fivq hundred persons are em- 
ployed in making all kinds of odd goods, any width and any 
count. Since the company was incorporated three of the direc- 
tors, Edmund Chase, Charles E. Yickery and Danforth Ilorton 
have died. Two have since been elected, their names being 
Nathaniel B. Horton and Stephen A. Jenks. The capital stock 
is at present $400,000, §700,000 having been actually paid into 
the treasury. At Mr. Chase's death Jonathan Bourne was 
elected president. W. S. Barker is clerk, and Raymond Murry 
superintendent. 

In 1872 another company called the " Shove Mills Stock Com- 
pany" was also incorporated under the Massachusetts law. The 
first president was Charles O. Shove. He was succeeded by 
John P. Slade. The present incumbent is Charles M. Shove. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 023 

Isaac W. Howland, of Little Conipton, is one of the directors. 
His son, William W. Howland, is clerk. This company, in 
1880, built what is known as "Number 2" mill in Tiverton. 
This mill is of granite, three stories high, dimensions 194 by 75 
feet. The building, together with the machinery, cost 8200,000. 
The mill runs twenty-two thousand two hundred and eight 
spindles, employing one hundred and twenty-five people. The 
company owns another mill known as " Number 1," which is 
situated in Massachusetts. In "Number 2" the spinning and 
carding are done for five hundred of the looms in " Number 1." 
The company's stock is $500,000. 

Taverns. — One of the first public inns in Tiverton — probably 
the first — was on the highway leading east toward Dartmouth 
from the Puncatest settlement, now Tiverton Four Corners. 
The first authenticated date is September 11th, 1749, when the 
" Puncatest Proprietors" met at the house of William Manches- 
ter, inn holder (66). The old hostelry was on the north side 
of the road mentioned, and was a very old structure in 1776, 
when it was used as a place of rendezvous by one of the com- 
panies of the Tiverton militia. Opposite the tavern, on the 
place now owned by Ephraim Sanford, was the parade ground, 
where the militia as early as 1749 met for drill. 

At a later date a tavern was built about one mile north of the 
ferry. This building still stands near H. C. Osborn's, owned 
and occupied by Mr. Bennett. It was at one time known as 
the "Jew House." It is believed that Allen Durfee was the 
first proprietor. About 1816 he enlarged the original structure 
by adding what is now the north part, and at the same time 
building the row of sheds. It is now known as the old " Dur- 
fee House." 

In the early days of the present century a hotel was standing 
near the eastern end of the stone bridge, on the mainland and 
fronting the bridge, for many years known as the "Stone 
Bridge House." The most reliable information is that it was 
built about 1790 by Captain Lawton, and was a famous resort 
in its early history. In 1847 it was destroyed by lire, but a new 
house was soon erected on the same location by Gardner Thomas. 
This house was opened July 4th, 1848, by Grant & Alexander. 
They were the proprietors two years, and during that time they 
planted the shade trees that are now shading the old grounds. 
In 1864 Asa T. Lawton, of Newport, purchased it, enlarging 



924 insTouY of Newport county. 

and greatly improving it at an expense of more than $60,000. 
He opened it in 1865 as the " Lawton House," running it suc- 
cessfully for two seasons. He sold it in 1867 to a company of 
thirty men of Fall River. It was controlled by this company 
until the panic of 1878, when it was sold at a great sacrifice. In 
1879 Philander Smith bought it, and after running it. five 
seasons he sold it, in June, 1884, to Colonel George Alexander, 
who great;ly improved and modernized it. Mr. Alexander was 
preparing to open it in June, having it finished and partly fur- 
nished, when it was destroyed by fire. A company styled the 
" Stone Bridge Hotel and Cottage Association" is erecting a 
new hotel on this site, to be opened in July, 1888, under the 
management of Colonel George Alexander, who is tlie moving 
spirit in this enterprise. 

The Bay View house was built in 1871 by Philander Smith, 
who sold it in 1877 to Abner Tallman, the present proprietor. 

Highways. — For a hundred years from the settlement of 
Tiverton the roads extending eastward were the most import- 
ant ones in the town. One of these, mentioned as extending 
from Tiverton Four Corners eastward to Dartmouth; another, 
liassing Bliss Four Corners; and the third, passing the Gardner 
homestead (32) in the north part of the town, were the princi- 
pal lines of travel. Now, the great west road from Fall River 
to Seconnet, and the Stafford and Crandall roads, together mak- 
ing a line from Fall River to Adamsville, are the most import- 
ant thoroughfares of the town. 

Churche-s.— The Stone Free Will Baptist church was formed 
in or about the year 1680, by Baptists residing in Dartmouth, 
Tiverton and Little Compton. It was first organized by the 
Six Principle Baptists, who obtained their belief from Hebrews 
VI : 1-3. In September, 1835, it was voted to adopt the "Faith 
of the Free Will Baptists" and accept their denominational 
name. The first pastor was Hugli Moshier, an Knglishman, who 
was succeeded at his death by Aaron Davis, of Dartmouth, who 
had charge of the church until 1720. Next Philip Taber, of 
Dartmouth, was pastor for thirty-two years From 1752 to 1775 
David Rounds, of Tiverton, and Benjamin Sheldon, of Reho- 
both, had charge of the church. For the next twenty-five years 
Peleg Burrouglis, of Newport, was the pastor. He died in Au- 
gust, 1800. The hymn composed by him on the dark day, May 
15th, 1750, is still preserved. 



HISTORY OK NKWPOIJT COUNTY. 925 

The pastorate of his successor, Benjamin Peckliam, of New- 
port, continued tiiirty-five years. He died in 1836, aged 84. 
From this time the church is known as the Free Will Baptist 
church. Its jiastors have been: J. S. Mowry, from 1836 to 1840; 
Joseph Whittemore, 1840 to 1846; Franklin P. Anger, supplied 
six months; Israel Washburn, supplied six months; James A. 
McKenzie, 1847 to 1852; John Pratt, supplied six months; Joshua 
A. Stetson, ISM to 1859; James A. McKenzie, April, 1859, to 
April, 1873; Maxey W. Burlingame, supplied six months; G. 
H. Child, 1874 to 1879; William A. Nealy, 1879 to 1885; Herbert 
G. Corliss, since 1885. 

For seventy years the society had no church building, but 
met in private houses. In 1752 Job Almy gave five-eighths of 
an acre for a church site, and thirty-four acres for the use of 
the minister. The first church was built in 1752; the stone 
church in 1841. The first parsonage was built in 1755; the sec- 
ond in 1884. In 1788 some of the members withdrew to form 
the Second Baptist church of Tiverton, now in Fall River, and 
in 1808 others, to form the Third Baptist church of Tiverton, 
now the Central Baptist cliurch at Tiverton heights. These 
two churches became Calvinistic, because their pastors were 
Calvinists. The Baptist church in New Bedford was organized 
by seventeen members dismissed from here for that purpose. 
The whole number of members in 1887 was 148. 

An effort to establish Congregationalism in Tiverton was made 
as early as 1746. On the 20th of August in that year a church 
was organized called the Congregational church. It consisted 
of eleven men and was organized by an ecclesiastical council 
composed of pastors and delegates from the Congregational 
church in Little Comptou and the First church in Rochester, 
Mass. On August 26th the church voted to extend a call to 
Rev. Othniel Campbell to officiate as pastor. Mr. Campbell, 
having accepted the call of the church, was installed October 
1st, 1746. 

The choice of Mr. Cami^bell by the new society led to the 
first local controversy between tiie civil and ecclesiastical au- 
thorities. The following interesting scrap is copied from the 
town meeting records : 

" Att a full meeting (jf ye freemen of ye I'own of Tiverton le- 
gally warned and held at ye house of Nathaniel Little on 
ye thirteenth Day of November A. D. 1749. Voted, Jolin How- 



926 HISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

land Esq, is chosen moderator of the meeting, and it appearing 
to sd, meeting that one Othniel Campbell who hath entered into 
ye Southerly part of sd Town near ye outermost thereof for two 
or three years past who hath Lately since declared himself to 
be the minister of sd, Town, And ye Inhabitants of sd. Town 
being very sensible that they never had made any such choice 
of him or did Ever approve of him in that capacity having 
made Choice of Mr. Joseph Wanton at a meeting held at said 
Tiverton the tenth day of April, who hath for some time before 
sd choice preached in sd Tiverton & Ever since officiated in tliat 
office to this time & in whom we are well satisfied. 

"Voted that we disallow of Othniel Campbell to be our min- 
ister and rest Contented with our former choice of Joseph Wan- 
ton — which vote passed unanimously in sd meeting." 

During a number of years this church received aid from the 
missionary society, but receiving several legacies it became, in 
time, self-supporting. The original building was where the 
school house now stands, east of Tiverton Four Corners. This 
building was used as barracks during the revolution and in 
February, 1784, this society presented a petition to the general 
assembly at Providence representing that the meeting house 
belonging to that society was arranged as a barrack for troops, 
whereby it was greatly injured ; and praying the assemblj' to 
grant them a lottery for raising money, amounting to §;i,500, to 
be applied to the repairing of the building. This petition was 
granted and Joseph Taber, Pardon Gray, John Cooke, William 
Ladd, William Whitridge, Abraham Brown, Benjamin How- 
land and Nathaniel Briggs were appointed directors of the lot- 
tery and authorized to establish a scheme for it, giving bonds 
in the sum of !58,000. 

When it became needful, several years later, to build a new 
church edifice, the question of location divided the society and 
crippled its powers for a considerable time. As a result of this 
division a portion of the members built the church building 
now standing north of Four Corners, and services were main- 
tained in both churches for several years by the same pastor on 
■alternate Sundaj^s, but the old church and the old prejudice 
have long since passed away and the united congregation wor- 
ships in the new building. 

Rev. Campbell was their pastor for thirty-two years. He 
died October IDth, 1778. His successors have been : John 



HISTORY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 927 

Briggs, 1798-1801; David Janet, 1804-1806; Benjamin Whit- 
more, 1815-1816; Ehenezer Colman, 1818-1825; Luther White, 
1825-1828; Jonathan King, 1828-1836; Isaac Jones, 1838-1841; 
Jared Reid, 1841-1851; David Andrews, 1852-1857; Nelson 

Clark, 1858-1866; Alphonso Whitmore, 1866 ; A. T. Clark, 

1872-1877; W. H. Sturtevant, 1877-1882; H. T. Arnold, 1883- 
1887; G. W. Lawrence, 1887. 

The society now numbers forty-one members. The church 
building will comfortably accommodate three hundred persons. 

The Society of Friends at Tiverton was formed, and a meeting 
house was erected before the revolution. The exact date is not 
known, but during that war their building was in use as a hos- 
pital. It was subsequently taken down and another was built 
on the same site. This new house was burned in December, 
1860, and soon afterward the third building was erected. This 
is now standing where stood the old meeting house of a century 
ago. Around it are the moss grown graves of the quiet men 
and .the modest women, ancestors of worthy descendants who 
are among the best of Tiverton's citizens to-day. 

This society sustained from the first, as it appears, a subor- 
dinate relation to the Portsmouth monthly meeting of Friends, 
where tlie vital statistics of the families of members are well 
preserved and faithfully kept by Isaac B. Macomber. 

Among the early supporters of the Tiverton meeting were Ed- 
ward Wing and Elizabeth, his wife; Nathan Chase, Abraham 
Barker, Borden Durfee, Abagail Durfee, John Hicks, Elisha 
Estes and Ann Hopkins, who was a Tnaiden sister of Elizabeth 
Wing. Mrs. Wing was the minister for several years. Mr. 
Barker and Mr. Hicks were the last of the old society. These 
two, faithful to their earnest belief, sat alone in their house of 
worship many a First Day and silently worshipped God. 

The Central Baptist Church was organized in 1808 by former 
members of the Baptist Church near Adamsville, and was then 
known as the " Tl)ird Baptist Church of Tiverton." At a point 
southeast of the Tiverton end of the stone bridge, they, in 1808, 
erected their first house of worship. The first clerk was Wil- 
liam Norton. His record, still preserved, is the basis of this 
article. He says: " Tiiis book commences to date 1809, May 
Blst, altho the Proceedings of the church which now exists tuck 
place sume time before as will appear by the following * * * 
colected from Different Letters and Pieces of Paper which were 
Kept for this Purpose." 



928 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Elder William Bentley preached his first sermon on Sunday, 
August 7th, 1808. A formal invitation was sent to him dated 
August 20th. He accepted, and preached to them until the 
middle of October following. A subscription of nearly s250 
was then "filled up." "Then on Tuesday Nov. 2nd returned 
and gave his answer in the affirmative and concluded to move 
on the 17th, which he did, and on the 26th had a meeting of 
the members of the First Baptist Church of Christ in Tiverton 
to consult about forming the Third Baptist Church of Christ in 
Tiverton." 

It appears to have been a subject of controversy what the 
articles of faith should be, but finally those of a Boston cliurcii 
were adopted, and on the 28th of December, 1808, the church 
was regularly organized. Several churches, by their elders and 
messengers, took part in this ceremony at the house of Captain 
Elisha Brown. The First Baptist church of Tiverton was rep- 
resented by Benjamin Peckham, Noah Palmer and Jeremiah 
Davenport. The Second Baptist cliurch of Tiverton (now in 
Fall River) by Elder Job Borden, Enoch French, Edmund Da- 
vis, Joseph Stillwell and George Wodell. Tlie Baptist churches 
of Boston, Providence, Newport and Warren were also repre- 
sented. 

The first members were: William Humphrey, his wife Lj^dia, 
his daughter Harriet, his son William and wife, Elisha Brown, 
Stephen Taber and wife, William Norton and wife, and their 
daughter Mary, John Albert, Betsey Hambly, Priscilla Hambly, 
Alice Hambly, Nancy Hambly, Sarah Hambly, Mary, Barsheba 
and Ruth Howland, Patience Thurston, Elizabeth Westgate, 
Alice Westgate, Mary Manchester, Elizabeth Hunt, and Eliza- 
beth Osborn, wife of William. 

Sixteen members were dismissed June 22d, 1813, to constitute 
a new church in New Bedford. Thirteen members were dis- 
missed to form a Baptist church in Worcester, Mass. Elder 
Bentley, after preaching here until October 26th, 1812, became 
pastor of the Worcester church. 

"1813, May 16th, This day Elder Livermore came among us 
by our request to preach (if GOD Willing.) 6 months and tarry 
at different places." 

"1814, July to August 1815. No steady preaching and the 
church in a dry and barren situation." 



HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 929 

"May 19tli, 1816, Jonathan Smith of Norton, Mass., is preach- 
ing to ns, We are seeing wliut we can do for him." 

"1816, Aug. 23rcl, An examination took place to know the 
minds of the brethren and sisters in regaid to communion. 
* * * It lias been years since we met for this iiiii)ortant 
inquiry." 

"Voted * * * if they think it proper to ordain Brother 
Smith that if he should continue with us we may enjoy the 
privileges of gospel ordinances." 

"Elder Jonathan Smith left us in October, 1816, and went to 
Middleborough, Mass." 

"May 17th, 1818. Benjamin H Pitman of Newport agreed 
with to come and. preach the jiresent season by the church pay- 
ing his traveling expenses, which was raised chiefly by the sis- 
ters." 

"1819, Oct. Mr. Pitmans' farewell sermon." 

"1820, Three male members and forty-six females." 

These preceding passages from the clerk's book are quoted ver- 
batim, in order to preserve, not only the historical facts, but the 
mode of doing business at that time. The remainder of this 
sketch is the chronological record, edited from this clerk's book, 
and a later one in the hands of Mrs. Rodney Bennett, the pres- 
ent clerk. August 4th, 1820, Deacon William Humphrey, Wil- 
liam Norton and William Osborn were made a committee to 
take charge of the meeting house, as to what preachers shall 
be admitted. 

"1820. Dec. 2nd, Brother Taggart the young man preaching 
to us is keeping a school. Voted by all that his preaching is 
acceptable and that he continue with us a year." 

"May 13th 1822 Jonathan Wilsons first sermon; subscription 
is out for his support. April 4th 1824, Rev. Caleb Green pas- 
tor one year. 1826 August. Rev. Elbridge Gale's pastorate 
began July 20th 1830 Thirty three persons raised $19,9.5, for 
the purchase of a bass vial to assist the singing of the Second 
Baptist Church in Tiverton." 

Prior to this year the church was called the Third Baptist 
church. 

June, 1832, Reverend Gale removed to Dighton. July, 1832, 
Edward Peterson, pastor. 

January-April, 1834, Josiah S. Parker pastor. March 29th, 
1834, Thomas Osborn chosen clerk. The former clerk is re- 
ferred to as "Father Norton." 



930 HISTORY OF NEWPOHT COUNTY. 

May 31st, 1837, Alexander Milne was ordained and made 
pastor for one year. In April, 1840, Reverend Jeremiah Kelley 
became pastor. 

The records do not mention the length of the pastorate of 
Mr. Kelley, but during the next decade some serious dilRcnl- 
ties and misunderstandings in the church came very near 
costing tiiis religious body its life. Covenant meeting and 
communion services were discontinued and there was no regu- 
lar preaching service during the greater part of this time. 
Members living at a distance lost their interest, and but for 
the faithful few, the Central Baptist church of Tiverton wouhl 
not be in existence to-day. The records tell us: "The Rev. 
Henry Jackson, chairman of the Associational Committee, 
visited the church August 25th, 1849, and by his advice a 
church meeting was called. A set of resolutions was presented 
and adopted. The name of this church was again changed. 
Since that time it has borne its present name. Each person 
whose name was on the church record received a letter stating 
that all persons who nominally sustain membership in this 
chnrch shall, on application to the clerk within six months, be 
enrolled as members in good standing, and the pames of all 
who neglect to do so shall be erased without any implication 
of their moral or christian character." This measure was 
necessary or at least highly expedient, as the members had 
many of them changed their places of residence and joined 
their interests with other churches during this time of ad- 
versity. On this basis the Central Baptist church of Tiverton 
was reconstructed with a membership of thirty-six, and David 
W. Burdick called to the j^astorate. 

The old church at Stone Bridge, standing on a bluff now 
leveled by the tides, was fast falling into decay, and in 1851 
the best of its timbers were transferred to the site of the pres- 
ent church and incorporated in a new building. This was 
dedicated August 8th, 1851, and for thirty-live years this so- 
ciety worshipped here. The pastors during that time were : 
Reverends David M. Burdick, 1850; Robert Dennis, 1855; Fred- 
erick P. Shaw, 1855-1859: Andrew D. Milne, 1859-1862; Joseph 
Reall, 1862-1863; H. G. Hubbard, 1863; James Andem, 1866- 
1867; George N. Greene, 1867-1868; Silas J. Weaver, 1870-1873; 
Edgar Mariot, 1873-1876; P. G. Wightman, 1876-1886. Stu- 
dents from Brown University have often supplied the pulpit 
when there was no settled pastor. 



IirSTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 931 

In the spring of 1883 this church sustained a great loss by 
the death of Judge Joseph Osborn. He had been one of its 
most efficient workers and tlie cliurch liad learned to lean upon 
him as one always ready with large heart and willing hand to 
bear the heaviest burdens of this church of his choice. While 
this loss was still keenly felt, on the night of October lOth, 1886, 
the church building was burned. Fortunately for this people, 
they have still in their ranks a member who follows in the foot- 
steps of Judge Osborne in earnest efforts for this church. 
Chai'les Andrew Hambly, assisted nobly by the few men and 
the brave women of this society, was untiring in efforts to re- 
build a house of worship. As a result of these united efforts, 
supported liberally by gentlemen not members of the society, 
a new and beautiful church edifice now stands on the old 
church lot, erected at a cost of about $10,000— a building of 
which a larger society might justly be j)roud. Though nob 
large, it is complete in design and finish. As a fitting monu- 
ment to Judge Osborn a memorial window adorns the chancel, 
a gift from his son, William J. The church Avas dedicated 
December 14th, 1887. It is at present under tlie pastorate of 
Reverend Henry W. Tate. 

In the development of religious thought among the people of 
Tiverton, the Puritan idea, as embodied in the Congregational 
churcli, the Roger Williams idea, as crystalized in the creed of 
the Baptists, and the principles of George Pox, as exemplified 
by the Society of Friends, represented for nearly two hundred 
years the sentiments of these people. An idea, however, began 
to develop here about 1840 which has since modified somewhat; 
the course of religious thinking. 

Reverend Samuel Longfellow, the Unitarian divine, 
preached the first Unitarian sermon in the Baptist church 
at Stone Bridge. As to the time, his letter reads, "It must 
have been in 1850, possibly a year earlier, that I went down 
from Fall River for four summer Sunday afternoons and 
preached in the old Baptist meeting house by the watei- 
side — so close to the water that as I sat in the pulpit I 
could hear the plashing of the water on the shore through the 
open windows." He adds that his preaching at Stone Bridg«' 
came about through the influence of the West family, his par- 
ishioners, who lived in Tiverton. In 18.59-60 Rev. Charles J. 
Bowen held regular meetings in the town hall and occasionally 
59 



932 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

in the Baptist churcli. During the civil war Reverend Bowen 
was ai:)pc)inted chaplain of the great Camden Street Hospital in 
Baltimore, where he then lived. In 1865 he again spent the 
summer here and resumed his preaching. The late Thomas 
Whitridgeof Baltimore, offered $1,000 toward the erection of a 
hall for social and literary entertainments. This offer was fol- 
lowed by liberal contributions from others, until it was finind 
practicable to erect the building now known as Whitridge hall. 
The qnestion of what uses should be made of the hall if com- 
pleted led rapidly to the idea of building a chapel in connec- 
tion with the hall. For this purpose Mr. Whitridge contrib- 
uted another $500, and the building as now standing was 
erected by Martin Tupper, of Braintree, in 1876. Six years 
prior to this Reverend Bowen died while pastor at Roxbury, 
Mass., and in the addition of the chapel to the original plan for 
the hall Reverend Bowen's many friends contributed liberally, 
with the idea of making the chapel a memorial to him. On the 
9th of June this memorial chapel was consecrated by the min- 
isters of the Norfolk Conference. Services during the summer 
seasons have been conducted here by Doctor Peabody, Reverend 
Robert Colyer, Reverend Edward Everett Hale, D. D., Doctor 
Briggs, Reverend Augustus Woodbury, Reverend Thomas Sli- 
cer and many others. Mrs. Julia Ward Howe, whose country 
seat is in PortsmoutJi, kindly offered her services ever}' Septem- 
ber. The winter services were carried on by the divinity stu - 
dents of Harvard College, and it was finally decided to give up 
the care of the chapel entirely to these students. Tliej' have 
done their work nobly. The congregations are large, the Sun- 
day school is flourishing. 

Schools. — The flrst settlers of Tiverton were chiefly the de- 
scendants of the Pilgrims, and while they inherited in some de- 
gree the excellent character of their renowned ancestors, many 
facts in their history show most fully that they were not dis- 
tinguished for that superior intelligence and devoted piety 
which were conspicuous in their fathers. There are but few in- 
dications of early efforts for the education of their children. 
About the middle of the eighteenth century feeble eft'orts were 
put forth to promote general education. A few people seemed 
to see the importance of giving the rising generation some 
school opportunities, but there is ample evidence that the im- 
portance of this subject had not yet dawned upon the minds of 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 933 

the people. It is strange to note how often the old deeds :ind 
other important documents were signed, even by individuals 
who had large estates, with the significant " his X mark." Oc- 
tober 7th, 1732, it was voted that two school houses be built in 
Tiverton, "One at ye south end and one at ye north end of ye 
town." 

A custom of employing a teacher for the town ai)pears by the 
following entiy in the town records: " Aug. 15. 1743. Voted 
Benjamin Delaney Town school master for ye year insuing and 
he is to have Thirty three pounds old Tenner for his year serv- 
ice to be paid unto him at the expiration of his year service." 
He served as agreed, for "Aug. 15. 1744. Voted that the Town 
hire the money to pay the School nuister for his service Done 
for the Town." 

The true relation of the j^ublic school to the body politic 
seems to have been gradually coming into view, for in town 
meeting, on the 27th of August, 1799, William Humphrey, 
Thomas Durfee, Edmond Estes and John Howland were made 
a committee " to take under Consideration the Bill for an act 
for supporting a free School in the State and to malie sucli 
amendment as they may think proper and make Report at 
the adjournment of this meeting." Here is an extract from 
the town records showing not only that they intended to have 
a school but that they needed one: 

"Aug. 1828 on a motion Whether it be expejient that a Tax 
be levyed, for the support of Publik schools in this town It is 
voted that it be desided in the affermative by votes. Twenty 
being against the meashure and Twenty-nine in favor of it." 

"Voted that a Tax of Three Hundred and Sixty Dollars be 
assessed u))on the Rateable property of this town for the sup- 
port of Publick schools." 

At the annual meeting, June 1st, 1829, for the choice of offi- 
cers, the following named persons were elected school commit- 
tee: Robert Gray, William Shaw, John Manchester, Elbridge 
Gale, Amasa Borden, Noah Macomber, Benjamin Hambly, 
Abraham Manchester, John Gray of Elizabeth, John Ihuubly. 

From the allusions rather than positive statements the record 
appears that thesemeager provisions for public instruction were 
supplemented by individual and community action in different 
sections of the town. A school house was often owned aiul a 
teacher engaged bv a few families of some community, and thus 



934 HISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTr. 

the actual provisions for the education of the young in the town 
greatly exceeded those wliich became a part of the public I'ec- 
ords. Share holders, as applied to men or families aiding in 
the erection of school houses, is a term frequently met with 
prior to 1842. These private schools were not unfrequently 
taught in apartments of private houses. The compensation was 
generally very meager and the test of scholarship very feeble. 
The pedagogue of that day was a migratory creature. One 
specimen of this New England product perpetrated himself 
upon the neighborhood north of Rowland's ferry and unexpect- 
edly, and perhaps unknown to himself, taught one of the best 
schools ever taught there. He called himself A. B., and was 
known here by no other name. He never spoke of home or rela- 
tives, and of his antecedents no one here knew. He faithfully 
performed the duties he assumed and quietly left his held of 
labor. Who he was or where he went still remains a question. 
During the four years preceding and including 1846, the 
l)resent district system was instituted. The first action of the 
town meeting relating to schools under the district system 
was on June 1st, 1846, when $800 was voted to be raised and 
placed to the credit of the proper committee for expenses, 
directing' it to be divided equally between the several districts 
in the town. The committee consisted of Jared Reid, William 
C. Chapin, Charles Durfee,' Asa G-ray, William P. Sheffield, 
Joseph Osborn, Samuel West,' Oliver Chase, Jr., and Cornelius 
Seabury, Jr. In June of the following year $500 was appro- 
priated — one- half to be divided equally among the districts, the 
other half to be apportioned according to the daily attendance. 
In June, 1848, $1,000 was voted by the town to support the 
schools in Tiverton, and the labors of the school committee in- 
creasing with the growth of the new system, $75 was voted 
for their services. In the meantime, the state having provided 
a plan for dividing the school fund among the various districts, 
we find the vote recorded that the $1,000 was to be distributed 
"as the state law directs." Since this time new buildings 
with modern conveniences have supplanted the primitive struc- 
tures which had served their day and generation— some of them 
several generations — and Tiverton has to-day thirteen schools 
and as many scliool buildings, which are fullj^ up to the New 
England standard. Several of these new edifices are models of 
comfort and convenience. The best one in the town is just 



msTOKY OF NIOWPOTiT rorNTY. 935 

nortli of "Tiverton Heights." Thegeiieml manag-emeut of tiie 
town scliools devolves upon trustees annually elected. At the 
annual town meeting a school committee is elected. This com- 
mittee of three persons elect their own officers; their business 
is to examine the applicants for certihcates, grant those where 
the examination proves satisfactory, and the applicant gives 
evidence of having a good moral character. This committee is 
also expected to visit the schools twice each term. An effort 
is being made to put the entire control of the schools in the 
hands of this committee. Since April, 1871, this committee 
has been composed of women. The first women elected were 
Mrs. Catherine J. Barker, Mrs. Moses T. Lawton and Ann E. 
Brown. The present committee are Mrs. Catherine J. Barker, 
superintendent; Mrs. Hannah F. Osborn, chairman; Mrs. Alonzo 
Hart, clerk. 

In the apportionment of school money for the year ending 
April 30th, 1887, Tiverton received $2,039.98 from the state edu- 
cational fund. 

LiBRAiiY. — One of the most potent secular educational in- 
fluences in this community is the Free Librar}^ and Reading 
Room at Whitridge hall. Here is exemplified the wisdom of 
the late Thomas Whitridge, whose generous philanthropy has 
given the town of Tiverton a free library of about 1,700 volumes. 
Other gentlemen have contributed to the collection, but so 
thoroughlj' did Mr. Whitridge identify himself with the 
scheme at its inception that his name must ever be cherished by 
a public which appreciates the spirit of his liberality while 
enjoying the fruits of his wisdom. 

The library is vei'y suitably located in rooms at Whitridge 
hall, where there is also a pleasant reading room supplied 
with the usual periodicals and ain[)le free accommodations for 
their perusal. This latter feature represents a broad impulse 
in behalf of the young men of the town, on the part of John S. 
West. The care of the reading rooms is assigned to Miss Mary 
Seabury, the librarian, whose courtesy and efficiency are im- 
portant elements in the popularity of this institution. 

The privileges of the institution are made forever free to all 
residents of Tiverton, and the liberal construction put upon 
the term "residents" must render this one of the attractions 
of the place for those wlio are temporar}"^ residents of this beau- 
tiful summer resort. 



936 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Town Government. — While Tiverton was a part of the Old 
Bay commonwealth, that wise division of the law-making power 
into two concurrent branches, entitled this town to a represen- 
tative in the popular branch. The persons elected by the town 
were styled " Representatives to the Great and General Court."' 
The first election to this office is recorded in 1708, when Amos 
Sheffield was elected ; the next is on the 16th of May, 1730, 
when "Job Almy was chosen Representative to the Great and 
General Court at Cambridge." 

Legislative honors, as the record intimates, were not at that 
time highly esteemed, for, on the 7th of July, 1732, the town 
"Voted Job Almy esqr. agent in behalf of the Town to go to 
boston aboute the New County and also to try to get rid of the 
find which is laid upon our Town for not sending a Represen- 
tative which find is Twenty pound." 

Job Almy was elected again in 1735, 1738, 1740, and 1746. In 
1739 Samuel Borden was elected in May, and Gershom Wodell 
in June. (This family name is now written Wordell). Ebenezer 
Taber was elected in 1741, these nine elections being the only 
ones recorded by the town while it belonged to Massachusetts. 

When the town became a factor in the little colony, the lower 
branch of the colonial legislature was known as the " House of 
Deputies." Sixty years later the legislators chosen by the 
towns were styled representatives. The following list shows by 
whom Tiverton has been represented: In 1747-48, by John Man- 
chester and John Rowland; 1749, John Howland, Edward Wan- 
ton; 1750, John Manchester, Abraham Barker; 1751, John Man- 
chester, Samuel Durfee; 1752, Thomas Howland, Edward Wan- 
ton; 1753, Samuel Durfee, Edward Wanton; 1754-5, Samuel 
Durfee, Thomas Howland; 1756, John Brown, Thomas Howland; 
1757, Thomas Howland; May, 1757-8, Samuel Durfee, John 
Bowen; 1759, Philip Tabor; 1760, Samuel Durfee, Philip Tabor; 
1761-2, Thomas Anthony, Job Durfee; 1763, Samuel Durfee, 
Jonathan Davol; 1764, Job Durfee, Captain William Cooke; 
1765-6, Captain William Cooke, Captain Edward Gray; 1767, 
Captain Edward Gray, Captain Isaac Manchester; 1768, Samuel 
Durfee, Captain Edward Gray; 1769-70, Samuel Durfee, Wil- 
liam Cook; 1771-2, Edward Gray, Oliver Cook; 1773, Edward 
Gray, Thomas Corey; 1774-5, Edward Gray, Captain John Cook; 
1776, Gideon Almy, Colonel John Cook; 1777-8, Isaac Man- 
chester, William Cook; 1779, Thomas Corey; 1780, Gilbert Davol; 



HISTORY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 937 

1781, Joseph Shearman; 1782, Benjamin Howland, Xatlianiel 
Briggs; 1783-4, Benjamin Howland, Lemnel Bailey; 1785, Benja- 
min Howland, Nathaniel Briggs; 1786, Benjamin Howland, 
Joseph Almy ; 1787-90, Benjamin Howland, Thomas Dnrfee ; 
1791-5, Thomas Dnrfee, Abraliam Barker; 1795-7, Thomas Dur- 
fee, Christopher Manchester ; 1797, Christopher Manchester, 
Joseph Dnrfee ; 1798, Christopher Manchester, Nathaniel 
Briggs; 1799, Nathaniel Briggs, John Borden; 1801-7, Christo- 
pher Manchester, William Hnmphrey; 1807, William Humph- 
rey, Philip Sisson; 1808, William Hnmphrey, John Cook; 1809, 
Christopher Manchester, Benjamin Howland; 1810, Christopher 
Manchester, William Humphrey ; 1811, William Humphrey, 
William Cory; 1812-15, Benjamin Howland, William Cory; 1815, 
Benjamin Howland. James Manchester ; 1816-19, James Man- 
chester, Job Durfee; 1819-21, Job Dnrfee, Joseph Dnrfee; 1821, 
Joseph Durfee 2d, Eliliu Hicks; 1821 (second session), David 
Durfee, Jr., William Westgate 2d; 1822, David Durfee, Jr., 
Elihu Hicks ; 1822-24, David Durfee, Jr., James Manchester; 
1824, David Durfee, Jr., Joseph Durfee; 1825-7, Allen Durfee, 
Pardon Gray; 1827-8, Joseph Dnrfee, Pardon Gray; 1829, Par- 
don Gray, Peter Estes; 1830-3, James Manchester, David Dur- 
fee; 1833, Job Durfee, Robert Gray ; 1833-4, Joseph Durfee, 
Robert Gray; 1835-6, Robert Gray, Gideon H. Durfee; 1837, 
Robert Gray, David Durfee; 1838, David Durfee, Joseph S. 
Bliven; 1838-9, Joseph S. Bliven, Gideon H. Durfee; 1839-40, 
Joseph S. Bliven, George W. Humphrey; 1840, Samuel Sea- 
bury, George W. Humphrey; 1841, Samuel Seabury, William 
P. Bateman; 1842, Gideon H. Dnrfee, Adoniram Brown; 1843, 
James Manchester, Walter C. Dnrfee; 1844, James Manchester, 
Joseph Osborn ; 1845-8, Joseph Osborn, Robert Gray ; 1848, 
Robert Gray, Cook Borden; 1849, Robert Gray, William P. 
Sheffield ; 1850, William P. Sheffield, William P. Bateman ; 
1851, Joseph Osborn, Nathaniel B. Durfee; 1852, William P. 
Siieffield, Joseph Osborn, Nathaniel B. Durfee; 18.53, William 
P. Sheffield, Augustus Chace, Nathaniel B. Durfee; 1854, Natha- 
niel B. Durfee, Josei)h Osborn, William G. Borden; 1855, B. F. 
Seabury, John G. Sargent, Stephen Fellows; 1856, Edward Gray, 
Jr., Frederick A. Boomer, Allen Hart. The town was divided 
in 1856, and after that sent only one representative. 1856-60, 
Allen Hart; 1860, Joseph Osborn; 1861, Peleg S. Stafford; 1862, 



938 HISTORY OF NEWPOllT COUNTY. 

Charles A Diirfee ; 1863, Edward Gray ; 1864, Cyrenus Bliss ; 
1865-71, Nathaniel B. Durfee ; 1872-5, Andrew H. Manchester ; 
1876, Holder K Wilcox; 1877-8, Andrew H. Manchester; 1879- 
80, Joseph Osborn; 1881-82, Isaac Brown; 1883-4, Nathaniel B. 
Church; 1885-6, John R. Hicks: 1887, George W. Gray. 

When, on the first Tuesday of May, 1843, the charter of 1663 
was superseded by the provisions of the state constitution, Tiv- 
erton became entitled to one vote in the state senate. This office 
was filled from 1743-47, by David Durfee; 1848, Joseph Osborn; 
1849-52, William C. Chapin; 1853, Joseph Osborn; 1854-55, Ol- 
iver Chace; 1856, Edward Gray, Jr.; 1857-59, Cyrenus Bliss; 
1860, Gideon H. Durfee; 1861, Clark Estes; 1862, Gideon H. 
Durfee; 1863, Joseph Osborn; 1864, Gideon H. Durfee; 1865-75, 
Joseph Osborn; 1876, Gideon H. Durfee; 1877-78, John F. Chace; 
1879-82, Andrew H. Manchester; 1883-84, Isaac Brown; 1885, 
Nathaniel B. Church; 1886, Henry Clay Osborn; 1887, Nathan- 
iel B. Church. 

Toton ClerJcs.—ln 1699 David Lake was elected; in 1703, 
Thomas Townsend; 1705, Amos Sheffield; 1710, Richard Bor- 
den; 1712, Robert Dennis; 1730, John Sisson; 1732, Thomas 
Manchester; 1738, William Wilcock; 1739, Joseph Howland; 
1739, John Manchester; 1745, Thomas Howland; 1747, Restcome 
Sanford; 1771, Walter Cook (great-grandfather of John T. Cook); 
1790, Lemuel Taber; 1803, Pardon Gray; 1814, Thomas Durfee; 
1829, Asa Gray; 1843, Charles. Durfee; 1850, Asa Gray; 1867, 
Nathaniel B. Durfee; 1871, George N. Durfee, sun of N. B.; 
the present clerk, elected in 1883, is John T. Cook. 

Prior to 1715 the freemen of the town held their meetings at 
the huuse of Daniel Howland. From that j'ear the residences 
of Thomas Manchester, David Lake, John Howland and Isaac 
Howland were used until 1747. The meetings of 1748-54 were 
at the house of Nathaniel Little; those of 1755-60 at the resi- 
dence of Peleg Barker; 1761-62, Thomas Howland; 1763, Jona- 
than Luther; 1772, Isaac Cory; 1777, Friends' Meeting House; 
1780, John Howland; 1782, Nathaniel Briggs; 1789, Philip Man- 
chester; 1795, Joshua Crocker; 1796, store of Burroughs & Dav- 
enport, and at the house of John Cook, Howland's Ferry; 1797, 
Benjamin Howland; 1798, store of Burroughs & Davenport; 1801, 
Taylor Davenport; 1829, George Lawton and Stone Bridge Ho- 
tel; 1840, Nicholas E. Durfee; August 31st, 1841, and since, 
at Town Hall. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 939 

Prior to 1807, town nieetinj^s were held annually for the election 
of town^ofiicers on the third Monday in May, bnt in that year, 
by a proper notice for the meeting in May, a large number of 
freeholders agreed to request the town clerk to call a meeting 
for the first Monday of June, and it was voted at that meeting, 
"that the Town Meetings for the Election of Town Officers for 
the Town of Tiverton shall be held annually from this date on 
the first Monday of June." 



CHAPTER XIX. 



TOWN OF TIVERTON (Conchided). 

Hon. Joseph Osborn. — Joseph Church. — Samuel West, A. M., M. D. — Miss Han- 
nah Howland West. — Joshua C. Durfee. — Christopher Brownell. — Samuel 
E. Almy. — Asa Davol. — Isaac Brown. — Job Wordell. — Personal Paragraphs. 



Hon. Joseph Osborn. — Among the men whose lives liave I'e- 
flected honor upon the place of their birth, few, if any, deserve 
more honorable mention here than Judge Joseph Osborn, of Tiv- 
erton. Born in the third year of the century, he passed his four 
score years in the town where his father, Thomas Osborn, and 
his mother, Ann Durfee, spent the thirty-six years of their 
married life, which began in 1797. Two older brothers, William 
and Thomas, and three younger, Wilson, Weaver and James 
M., and a sister, Eliza, the fifth of the seven, made up the gen- 
eration to which the judge belonged and of which only the two 
younger brothers survive. 

The grandfather, William Osborn, was born at Newport in 
1729, married Elizabeth Shrieve twenty-two years later, and 
died soon after attaining to his eighty-first year. The family 
tradition places the ancestors among those English boys who, 
early in the New England, found these shores more kind to their 
aims and their ambitions. 

In his domestic relations, ever the subject of his greatest pride 
and his kindest care. Judge Osborn was signally favored. His 
wife, Eliza, the fifth child of Samuel and Catherine Borden 
Gardner (32), lived to see her sixty-second year, and nearly to 
complete the thirty-sixth year of their married life. Here in 
Tiverton, at the homestead where their youngest daughter, 
Eliza, now lives, they saw their little family of five reach man- 
hood and womanhood, and here death closed the gate of earthly 
possibilities to their son, Jason, when scarcely twenty- two. 
Their oldest child, Ann C, is Mrs. Samuel B. Allen, of Fall 
River. 







vnv 



llISTdKY Ui' NEWPORT COUNTY. 941 

The oldest son, after several years of business in Full River 
and Boston, became a resident of Brooklyn, and with those 
qualities of head and heart which might be looked for in a son 
of Judge Osborn, he came to have extensive relations with bank- 
ing circles, and is now the well and favorably known William J. 
Osborn, banker and broker, of New York. Henry Clay, the 
youngest son, following the footsteps of the father, has success- 
full}' devoted his attention to mixed husbandry and live stock 
dealing, and has represented Tiverton in the state senate. 

The foundation of Judge Osborn's fortune was laid in the 
slow, plodding way of the live stock dealer, making weekly 
pilgrimages to Brighton and becoming widely acquainted with 
the farmers of half the state. Later, he became interested in 
the cotton mills at Fall River and made some very wise invest- 
ments, from which was developed the larger portion of his for- 
tune. He was a director in the Osborn Mills, a director of the 
Pocasset Bank, and president of the Citizen's Savings Bank 
from its organization in 1851. 

The record of the trustees' special meeting, April 21st, 1883, 
contains this resolution: 

''Resolved, That by the death of the Honorable Joseph Os- 
born, President of this Corporation from its organization, the 
Citizens' Savings Bank has been deprived of a wise counsellor, 
a discreet and faithful Trustee and an efficient presiding officer. 
He was a man of sterling integrity. Christian character, true to 
ever}' trust reposed in him, honest in all his dealings, diligent 
in business, a friend to the poor and suffering, a lover of right, 
unswerving and implacable in his opposition to duplicity, 
wrong and oppression." 

On the following week the JVewport Mercuri/ published an 
article by Hon. William P. Sheffield, his lifeh)ng acquaintance 
and friend, containing these facts and comments: 

"Mr. Osborn early attracted and constantly preserved the 
good opinion of his fellow-citizens. Under the old charter he 
was elected one of the ten Senators that then constituted the 
upper branch of the General Assembly. He was, also, under 
the o\i}i reff line, long a justice of the Court of Common Pleas. 
He was a member of the convention called to frame a State con- 
stitution in 1841, known as the Landholder's convention, and 
has been often chosen by his townsmen to represent them in 
each branch of the General Assembly; at one time he was a 



942 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

member of the Boai'd of State Charities and Corrections, and 
for fortj-'four years was treasurer of his native town. In all of 
these trusts he was faithful, and adorned tlie offices with which 
he was entrusted. But he was more than a ,^ond officer, for he 
lived a sjiotless life and gathered the harvest of a good 
name for the inheritance of the children he has left behind 
him. He was an industrious, equable, energetic, and well 
balanced man, successful in his undertakings because they were 
conceived in good judgment and carried on by constant and 
persevering effort to consummation. He was, through his life, 
devoted to the cause of temperance, and a consistent member of 
the Baptist church for many years. Judge Osborn was a man 
of peace, for he composed more neighborhood differences and 
settled more quarrels than any live men in Tiverton. He has 
lived a long and useful life, and in the maturity of age, holding 
his usefulness to the last, with his life-work well done, has been 
gathered into the heavenly fold. The gift of such a life is a 
benefaction to the community in which it is spent. Tiiere is 
not room enough in the world for both the old and the young; 
by the order of nature the former give place to the latter, and 
when a good man's life is brought to an end without any asso- 
ciation with decrepitude or decay, so that he can be remembered 
only as in the vigor of his intellectual force, such a life and 
such a death, both give occasion for thanksgiving and not for 
sorrow." 

No estimate of the man would be complete which had not 
regard to the harsh limitations bounding his horizon in the be- 
ginning of his career, as well as those broader fields of effort 
and influence in which, as a successful man of affairs, he found 
himself in middle life. The generation which knew him as a 
poor boy, as a teacher, as a fisherman and as a struggling j^ouug 
farmer, has passed away. Only one of the four men who, with 
him in business as cattle drovers, made a competence for them- 
selves, remains to-day,and the younger generation, remembering 
him only as a man of mature years, with a fortune to enjoy and 
an honoral)Ie name to bequeath, may scarcely appreciate that 
from sterner needs than many know he gained by patient care 
the one and earned by the life he lived the other, and made the 
place his memory fills to-day in the hearts of those who knew 
him best. 

After handling, as treasurer, for more than half his life the 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 943 

financial interests of the town, he declined a i;e-election, and 
when he presided for the twentieth time as moderator of town 
meeting the people attested their esteem by voting him an hon- 
orary seat with whoever might preside at any future meeting. 
Tn this day of free speech, when no virtue can shield a public 
man from the criticisms of the ignorant and the insults of the 
envious, many have been the stormy meetings when, but for 
his great coolness and power as an extempore public speaker, 
the town's interest which he had at heart would have suffered. 

The Judge, while making his almost paternal relations to Tiv- 
erton his greatest public care and study, still regarded his seat 
with the ten in the old charter senate as the crowning honor of 
his political life, and among the dearest memories of his old age 
were the friendships of that time. As one by one all those as- 
sociates passed away, the last two passing scarcely a season be- 
fore him, a subtle suggestion — perhaps not saddening, yet surely 
casting its shadow — filled the last of his days with a tender 
pathos and a dream in which his closest friends well knew they 
had no part. 

Joseph Chuuch. — The progenitor of the branch of the 
Church family resident in Rhode Island was Richard Church 
(121), who came from England with Governor Winthrop in 
1630, and settled in New England. He married Elizabeth, 
daughter of Richai'd Warren, in 1636. He died in Dedham, 
December 27th, 1668, and his wife in Hingham, in 1670. Their 
children were : Elizabeth, Joseph, Benjamin, Nathaniel, Caleb, 
Charles, Richard, Abigail, Hannah, Sarah, Lydia, Priscilla and 
Deborah. Nathaniel, of this number, married Sarah, daughter 
of William Barstow, and had children : Abigail, Richard Na- 
thaniel, Alice, Joseph, Charles and Sarah. The birth of Charles, 
of this number, occurred in 1683, and his death in 1726. 
He married Mary Pope, of Dartmouth, whose children were : 
Charles, Mary, Susanna. Hannah, Seth and Alice. Their son, 
Charles, born in 1710, died May 6th, 1762. He married, in 1735, 
Frances Turner, and had children : Charles, Joseph, Mary, 
Hannah, Seth, Benjamin, Susanna and John. The second son, 
Joseph, was born in 1742 and died in 1816. He married, in 
1765, Sarah Brighlman. Tiieir cliildren were: Ruth, Ann, 
Susannah, Rebeccah, Sarah, Joseph, Prudence, Hannah, Maiy 
and Lemuel. The eldest son, Joseph, was born September 28th, 
1779, and died October 5th, 1858. He married, in 1802, Hannah 



944 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Peckham, whose children were : Julia Ann. RiUh, Francis P., 



Calista, Joseph (subject of this sketch), Isaac, Elizabeth, Ben- 
jamin B., Sarah, Lemuel, Huram, Janette and Lemuel 2d. 

Captain Joseph Church, the subject of this sketch, was born 
February 20th, 1809, and died August 16th, 1887. His father 
was commander of a packet running from Providence to Pall 
River, and resided at the latter point, the birthplace of his son, 
who received a common school education, and at an earlj' age 
sought employment in a woolen mill. He was naturally at- 
ti-acted to the water, and soon after embarked in the congenial 
but perilous life of a fisherman. About 1840 he removed to 
Tiverton and engaged extensively in iishing, which pursuit was 
continued during the remainder of his life. In 1870 he became 
interested with his sons in the menhaden fisheries, a brief ac- 
count of which is given below. Mr. Church was married, 
March 27th, 1834, to Jeminiah, daughter of Captain Nathaniel 
and Sarah B. Boomer, of Fall River. Massachusetts, born Jan- 
nary 17th, 1813. Their children are: Daniel T., born January 
10th, 1836; Isaac L., October 21st, 1838; Joseph, October 10th; 
1840; James B., February l.'ith, 1843; Nathaniel B., October 3d, 
1845; George L., January 2d, 1847; Calista (21), June 29th, 1851; 
and Fisher, September 19th, 1853. Mr. Church was in his polit- 
ical affiliations a democrat, always a strong partisan and zeal- 
ous for the success of his party. While active and influential, 
he invariably declined all overtures leading to official position. 
He was extensively engaged in the shipping of fresh iish to the 
cities of New York, Philadelphia and Albany, and in his com- 
mercial relations brought to bear a general information, the 
habits of a well-trained business man, and a strict integrity 
which won respect and confidence. Mr. Church until the end 
of his life continued to be an active and useful citizen. His 
widow survives and resides with her son, George, in Tiverton. 

The Church family are largely identified with the business 
interests of Rhode Island as the active partners in the firm of 
Joseph Church & Co., manufacturers of menhaden oil, guano 
and fertilizers. The menhaden is a fish found in abundance in 
Atlantic waters, the commercial value of which can hardly be 
overestimated. They are conceded to be the most abundant 
species of fish on the eastern coast of the United States. The 
rapid increase in size and fatness as soon as thej' approacli our 
shores indicates an abundant supply of food. The oil manu- 





(J.^.^-^i/L 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 945 

facturers report that in the spring- ;i bariel of fish often yields 
less than three quarts of oil, while later in the fall it is not un- 
common to obtain five or six gallons. The commercial import- 
ance of this fish has but lately come into appreciation. Twenty- 
five years ago it was thought to be of small value, but since 
that time its uses have been manifold. As a bait fish it excels 
all others. As a food resource it is found to have great possi- 
bilities. As a source of oil the menhaden is of more import- 
ance than any other marine animal, while the refuse of the oil 
factories supplies a material of much value as a fertilizer. It is 
estimated that its absence from our waters would probably re- 
duce all our other sea fisheries to at least one-fourth their pres- 
ent value. 

The house of Joseph Church & Co., established in 1870, em- 
braced as partners Joseph Church, Daniel T. Church, Isaac L. 
Church, Joseph Church, Jr., Nathaniel B. Church, James B. 
Church and Jol) Hathaway. A factory was purchased at Bris- 
tol, Maine, and devoted to the manufacture of menhaden oil 
and guano, the daily capacity being about eight hundred bar- 
rels. The supply of fish on the coast of Maine having materi- 
ally decreased, it was deemed advisable in 1878 to change the 
location, and the factory in Portsmouth, built by Thomas L. 
Robinson, w^as purchased. As the business increased, the di- 
mensions were proportionally enlarged and the factory remod- 
eled to afford greater convenience. It has now a cai)acity of 
four thousand barrels of fish per day, which is converted into 
oil and guano. Two hundred and twenty-five men are employed 
in the various departments of labor, and seven fishing boats are 
in ojjeration during the season. These are steamers, and to 
James B. Church may be given the credit of first applying 
steam in fishing for menhaden, and thus revolutionizing the 
business by rendering it possible to explore remote waters. 
The home market for the product of this factory is found in 
New York, Boston and New Bedford, though much of it sup; 
plies a foreign demand. A large part of the business of the 
Messrs. Church consists of the catching of lish as an article of 
food. A million and a half pounds are annually caught and 
distributed in New York, Philadelphia and adjacent markets. 

Samuel Wkst, A. M., M. D.,*for many years a distinguished 
physician, was born in Tiverton August 9th, 1806, and died 

* By George W. Briggs, D. D. 



946 HISTOKY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

January 7th, 1S79. He had an ancestry which should not be 
forgotten. One grandfather was Samuel West, D. U., of New 
Bedfoid, who was one of the most prominent ministers of his 
day. Not only was he an honored and most effective preacher, 
but his councils were sought in respect to great public inter- 
ests. He was a member of the convention for the adoption of 
the constitution and its sturdy advocate. Replying to those who 
argued against it, he said that it .seemed to be taken for granted 
that the federal government was going to be put into the hands 
of crafty knaves. "I wish," he said, "that tlie gentlemen who 
have started so many 2yossiMe objections would trj"- to show us 
that what they so much deprecate is j^robable. Because power 
may be abused, shall we sink into anarchy '. May we not ra- 
tionally suppose that the persons we shall choose to administer 
the government will be, in general, good men?" 

His father, Samuel West, M. D., was for many years, per- 
haps, the most widely known physician in the whole region 
round about him in Rhode Ishind and the neighboring towns 
in Massachusetts: His son, the subject of this sketch, truly 
said of him, "Possessed by nature of a strong mind, rendered 
vigorous by cultivation, he entered upon the study of physic 
when it was in its comparative infancy. Yet by his own indus- 
try and observation, he was enabled to keep uj) with the times, 
and frequently to come to conclusions, if not anterior to, at 
least in company with tho.se who enjoyed the advantages of the 
schools and the hospitals." He had a very large practice, and 
no physician was more frequentlj- called in consultation by his 
brethren in the profession in all critical cases, and none was 
more honored or relied upon by the community at large. 

His grandfather on his mother's side was Doctor William 
Whitridge, who was also a widely known physician, and a man 
of marked ability. He was the father of three sons who were 
all successful practitioners, one in New Bedford, one in Balti- 
more, the other in Charleston, S. C, and also of that successful 
andg reatly respected merchant, Thomas Whitridge, of Balti- 
more. Doctor Whitridge was a lover of literature as well as of 
medicine. He was interested in theological works, and was so 
anxious to read the Scriptures in the original, that, with the 
assistance of Rev. Doctor West, he studied Hebrew after he 
was fifty years old. 

Coming from such a lineage as this, Samuel West the third, 





/^/yrut 



2^, 



niSTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 947 

whose portrait is in this vohiiue, Imd a rich legac}- of mental 
power. He was faithful to tliat inheritance. He graduated 
with high ranl\, the sec-ond srliolar in the class of 1827, at Brown 
University. Among his classmates were Hon. Lafayette S. Fos- 
ter, for twelve years a senator of the United States from Con- 
nectici;!, and Bishop M. A. De Wolfe Howe, of the central 
diocese of Pennsylvania. He was a graduate of the Harvard 
Medical School in 1831, and began practice in New Bedford. 
But just as a successful career was opening before him there 
the death of his father, who had a large farm as well as a wide 
practice, made it imperative upon him to return to Tiverton. 
There the community at once transferred to him, and his own 
attainments commanded, the same confidence in him as a phy- 
sician and resi^ect fur him as a man which had long been award- 
ed to his father. A laborious practice, extending over a wide 
range of countr3% left him little opportunity for large study of 
books. But, like his father, he was a careful, shrewd and con- 
scientious observer, and in long rides by day and night he had 
constant opportunities for a true study of the cases under his 
care, for following out the trains of thought they might suggest, 
and finding what might be quite as valuable in his profession 
as the lore of books. Though living apart from the centers of 
medical instruction, his own thought kept him abreast of his 
time. His mind was very active in whatever direction he pur- 
sued his inquiries, and marked by a sturdy independence of 
thought. He had a deep interest in the public welfare. He 
was an ardent advocate of temperance, and though he had no 
children, was a steadfast friend of the public schools. He was 
loyal in his friendships, and welcomed the companions of youth 
or manhood with heartj^ good will. He was a lover as well as 
an observer of nature, inheriting his father's interest in agri- 
culture, and took great delight in the management of a large 
farm. Even the labor itself upon it seemed to be a joy. Never 
physically strong, for many years he did the twofold work of 
a physician and a farmer, eminently successful in both, as he 
would have been in any pursuit in life, until his health 
greatly failed. Late in life he married a daughter of Hon. 
Judge Durfee, chief justice of the supreme court of Rhode 
Island, and sister of its jiresent chief justice, and built 
a liouse upon a rising ground that gave him a view of a 
portion of Narragansett bay and of the beautiful Rhode Island 

60 



948 HISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

shore. There he lived in lii.s latest years, looking out every 
day upon the fair prospect always before his eyes, enjoying the 
fruits of former labors, practising occasionally among lifelong 
friends, or when called in consultations, until an accident, fol- 
lowed by brief days of keen suffering, brought his useful and 
honored life to a close. The name of Samuel West was made 
honorable by his grandfather's life and service. Though he 
followed a different calling, his father kept it equally bright. 
And the subject of this memoir, the last that bore it, left it 
without a stain. 

Any account of the West family which did not; mention Miss 
Hannah Howland West would be very incomplete. She was 
the daughter of the Rev. Samuel West, D. D., was born in New 
Bedford in 1779, and went witli lier father to Tiverton in 1803. 
She made her home with her brother. Dr. Samuel \Vest and his 
family until her death in 1847. She was educated chiefly by 
her father and inherited much of his gift as a teacher. After 
his death she taught in various places for more than thirtj' 
years. Her instruction was sought by teachers, especially in 
grammar, and many of her pupils, including men distinguished 
in business and professional life and in (;ongress have asserted 
that she was the best teacher they ever had. From her mother 
she inherited a frail constitution, and she conscientiously re- 
frained from matrimony, being unwilling to transmit a like in- 
heritance to posterity. She refused many desirable offers of 
marriage by men attracted by her rare gifts. Her social quali- 
ties were pre-eminent. Many persons are still to be met who 
gratefully refer to the benefit they received from her instructions 
and delightful social intercourse. 

Mrs. Joseph Willard wrote of her in an obituarj^ notice pub- 
lished in the Christian Register: " In the hearts of her friends 
she must always live, for her intellectual and moral qualities 
were such as to perpetuate her memory. None who had ever 
known her could forget her energy, her love of the right and 
detestation of the wrong, her candor and truthfulness, her 
steadfast devotion to her friends, her disinterested affection to 
those more nearly allied. Her acquirements were much beyond 
the age in which she was educated, and her desire for improve- 
ment constantly induced progress. She was i^ossessed of an 
uncommon share of rich and conversational talent, which, con- 
sidering the comparatively retired life she had always lived, was 





-^A^^^-^^c 




HISTORY 01' NEWPORT COUNTY. 949 

remarkable. The fund of wit ;iiid humor which rendered lier 
conversation so attractive and winch she ordinarily used to il- 
lumine her quaint style of discourse, was capable of being con- 
verted into a powerful weapon of rebuke for tiie unwortliy; yet 
no one but the wrong-doer ever iiad reason to shiiidv from it. 
Her wit was tempered by principle and softened by ciiarity, and 
as justice formed the basis of lier cluiracter she was ever found 
the advocate of trutli and duty." 
Another friend wrote of her: 

" Tliy ready wit, original and rare, 
Made old and young its happy influence share, 
None could forget thee, that decided tone 
Belonged to thee, and unto thee alone. 
And words of thine, as with a magic art. 
Fell on the ear and fixed upon the heart." 

Joshua C. Durfee. — The family of which Mr. Durfee is a 
I'epresentative is one of the oldest now in Newport county. 
Their ancestor was Thomas Durfee, who came from England to 
Rhode Island in 1660. The line of descent is as follows: Thomas', 
Thomas', Job', Job', George', Joshua C". Job'in 1736-7 bought 
of Joseph Cook the nineteenth lot or share of the Pocasset pur- 
chase on Stafford road, and lived there until his death, in 1774. 
He was made a freeman of the Massachusetts Bay colony in 
1731. Joshua C. now owns one-third of this original nineteenth 
lot. 

George Durfee' was one of six children whose mother, wid- 
owed early, fought with poverty harder battles than her de- 
scendants have been called to face. He was married to Sarah, 
daughter of John Coggeshall. Their family of ten children 
were: Dwelley, Job, Gideon, Marj^, Joshua C, Eliza, Lucy, 
Peter, David and Delaney, each of whom had issue. He ac- 
quired an estate and owned seven hundred acres in Tiverton at 
his death. 

The homestead is the present residence of David, known as 
David Durfee, 3d, on the Stafford road, where the subject of this 
sketch, the oldest survivor of iiis generation, was born on tlie 
11th day of October, 1807. His early days were passed on his 
father's farm, where he remained until "of age,"' and from 
which, in the primitive schools of that day he was given the 
rudiments of an education. In early life he worked in a mill. 
B}' hard work and economy he obtained a little capital wiiich 



950 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

he invested in shares in a whale business, investing in several 
different ships. For ten years he worked in various mills and 
kept an investment in whale ships for twenty years from the 
time he was twenty-one years of age. He then began investing 
in mill stocks, buying shares to hold, believing it, as he still 
does, a safe investment for surjilus. Now, in his declining 
years, he lives in the retirement of his farm in Tiverton, where 
he owns one hundred and fifty acres. 

Politically Mr. Durfee, with his ancestors, was a democrat 
until the "Dorr War."' Since then he has voted with the whig 
or the republican party. He has ever had a principle to vote, 
though never trying for office. He has held the office of as- 
sessor. 

He was married in 1832 to Patience Brayton. Sarah C, the 
eldest of their three children, was born February 25th, 1834, 
and married William T. Robinson. They have one son, Wil- 
liam G. Robinson, born in 1856, and married June 14th, 1882, 
to Hattie Manchester. They have two children, Ethel Trafford, 
and an infant son, Carleton Durfee Robinson. Ellen C. Dur- 
fee, second child of Joshua C, was born August 15th, 1836, was 
married to Nelson C. Borden, June 25tli, 1857, and died March 
28th, 1870. Mr. Durfee's only son, Joshua Thomas Durfee, 
lately the trial justice for Tiverton, was born August 10th, 1841. 
His wife, Amanda M., is a daughter of John and granddaughter 
of Stephen Crandall. They have two sons. 

The life of Mr. Durfee strikingly illustrates the working out 
of a great principle, namely, that strict attention to busi- 
ness, accompanied by industrious habits, thorough integrity 
and a true ai^preciation of the smaller matters of life, will give 
its results — just what it has given in his case — financial success. 

Christopher Brownell, the son of Josiah Brownell, a 
prominent ship builder, and his wife, Deborah Howland, was 
born March 10th, 1798, in Westport, Massachusetts, and died 
on the 2d of November, 1885, in Tiverton. His education was 
such as the early schools afforded. Bred to industrious pur- 
suits in his youth, he began active life as the manager of a 
grist and saw mill at Adamsville. He then removed to the farm 
of Stephen Crandall, which land he cultivated for seven years 
on shares, but desiring more independence and a larger field 
than was possible under these circumstances, he purchased the 
fine property, now the home of his widow, and there remained 




^^4^/^66)//^^^^^^^^-^^^ 



V%T^>-\*(»V^ %.. 4\t*,^'\V.Q'\^ X 






V*.Att"\'<Vt^ i. %\•i'i.%'.\,^^ ' 



HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 951 

until his deatli. Tii connecfion witli the farm lie elected a card- 
ing mill, gave his personal attention to the enterprise and made 
it one of l;he most successful of his business ventures. Mr. 
Brownell was, in 1821, married to Miss Mary C, daughter of 
Stephen Crandall, of Tiverton. She was born January 15th, 
1800. They had four children, three of whom died in infancy, 
and one, Caroline A., who was born February 7th, 1822, and 
died at the age of 15 years, 11 months and 20 days. Mr. 
Brownell was much absorbed in affairs connected with his daily 
routine of business, and gave little time or thought to ques- 
tions of public import. He cast his vote at the annual election, 
gave his support to the republican party, and allowed more 
ambitious aspirants for office to bear away the houors. The 
only position to which he was elected, that of justice of the 
peace, was respectfully declined. He was also interested in a 
store at Fall River, which for a time claimed his attention. 
Mrs. Brownell still resides on the homestead farm which is 
managed by Henry F. Wilbor. 

Samuel E. Almy is descended from English ancestry, the line 
being as follows: William', who emigrated from England, Job", 
Job', John', the grandfather of the subject of this biography, 
Cook', who married Charlotte, daughter of Isaac Cook, of Tiv- 
erton, and had children: Eliza, Patience, Clarinda, Samuel E., 
Deborah, John, Hannah, Welcome Arnold, Isaac, and three 
who died in infancy. 

Samuel E". was born February 18th, 1800, in the town of 
Tiverton, and during his bns\' life, until the infirmities of age 
rendered the activity of former years impossible, devoted his 
time to the work of the farm. He received but a limited edu- 
cation, and in early youth placed his services at his fathers 
command. This filial regard was repaid by an interest in the 
annual crops and later by ownership of the property, which 
was bequeathed to him in ISOl with the exception of a single 
share afterward acquired by purchase. In 1870 he relinquished 
the management of the farm to his son, Samuel E., Jr., who 
now cultivates the land. 

Mr. Almy was married March 21st, 1830, to Susan, daughter 
of William Bateman of Newport. Their children are: Delia, 
born August 5th, 1831; William C, April 14th, 1833; Mary S.. 
March 29th, 1835; Franklin L., September 8th, 1836; Samuel E., 
Jr., July 27th, 1838; Susan B., February 27th, 18-tl; Catherine 



952 iriSTouY of newpout county. 

S., April 24th, 1843; Harriet B., March 18th, 1851, and one who 
died ill infancy. Mr. Almy lias always supported the princi- 
ples of the democracy. He has, however, never participated in 
the strife for office and has avoided jjublicity other than the 
distinction which attaches to the office of major of militia. 
He now enjoys the rest and repose which, after an active life, 
he has earned, and resides with his son Samuel E., Jr., who 
married, July 26th, 1863, Cynthia E., daughter of Thomas R. 
Delano, of Pair Haven, Massachusetts. Their three childen are: 
Frank D., Leon F. and Stella Louise. 

Asa Davol, who was for years a well-known farmer in Tiv- 
erton, was born April 22d, 1795, in a house still standing east 
of B. Frank Macomber's farm. His father, William, and his 
grandfather, Jonathan Davol, each in turn lived in the same 
building where Asa was born. His father combined shoemak- 
ing with farming, and here in the little old home of but two 
rooms the family of thirteen children were born. Asa was the 
seventh child. At ten years of age he went to Little Compton 
to live with Joshua Wilbour. Beginning at sixteen years of 
age, he worked as a farm hand for nearly fourteen years. On 
the 19th of November, 1822, he was married to Mary Records, 
who was born in 1799. She was a daughter of William Rec- 
ords, of Westjiort, Mass. About this time Mr. Davol pur- 
chased the farm in the south part of Tiverton, where his five 
children were born and reared. They are Cornelius, Albert D., 
Hannah R., William R. and Susan B. 

Albert D., who resides in Taunton, Mass., is a mechanic 
(wood-worker). His wife was Martha F. Burt. They have six 
children, three boys and three girls. 

William R., also of Taunton, learned the same trade as his 
))rotliei\ He married Reliance C. Pierce, of Myricksville, who 
died in November, 1863, leaving one son and one daughter. He 
subsequently married Irene Q. Wheeler. They have two daugh- 
ters and one son. 

"Uncle Asa," as he was familiaiiy known to many, with his 
genial disj^ositiou and a heart eversymi)athetic toward the poor 
and those who were in trouble, was loved and respected most 
by those who knew him best. He was often called to his neigh- 
bors' homes when sickness and death were there. While he 
never accepted a public office, he was often consulted on ques- 
tions of public and private interest, as a man of decidedly good 



^.^•5^«jg;ji.$s<i|j. 









•«rv 






V*^0-\'m.. \ \\\.\%\\.^-\ %. 






^^^-M" /&>,^^t>-^^-^ ^ 



Vl^dA-iVt^ \. %W<t.%-\\Sl!,\ \^, X. 



HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 953 

judgment. Politicallj^ lie was a republican, and in "anti- 
slavery"' times was with the radical abolitionist. He was the 
chief instrument in having the eight-rod-way opened to his 
farm, which is on the direct line from Fall River to Little 
Compton. He was an active member of the Christian Baptist 
church, of Adamsville, until his death. 

He was a great favorite with the children. Among them he 
became a boy again, and many will long remember the oft-re- 
peated stories with which the children were beguiled to their 
slumbers. They sought his society for pleasure, and their 
fathers sought his advice in business matters. If a team or a 
cow was to be bought "Uncle Asa" must be consulted, and his 
advice was cheerfully given. If trouble came no one was more 
ready with assistance and sympathy; if death entered the 
home-circle, "Uncle Asa"' was called upon to perform the last 
sad offices. He and his estimable wife were spared for a long 
life of usefulness. He died May 22d, 1875, universally re- 
spected and regretted. His wife survived him until 1884. 

Isaac Brown is a grandson of Isaac Brovvn, who resided 
in Tiverton, where he was a farmer. Among his sons was 
Adoniram Brown (13), born in the same township, who also 
followed farming pursuits. He married Lucinda, daughter of 
Wanton Manchester, of Tiverton. Their living children are: 
Ann E., Abby S., Caroline F., Mary C, John Q. A., Adon- 
iram and Isaac. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are both deceased. 
Their son, Isaac, was born March 9th, 1839, on the homestead 
where his early years were spent. His education was ac- 
quired at the public schools, after which he gave his serv- 
ices to his father in his work upon the farm. On the 26th 
of May, 1862, he enlisted as a private in the 10th Regiment 
Rhode Island Infantry and served three months, receiving 
his discharge September 1st, 1862. He re enlisted September 
30th, 1862, for nine months in the 12th Regiment Rhode 
Island Infantry, and filled the office of Sergeant. He was 
discharged from the hospital at Fort Wood, New York Har- 
bor, February 12th, 1863. On his return he resumed labor 
on the farm, and continued until 1867 thus employed. Mr. 
Brown then engaged in fishing for menhaden. In 1874 the 
firm of William J. Brightman & Co. (12) was formed for the 
manufacture of fish oil and guano, and he became a partner. 
In 1875 he abandoned fishing and gave his attention to the 



954 HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 

business of the firm, acting as its agent and treasurer. In 
1885 the company purchased the fertilizer factory of Stearns 
& Co., of Coles River, Mass., and now conduct the business 
at that point. Mr. Brown is also agent and treasurer of the 
Tiverton Net and Twine Company, which has its factory at 
Tiverton. 

On the 30th of March, 1870, Mr. Brown was married to 
Mary E., daughter of Robert Gray (34). Their children are: 
Arthur G., deceased; William Judson, Florence Whitman, 
Harold Winfred, Isaac Newton, Robert Stanley and an infant, 
deceased. Mr. Brown is, in his political sympathies, a re- 
publican. He has been, since 1883, treasurer of the town of 
Tiverton, and in Ajiril, 1881, was made the representative of 
liis town in the state legislature, where he served for two terms. 
He was then elected state senator, which office he also filled for 
two terms. He is a supporter of the Congregational church of 
Tiverton Four Corners, where his family worship. 

Job Wordell. — Tiverton was the home of Gershom Wordell, 
the grandfather of Job Wordell, for many years a popular land- 
lord and thrifty farmer in the township. He married Ruth 
Mott, whose son, David, a native of the township, spent his life 
in the pursuits of a husbandman. He married Rebecca, daugh- 
ter of Borden Bray ton, of the same county and township. 
Their children are two sons, Thomas and Brayton B. He mar- 
ried a second time. Innocent Brayton, sister to his first wife, 
and had children : David, Innocent, Job, Borden, Rachel, Sarah 
Ann, and several who died in infancj'. 

Job, of this number, was born December 27th, 1820, in Tiver- 
ton, and in youth became an inmate of the family of Doctor 
Samuel West, of the above township, where he remained six 
years. Thus early made to become self-reliant and self-sup- 
porting, Mr. Wordell acquired an independent spirit and a 
marked individuality, characteristics which have to a consider, 
able degree contributed to his later success in life. He sought 
employment as assistant on a farm in various localities, and in 
1844 rented a farm in Tiverton. In 1849 he was attracted, with 
other ambitious and venturesome spirits, to the gold fields of 
California, and for four years devoted his time to mining, with 
the exception of a brief interval spent in San Francisco. In 
this enteri^rise he met with more than a fair measure of success, 
and returning again to Tiverton was, on the 6th of October, 




J^ 





vv\o-\"<v\^ i »^^»s^v^^ * "> 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 955 

1853, married to Lydia A., daughter of Edward Gray, of that 
township. Their children are : Lydia C, deceased; Jane II., 
Macie D., deceased, wife of Henry G. Douglas; Job, deceased, 
and James G. 

After his marriage Mr. Wordell was, for live j'ears, the 
keeper of the Tiverton town asylum, and at the expiration 
of that period purchased the farm on which he at present 
resides. Here he has since been engaged in the growing 
of the ordinary cereals. A democrat in politics, he has held 
most of tlie town ofiices, and has been for several years a mem- 
ber of the town council, as also agent for the town asylum. He 
is a director of the Tiverton and Little Compton Mutual Insur- 
ance Company, and its treasurer and agent for Tiverton. He 
is frequently called upon to act as administrator and executor, 
when his services are higiily esteemed. Mr. Wordell gave an 
unqualified sujiport and sympathy to the government during 
the late war, and was i"eady with means and influence to aid the 
cause. In religion his support is extended to the Congrega- 
tional church, though in early life he was trained under the 
inflnence of the Unitarian church. 

PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS. 

The following paragraphs, numbered from 1 to 99, and the 
personal paragraphs in Chapter XXL, numbered 100 to 172, are 
referred to in the history of the towns of Tiverton and Little 
Compton by the corresponding numbers in jiarentheses. Where 
a reference from one of these paragraphs to another would elu- 
cidate the text or avoid repetition, the same method of referring 
has been employed. In giving lines of descent, the usual plan 
of genealogical outline has been followed. Thus, John Jones', 
Caleb', William\ Nathaniel', 1622-1690, would indicate John as 
the son of Caleb and the grandson of William and the great- 
grandson of Nathaniel Jones, who was born in 1022 and died in 
1690. 

1.— Alexander was the oldest son of Massasoit, and at his 
death became sachem of the Wampanoags in 1662. He was 
clandestinely taken before the court of Plymouth the same year, 
and imprisoned in a Boston jail, where he contracted a sickness 
of which he died after liis release. His people believed he was 
poisoned, and this belief intensified the animus of tiie Philip 
war. His Indian name was Wamsutta. His wife was Wetamoo 
(93), a sister of the Seconnet queen (105). 



956 HISTOUT OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

2. — Frederick Almy, who died in 1877, was a son of Otis Almy, 
and had been thirty-two years deacon of the Congregational 
church of Tiverton. He left two daughters: Harriet S., now 
Mrs. Gideon F. Gray (38), and Annie E. His widow, now 
Mrs. Charles Wilcox, is Melissa B., sister of David W. Sim- 
mons (85). 

3.— William R. Almy\ born 1835; William', born 1796; Judge 
Holder\ born 1764; Joseph', William^, William'. This family 
is of English descent. William' owned a very large tract of 
land here, a- part of which is now occupied by Mr. Almy. The 
sixth generation in this line includes Mrs. John L. Burroughs, 
Mrs. W. K. Adams, Benjamin, Mrs. George A. King, Holder, 
Phicbe, William R., Sarah M. (4) and Julia A. Holder Almy' 
commanded the United States transiDort "Guide" in the civil 
war. 

4. --Captain George W. Baker was born at West Harwich, 
and married Sarah M. Almy (3). He was in the merchant coast- 
wise service from Norfolk, Ya., and in the United States navy 
about seven years, attached to the West Gulf Blockading 
Squadron under Farragut. He was injured in the navy in 1863, 
and discharged in 1868. The log of the United States brig 
"Bohio," in the bureau of navigation at Washington, shows 
that Captain Baker was commanding officer of that vessel un- 
til his removal to the Pensacola Hospital, in August, 1864. 

5. — Benjamin Barker', born 1822; Abraham", 1786; Benja- 
min', Prince', 1716; Isaac', 1660; Isaac", Francis', who was in 
Pembroke, Mass., as early as 1628. In February, 1745, an 
Abraham Barker of another family was married to Susanna 
Anthony. Their dauglirer, Ann Barker, subsequently became 
the wife of Benjamin Barker', the grandfather of the present 
Benjamin Barker', of Tiverton, wlio now owns and lives on 
the Wanton farm. His wife is Catherine J. Dennis. Their 
children are: Richard J., Benjamin, Jr., a graduate of Brown Uni- 
versity, and Catherine W. Mrs. Barker is the first lady in 
Rhode Island ever elected to a public office in open town meet- 
ing. She, with Mrs. Moses T. Lawton and Miss Ann E. Brown, 
being elected school committee in April, 1871. 

6. — Richard J. Barker, born in 1849, is the oldest son of Ben- 
jamin Barker (5). His wife, Eliza Harris, is a sister of George 
R. Lawton (59). They have one son, Richard J., Jr. 



HISTORY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 957 

7.— Samuel Bateman was born at East Greenwich in 1821, and 
came to Tiverton about thirty years ago. His deceased wife 
was a sister of Charles Cook (18). His i^resent wife was a Miss 
Beatty, of Scituate. Mr. Bateman is engaged in farming. He 
has been assessor for some time, and is still serving in that 
capacity. 

8. — Benjamin C. Borden", born in 1825 (Richard', Benjamin', 
Joseph', Samuel", Richard'), married Mary D. Pierce (138). 
They have two sons, Abel P. and Prank E. Mrs. Borden's 
former husband was Asa P. Tabor, Jr. They had one daughter, 
Lizzie D. Mr. Borden is a farmer and surveyor. Richard' died 
in 1731. 

9. — Thomas Hicks Borden, deceased, was a son of John and 
a grandson of John Borden, of Portsmouth. His widow is Lucy, 
a sister of Judge Thomas Durfee, of Providence. Mr. Thomas 
Borden died in 1876, leaving four children: John, Ada M. (now 
Mrs. Heermann), William H. and Judith A. Borden. 

10. — S. Gillman Bowen, born in 1856. son of Rev. Charles J. 
and grandson of Henry C. Bowen, who was many years lieu- 
tenant-governor of Rhode Island, came here sixteen years ago 
with Charles A. Durfee, in the coal business at Bridgeport. In 
1882 he opened the coal yard, and in 1884 the lumber yard, 
since which time he has had the only coal and lumber business 
here, at Bowen's wharf. 

11. ^Preserved Brayton, born in 1840, farmer and teamster, is 
a son of Preserved and grandson of Balston Brayton. His wife, 
Lydia B., is a granddaughter of Thomas and daughter of Wil- 
liam Almy, whose wife was Delaney, daughter of George Dur- 
fee' (26). Mr. Brayton has two daughters : Elnora S. and 
Mary A. 

12.— William J. Brightman was born at Fall River, and in 
1865 became a resident of Tiverton. He was engaged in the 
scupp and menhaden fisheries for over twenty years, but is best 
known by his business relations as head of the firm of William 
J. 15riglitman& Co., in the production of lish oil and fertilizers. 
This firm was organized in 1874 by Mr. Brightman and Albert 
Gray. Subsequently Isaac Brown and Captain Nickerson (72) 
came into the firm as partners, and in 1885 Mr. Gray retired. 
Two years ago the firm secured a location at Swansea, Mass.) 
where the scrap from their factory at Tiverton is converted 
into the four grades of fertilizers, now well known in the mar- 



958 HISTORY OF Newport countt. 



kets as " Brlghtman & Go's Standard Fertilizers." Tlie Swan- 
sea works employ ten men. The sales of tlie first six months 
of 1887 amounted to $2O,O0O. Mr. Brightman's residence at 
Tiverton is shown in the accompanying plate, as it is seen from 
the stone bridge looking northeast. The dock with the tish 
market and the sail-boat business is managed by Mr. Bright- 
man's son. 

13. — The Brown family of Tiverton trace their descent from 
Peter Brown', one of the sailors on the " Mayflower" of 1620. 
Skidsey Brown' came to Rhode Island about 1655. Tobias' was 
a large land owner in Middletown, Little Compton, and Tiver- 
ton, and had a family of seven: John, Aln-aham, William, 
Nicholas, Robert, Sarah and Alice. To William he willed, on 
April 1st, 1734, his farm in Middletown; to John and Abraham 
he gave his farm in Tiverton, and to Nicholas and Robert he 
gave his Little Compton property. He died in the summer of 
1734. Abraham*, born 1709, died 1746, married Sarah, 
daughter of AVilliam Cory. They had five children : 
Abraham, Abagail, Sarah, Rebecca and Patience. Abra- 
ham', born 1735, died 1799, married Abagail Wilbunr, 
daughter of Charles Wilboui'* (168), and had ten children: 
Isaac, Benjamin, Abraham, Abagail, Mary, Sarah, William, 
Pardon, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth. The first of the five girls in 
this generation became the wife of Adoniram Judson, whose 
son, Adoniram, was the illustrious missionary to India. Isaac" 
married Hannah, daughter of Jeremiah Cook and Constant 
Russell. Their five children were: Abagail, Mary, Adoniram, 
Betsey and Abraham. Adoniram' had eleven children. Seven 
are living, some of whom occupy a part of the original Brown 
farm (69). 

14. — George W. Carr,* born in 1836 (son of Rodman, grand- 
son of John and great-grandson of William), married Sarah, a 
sister of Benjamin T. Hart (44). Mr. Carr's farm is one of the 
best improved farms on theCrandall road north of Adamsville. 
He has two sons: Edwin R. and Wilfred. William Carr was 
a resident of Little Compton. 

15. — Giles M. Chase was born in Portsmouth, where his father, 
Hon. Abner Chase, and grandfather, Holder Chase, lived. 
Holder Chase was descended from Nathan," Benjamin," Wil- 
liam" and William;' the last being the original William Chase, 
in New England. One Benjamin Chase and Abner Chase, bach- 




h. 


U 

o 
z 

w 

Q 

u 



HISTORY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 959 

elors, were early owners of a large tract in Tiverton, 150 acres 
of which descended to Abner Chase, and to Giles M., who now 
owns it. Giles M. married John Hanibly's daughter, Elizabeth, 
who died, leaving four daughters: Amanda H., Deborah, Peace 
Elizabeth, Fannie S. (now Mrs. "William H. Manchester), and 
one son, Squire M. Chase. 

16.— John T. Cook," 1831; Samuel,' 1799-1856; Walter Cook,' 
1768-1855; Walter," Thomas,Moseph,' John,' Thomas,' Thomas." 
Thomas' came from England in 1630 and settled in Taunton, 
Mass., where he was an original proprietor. Walter" was town 
clerk during the revolution and had two sons, George and Wil- 
liam, in the army. He was justice of the peace and a judge of 
the superior court. Hon. James F. Simmons was one of his 
grandsons, and Frederick R. Brownell, town clerk of Little 
Compton, a great-grandson. The old judge died in Tiverton, 
where John T. Cook now lives. Walter' and SamueP were mar- 
ketmen and farmers. Samuel taught school twenty-five win- 
ters. John T. was his 'father's pupil seven winters prior to 
1843, and in 1851 graduated from the Massachusetts State Nor- 
mal School at Bridgewater. He has taught more than fifty 
terms. In 1883 he was elected town clerk and has held the 
office ever since. He was married in 1855 to Deborah, daugh- 
ter of Edward Gray. She died of fever the following Decem- 
ber. Two years later he married Sarah E. Terry, of Fall River. 
Their oldest daughter has taught nine years in the public 
schools of Tiverton and Little Compton. They have two sons 
living: Albion Church and Hubert Bates. 

17._Thomas C. Collins, captain of the "City of Fall River," 
a freight boat of the Old Colony Line, is himself a native of 
Fall River, but has resided in Tiverton for the last thirty years. 
The captain's wife was Mary Baker. 

18.— Charles Cook', 1815;' John", William', Walter*. Walter 
was a descendant of Thomas Cook' who came to New England 
early and raised three sons', one of whom settled in Tiverton 
and became the grandfather of Walter', who was thirty years 
known as Judge Cook, diaries' married Abagail B., a sister 
of Georgp W. Hambly (51). Tlieir children are: Abbie A. (Mrs. 
George W. Corey) and John Charles. Mr. Cook for twenty- 
five years owned and operated four or five boats in the men- 
haden bnsiness. Later he built the oil works north of White's 
wharf on Pierce's shore. He now owns a fishing steamer in the 



960 HISTORY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 

pursing and trapping business. His grandfather was a pen- 
sioner of the revolution. 

19. —Pardon Cory, born in 1820, is a son of Job Cory, whose 
father, William, was an early settler here. Among the earlier 
residents are found the names of Pardon, Abner and Philip 
Corey, through whom the present Pardon Cory traces his an- 
cestry. His wife, Abbie, is a daughter of Robert Gray (34). 
Their children are: Mrs. Henry Durfee and George W. In 
early life Mr. Cory was a fisherman, but has since followed the 
trade of carpenter and has built a large number of boats. 

20. — Samuel Corey, born in 1816, is a son of Benjamin and a 
grandson of Samuel Corey, the ancestor of Mrs. Job Sowle, of 
Portsmouth. He married Mar}' D. Trii)[) of Westport. Tlieir 
children are: Elizabeth, Thomas, Samuel R., Annie, Howard, 
T. , George H. and Emma. His farm near South Watuppa 
pond was owned by the Shermans before the revolution. 

21. — A. Frank Cottrell, son of Abram Cottrell, married Calista 
Church, only daughter of the late Joseph Church. He has 
charge of the boarding hall at the " Narragansett Works" for 
the Joseph Church Company. 

22. — Edward M. Dennis is a son of Holder and grandson of 
John Dennis. He began iishing at the age of 17, and has been 
engaged in purse and trap fishing since until within three years. 
He was interested in an oil factory in Maine, was two years 
mate with Captain Albert Gray, and at one time captain of the 
"Leonard Brightman," a steamer engaged in the menhaden 
business. His wife is a daughter of Abner C. King. His son-in- 
law, William O. Snell, is in business in Little Compton; his 
daughter, Betsey, is a young lady at home. 

23. — Amenzer J. Durfee is a son of Dwelley" and grandson of 
George' (26). His mother, now living, was Nancy Tompkins, 
who is a i^ensioner of 1812. This family name is a moderniza- 
tion of the old "D'Urfey," as found in Pope's Dunciad, 
III, 147. 

24.— Charles A. Durfee', born in 1833, is a son of Charles' (64). 
His wife is Amanda V., daughter of David Durfee 2d. They 
have two sons, Allison and David. Mr. Durfee was engaged 
in the lumber (10) and coal trade here for two or three years. 
He is now a carpenter and farmer. 

25. — Daniel C. Durfee, brother of Joseph D. (29), was born 
in 1833. He married Laura R., daughter of Gideon G. Durfee. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 961 

Their children are: Levi C, Job, Wanton H., Charles Elmer 
and Laura. He was whaling one voyage of over I'orty-four 
months in the "General Scott" from Fair Haven. 

26.— David Durfee Hd", born in ISlf) (George', Job', Job', 
Thomas', Thomas') married Eleanor T., daughter of Tiiomas 
Brayton. They have five children : Marietta B., Ferdinand, 
Harriet L., George T. and Sarah E. Mr. Durfee now hold.s the 
office of assessor, which he has repeatedly filled, and has been 
member of the town council several years. 

27. — Edgar J. Durfee, farmer and teamster, is the only rep- 
resentative in Tiverton of the family of his father, David A., 
who was a son of Thomas Duifee. 

28.— Gideon H. Durfee', born in 1809 (Joseph', David', Wil- 
liam'), married first Maria M. Seabury, who died at the age of 
nineteen. His present wife is Emeline D. Seabury. Mr. Dur- 
fee was elected member of assembly by the democratic party, 
and was the youngest member of the house. He was for several 
years senator, and always a democrat. Mr. and Mrs. Durfee 
celebrated their golden wedding September 17th, 1887. Their 
living children are : Mrs. Richmond (147), Pheba S., Ruth, 
Henry and Gertrude. 

29. — Joseph D. Durfee', son of Job", and grandson of George' 
(26), went whaling at seventeen years of age, and has been on 
si.x long voyages. He was on the bark "Edward Everett" 
which was lost five days out of New Bedford. His last voyage 
was on the bark "Peru." His family consists of his wife and 
two children: Ruth W. and Andrew Jackson. 

30.— Richard Borden Durfee was born at Tiverton in 1791, 
and died in 1869. His wife was Charlotte Hooper from Maine. 
They had three sons and one daughter, Abbie D., now Mrs. 
Charles E. Manchester. Mr. Manchester began business as a 
blacksmith at Tiverton Four Corners in 1871. They have two 
children: Clarence and Lottie. Their home is the old Davenport 
place. 

31.— George W. Fish', farmer and trader, George W', 1800- 
1874, William', William Fish'. David and Zewil Fish were of 
the early generations of this family. George W.' was born in 
1828, and has been constable and deputy sheriff here. 

32.— A family of prominence in Tiverton sprang from Captain 
Samuel Gardner, who married Catherine Borden, a grand- 
daughter of Samuel Boiden"', Richard'. Their home and the 



962 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COdNTY. 

present farm of Benjamin C. Borden were included in flie fif- 
teenth great lot of the Pocasset purchase. Of Captain Gard- 
ner's three boys, Joseph married Eliza Borden^ daughter of 
Benjamin' (8). One of the captain's five girls was the wife of 
Judge Osborn, and another was Mrs. J. Russell Hicks. The 
children of Joseph Gardner are Henry B., John M. and Ange- 
line. Henry B. married Ann Eliza, daughter of Thomas Os- 
born, Judge Osborn' s brother. They have two children: Abbie 
E., widow of Isaac T. Haddock, and Emma B., now Mrs. Herbert 
Chapin. John M. Gardner and his sister Angeline reside at tlie 
homestead, which is shown in the accompanying plate. This 
was the home of the Bordens of the first and second generations, 
and came to the Gardners through the two intermarriages above 
noticed. The family name is represented by but one other of 
Captain Gardner's descendants, William H. Gardner, of Cali- 
fornia, if he be living. 

33. — Captain Albert Gray, a son of William Gray and his 
wife, who was a daughter of Benjamin Howland (55), was born 
in 1823. The father, William, was captured by pirates near 
Cuba, died in Algora hospital and was buried in Africa. Albert 
is the only survivor of six sons, five of whom were seamen at 
one time. He was whaling, purse and trap fishing several 
years, and in California 1849-50. His wife is Soi^hia Whalon 
and their daughters are Sarah F. and Mabel H. 

34. — Captain George Gray, born in 1824, is a son of Robert 
Gray. He began whaling at 18 years of age, and has made 
eight or ten voyages ; from Bristol one, Westport one, and 
the others from New Bedford. On the last three voyages 
he was captain of the barks "Mars," "Arctic" and "Rain- 
bow." At home he was for three years in the town council 
and has been assessor since 1884. He was in California in 1849 
and 1850. 

35. — Hon. George W. Gray, the present democratic represent- 
ative from Tiverton, is the sou of Captain George Wanton Gray, 
a brother of Albert Gray (33). He began fishing at 19 years of 
age and continued until 1876. Since then he has been con- 
nected with the Church Brothers' business in another capacity. 
He was a candidate for the senate before his election to the 
house. 

36. — Gideon Gray, born in 1812, is a son of John Gray and 
grandson of Colonel Pardon Gray, who once lived on the place 




Q u 
< 5 



u 

GO 

UJ 

O 

w 
z 

Q 
< 

o 
u 



z 
I 



-5 
U. 



u 
o 
z 
u 

Q 

55 



IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 963 

where his father, Pardon Gray, lived, north of Tiverton Four 
Corners, since known as the Wing place, ^fr. Gray has worked 
fifty years at carpentering. His wife was Fanny, daughter of 
Abel Hart. Their family consists of one son, John A., and a 
daughter, Abbie E., now Mrs. Edward T. Aliny" (Warren W.*, 
George', Scarford', John', Job'). This Gray family usually refer 
to Colonel Pardon Gray as their ancestor. An old manuscript 
book in the town clerk's office notes a son, Pardon, born April 
20, 1737, to Philip Gray and his wife Sarah. This Pardon had 
twelve children. The boys were : Job, Edward, Philii^, born 
February 2d, 1766; Pardon, born October 11th, 1767; John, 
born May 20th, 1772; and Thomas. 

37. — Otis A. Gray, brother of George (34), was born here in 
1823. His home is the homestead which his father bought of 
Benjamin Cook. He is one of the ten children of Robert Gray. 
His youngest brother was taken down by a whale in the At- 
lantic and lost. Captain Otis has made thi'ee or four voyages 
whaling. His wife is a daughter of Edward Gray and grand- 
daughter of Deacon Philip Gray. 

38. — Philip Gray, brother of Gideon (36), was born in 1815. 
His wife, Celia, is a daughter of James and a granddaughter of 
David Lake, a pensioner of 1812. Mr. Gray was the youngest 
of ten children, and when their father, who owned the place on 
the Lake road where Philip now lives, became involved, Philip 
bought it. One part of this house is very old. The second 
story was used for a school house in this neighborhood before 
the public school system was inaugurated. Mr. Gray's children 
are: Abbie, wife of Isaiah Grinnell; Gideon F., Philip J., Mrs. 
B. F. Macomber and Mrs. Albert H. Hambly. 

39.— William Gray', born in 1817 and died in 1881 (William*, 
1781-1850; William", William', William'), a farmer, lived and 
died on the old homestead farm. This house was partly built; 
by William*. The widow, now living, is Jerusha C, daughter 
of Clark Woodman, of Little Compton, and granddaughter of 
Pardon Gray (36). The cemeteries of the William Gray family 
contain the following inscriptions : " William Gray, died 1813, 
aged 67." "Isaac Gray, died 1818, aged 35." " Peace, wife 
of William Gray, died 1791, aged 36." " Priscilla, widow of 
William Gray, died 1835, aged 74." 

40.— Albert C. Green, farmer and l)reeder of line horses, was 
born at Woonsocket Falls in 1825, and became a resident of 
01 



964 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Tiverton in 1876. He owns the Daniel Dwellej^farm. He raised 
"Jay Gould," and after making $40,000 on him, sold him for 
$30,000. "General Green," "Willimantic Star," "Green 
Girl," " Lady Rogers," "TenBroeck," "King Philip" and 
"Judge Brigham, jr." are among the speed horses bred by 
him. 

41. — Philip S. Grinnell, a son of Philip Grinnell, who died 
on a whale ship off Cape Horn while mate with his brother, 
Captain Stephen Grinnell, was born in 1831, and began tishing 
with Benjamin Tallman in 1845. Tliis date we believe is the 
earliest for any man now engaged in the business. He fished 
with Captain Gray (33) ten years, when he became captain of a 
"gang." He now runs the menhaden steamer " Seaconnett," 
with his son, Walter P. Grinnell, who is captain of one "gang." 
Mrs. Grinnell is a Canadian by birth. Their only daughter is 
Masey. 

42. — Captain Eli. A. Hammond was born in 18.'54 in West 
jjort, Mass. His father was William S. Hammond, with whom 
he began sword fishing and harpooning at IG years of age. He 
married Marietta C, daughter of William Gray (39). He be- 
came captain of a vessel at 18 years of age, and owned the 
schooner "North Star," when he was instantly killed in 1887 
by a fall from the mast to the deck of his vessel. 

43.— Captain Allen Hart', farmer, born in 1809, is descended 
from John', Constant', Stephen', Richard'. At 16 years of age 
he went whaling, and for about twenty-eight years he followed 
the sea, being captain on two of the whaling voyages. His 
wife, Innocent Albert, died in 1885, leaving four children : 
Louisa P., Harriet A., John A. and Henry C. Captain Hart 
has served in the town council several years and was four years 
in the general assembly. 

44. — Benjamin T. Hart", farmer and stone mason, born in 1829 
(Josei)h', Lewis*, Constant", Stephen', Richard'), married Al- 
media Williston. Their children, the 7th generation, are: Isaac 
A., Etta L., Lizzie B., Frederick C. and Charles E. Mr. Hart 
was five or six years engaged in the porgie and scupp fishery. 
Joseph" was on a whaler several years as mate, and was considered 
a good navigator. 

45. — Horatio N. Hart', born in 1839, is a son of Reuben Hart', 
who was a brother of Allen Hart (43). Horatio's wife is Sarah 
R., a daughter of William M. Mauley, and granddaughter of 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 965 

William Manley, who was a son of Captain John Manley, an 
Englishman, who settled in Little Compton early. Mr. Hart's 
farm contains the grave of, and was once owned by, Peleg Sim- 
mons (84). 

46. — Jotham S. Hart', farmer, born in 1820, is descended 
from AbeP, Constant', Stephen", Richard'. His wife is Eliza 
A. Brown. They have one son, William". Richard', with his 
brother, Nicholas, came to Massachusetts about 1720. Richard 
settled at Braintree, where it is probable that Stephen was 
born. 

47. — Albert H. Hambly' (William H', Benjamin', Benjamin', 
John' (51)) was born in 1846. His wife is Elizabeth D. Gray (H8). 
They have one child living, Albert R., a young man of seven- 
teen. 

48. — Charles A. Hambly, born in 1840, is the only son in a 
family of nine children. His father, Charles Hambly, who is 
now eighty-six years of age, is the youngest and only one living 
of the thirteen children of Benjamin Hambly" (51). Mrs. Charles 
A. Hambly was Josephine Coit. They have nine children. 
Mr. Hambly is engaged in farming on the original home of the 
Hambly family. He is also extensively engaged in the meat 
business. He was educated at Prince Academy, Middleborough, 
Mass., and was a teacher for some time. 

49. — Edward B. Hambly, son of John' (51), married Ann A., 
daughter of Charles Hambly (48). Their daughter, Amanda J., 
is Mrs. Frank E. Reed. In early life Mr. Hambly learned black- 
smithing and worked at it for a time. He is at present engaged 
in farming. 

50.— Edwin Hambly', born in 1807 (Benjamin', 1783-1867; 
Benjamin", John"), was postmaster here fur fifteen years, and 
kept the office in his residence, opposite the blacksmith shop. 
In 1830 he began blacksmithing in the shoj) he now occupies. 
His wife was Eliza C, daughter of Samuel Cory, of Tiverton 
Four Corners. Their children are: Amanda F. (now Mrs. Isaac 
L. Church), Samuel C, William P., Edwin F., Daniel W. (of 
Newtown), Ann E. and Abraham L., bookkeeper for the Jo- 
seph Church Company, of Tiverton and Portsmouth. 

51. —George W. Hambly' (John', 1782-1837; Benjamin", John',) 
married Adaline P., daughter of Silas Terry, of Fall River. 
Mr. Hambly has been assessor, and was in the town council two 
or three vears. 



966 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

52. — James OtisHambh'Msa son of Joseph S.* and a grandson 
of Benjamin' (.50;. For the last ten years Mr. Hambly lias car- 
ried on an extensive butchering business in connection with his 
farming. He was assessor one year. Mrs. Hambly is a daugh- 
ter of Samuel Negus. They have nine children. 

53. — Edward W. Hicks', born in 18.38, is a son of John Rus- 
sell Hicks' (54). His wife' is Abbie R. Barker, and they have one 
daughter, Elizabeth Wing Hicks. Mr. Hicks has worked at 
house carpentering fourteen j^ears, and since about 1882 has 
carried on a milk farm in the north part of Tiverton. 

54.— Hon. John R. Hicks' (John RusselP, 1806-1883; John^ 
Samuel') is one of a family of six boys. Samuel lived west of 
the stone house now owned by Charles R." Jolin° married Lydia 
AVing. He was a merchant at Newport. John R." married Em- 
ma, daughter of Captain Samuel Gardner (32). The family have 
been Friends for several generations. The graves are in the 
Friends' meeting house yard here. John R.' has been assessor 
of taxes two years and represented Tiverton in the state legis- 
lature in 1885-1887. 

55. — Fannie M. Farnsworth, daughter of Wanton Howland' 
(Benjamin', Wanton', Benjamin', DanieP, Zoetlr, Henry') is the 
widow of "William A. Farnsworth, a Vermont man, who died 
here in 1876, after a residence of twenty years. His business 
was whaling and fishing. Their children were: Sarah C, Diana 
H., Abbie B. and Louisa A. Benjamin Howland" was general 
of militia in 1812. He was U. S. senator in 1804-1807. His 
house was political headquarters for many years. 

56.— William C. Howland', born in 1815 (Edward C.^ John', 
Isaac'), is a stone mason. He was a builder at New Bedford 
fifty years. His house, built about 1765, was used as a dejiot 
for military supplies during the revolution. 

57. — Joseph H. Humphrey, born in 1837, is a son of George 
W., the youngest son of William Humphrey, who came from 
Swansea and after the revolution bought the north end of Nan- 
aquacket. The old house which was the original home of the 
family is now standing and irsed as a barn. Joseph married 
Elizabeth Holt, from Massachusetts. They have two children, 
David D. and Etta. 

58. — Peleg D. Humphrey, a younger brother of Joseph D., 
owns "Humphrey farm" on Nanaquacket. For the four years 
prior to 1887 he was an influential member of the common council, 



HISTOUY OF NKWPORT COUNTY. 967 

of whicli bod.y lie was president three years, taking his seat as 
a democrat. His wife is Ida Winsor, formerly a teacher here. 
Mrs. Humphrey (deceased) was a daughter of Captain Clark 
Estes, an ex-senator from Tiverton. 

59.— George R. Lawton" (Moses T.°, 1817; Captain George', 
George', Robert", George',) was born in Tiverton in 1858. The 
family, down to the fourth generation, resided in Portsmouth, 
where the family name is preserved in the name of the principal 
valley of that town. For six years Mr. Lawton has been book- 
keeper at the Durfee mill in Fall River. He is president of tlie 
town council and the conrt of probate of Tiverton. 

60. — Perry G. Lawton' (Obadiah', Job', George") was born in 
1826, in Westport, where he read law and acted as jiastice of 
the jieace and deputy sheriff. After a residence of twenty years 
in the West, he came to Tiverton eight years ago, where he lias 
been three years trial justice. In July, 1886, he was appointed 
bj' Judge Baker as the justice to sign warrants in criminal 
cases here. He has been justice of the peace in Tiverton since 
1881. 

61. — Benjamin F. Macomber' (Charles', Ephrainr, Ephraim'), 
is a merchant in the east of Tiverton. His mother, Desire, is 
a daughter of Lewis Grinnell. Mr. Macomber served one year 
in the board of assessors of Tiverton. His store building was 
erected for a jewelry and repair shop, but from time to time 
various articles of merchandise were added. 

62. — B. Frank Macomber, born in 1830, is of Scotch descent, 
being a son of Benjamin F. and grandson of Job Macomber 
(Mac Cumber). His father had about a fourth of an acre im- 
proved where Mr. Macomber has since developed a clean, neat 
farm of a half dozen fertile fields. He followed the sea as a 
whaler twenty years, and was in the merchant service during 
the civil war. His wife is Sarah A., daughter of Philip 
Gray (38). 

63^.— Hon. Andrew H. Manchester' (John\ 1790—1873; Jolul^ 
John') was senator three or four years and repre.sentative seven 
years. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Asa Gray, who was 
town clerk for many years. They have one daughter, Phffibe C, 
now Mrs. Samuel Cory. Her only child is Andrew M. Cory. 

64.— Charles Manchester, born in 1813, son of John Manche.s- 
ter, married Sarah L. Dnrfee' (Charles', 1793—1849; Thomas', 
1759—1829; John"', died 1812; Job", died 1774). Mr. Manchester 



968 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

was a whaler eighteen years of his life, and is now farming. 
His children are Charles D. and Fannie D. 

65. — Charles Manchester, a farmer on the Lake road, is a son 
of Benjamin and grandson of Gardner Manchester. His wife is 
Hannah, daughter of Abel Grinnell and granddaughter of 
Stephen, who was lost at sea on a voyage to the West Indies. 
Their children are: Charles E., Mary G. (Mrs. David Gray), 
Benjamin F., Abel G., Andrew L. and Ruth D. Mr. Manches- 
ter was on two whaling voyages, one trip to Europe in the mer- 
chant marine, and one voyage to New Orleans. He was born 
in 1823. 

66. — Gideon C. Manchester, farmer, is a son of Oliver Man- 
chester, grandson of Pliilii) and great-grandson of Isaac, who 
was a son of William Manchester, one of the proprietors of the 
Puncatest purchase. His wife is Betsej^, daughter of Albert 
Manchester. Their children are Ida M. and Evelyn J. 

67.— John E. Manchester, born in 1840, son of John S. (1795— 
1880) and grandson of John, married Rachel G., daughter of 
William Manley (45). They have two children, Mary J. and 
John E., Jr. Mr. Manchester is a farmer and has been tax as- 
sessor. His wife is one of sixteen children, and his father was 
one of thirteen children. 

68.— Philip Manchester, born 1798, died 1844, was the oldest 
son of Matthew, and grandson of Christopher Manchester, a 
major in the revolutionary army. His wife, Eliza, who died in 
1885, was a daughter of Job Manchester. Their family con- 
sisted of three daughters: Elizabeth S. (Mrs. Rev. McKenzie), 
Deborah P. (Mrs. Henry Manchester) and Sarah S. 

69. — Edwin Meeson, born in 1815 at Little Compton, is a son 
of Edward Meeson, who came from England when a boy, and 
married Phoeba, daughter of John Simmons, of Little Compton. 
Mr. Meeson is a calico printer by trade. He has lived and op- 
erated at Fall River. His wife is Maria Gray, of this town. 
They have raised ten children, two of whom, Alfred and Frank- 
lin, were in the navy during the civil war and lost their lives. 
Mr. Meeson's residence is the old Brown homestead, where 
Adoniram' (13) lived. 

70. — Gideon Mosher, born in 1813, is a grandson of Amos 
Mosher and his wife, Mary Davol. His wife is a daughter of 
Walter Cornell, who was a son of Thurston and grandson of 
Anthony Cornell. Mr. Mosher followed the sea from fourteen 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 969 

years of age until ten years ago. His son, Andrew J., now 
whaling, was in the navy during the civil war. Plis daughter, 
Julia, is Mrs. H. A. Gambleton, of New York. His other child- 
ren are: Abbott, Warren, Asa and M. Etta, now Mrs. Captain 
Frank Maconiber. 

71. — William H. Negus, stonemason, is a son of Samuel Ne- 
gus and a grandson of Samuel Negus. He has been engaged for 
fifteen seasons in the trap and purse fisheries. He was with 
Captains Albert Gray and Philip S. Grinnell. He was one year 
captain of a gang of five or six boats before steamers were gen- 
erally used in the business. 

72. — Captain George F. Nickerson was born in Tiverton in 
1843. His father, Sylvanus, lived here the later years of his 
life. Cajitain Nickerson at eighteen years of age began fishing, 
and has run a steamer for the last fourteen years. Since 1879 
he has been a member of the firm of William J. Brightman & 
Co. His wife, Mary M., is a granddaughter of Knight Springer> 
who was seven years in the continental army daring the revo- 
lutionary war. He has four sons. 

73. — George M. Orswell, son of Salisbury Orswell, has been 
engaged, for twenty years prior to 1887, in the scupp and men- 
haden fisheries. His wife was Diana Macomber. Their daugh- 
ter is Eunice Orswell. East of their place, on the southwest 
shore of Sawdy pond, is the old Sawdy house, the oldest build- 
ing in this part of the town. 

74._Daniel Page, born in 1749 and died in 1829, was the last 
male Indian of the Pocassets. In Barton's expedition to cap- 
ture General Prescott, he was the man who returned for the 
general's sword. He lived and died near the home of his fathers, 
and, save a few aged squaws, he was the last of the Pocassets. 

75.— Philip (Metacom or Metacomet) was the second son of 
Massasoit. He became ruler of the Wampanoags at the death 
of his brother, Alexander, and followed the destinies of that ill- 
I'ated X)eople until he was muidered in August, 1676. Tlie best 
written biography in the English language is Washington Irv- 
ing's essay on his life and character, under the title of " Philip 
of Pokoanokat." Benson J. Lo.ssing classes Philip with the 
"Eminent Americans.'''' 

76.— Alexander S. Pierce' (Peleg\ John'. Natlianiel', George', 
George') was born in Little Compton in 1826. His wife is Ann 
^^^, sister of George \V. Hambly (ol). They have three chil- 



970 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTy. 

dren: Sarah P., Edward R. and Emily R. Mr. Piei'ce has been 
conspicuously interested in the proposed Seconnet railroad for 
the last three j-ears, and is one of the directors. 

77. — Rev. Jared Reid was the pastor of the Congregational 
church at Tiverton Four Corners at the time of his last sickness. 
He died in 1854. He was assistant pastor from 1841 to 1851. 
His widow, Mrs. Nancy S. Reid, is a daughter of Cornelius 
(deceased) and granddaughter of Philip Seabury. 

78. — George Reynolds, born in 1838, became a resident of 
Tiverton in 1879. He has a fish business at Fall River, and a 
stock farm on Stafford I'oad, where he has bred several fine 
horses— "AddieB.," "CallieA.," "Golden Horn," and others. 
His wife was Caroline A. Davol. Their sons are Charles S. and 
George L. Mrs. Charles S. Reynolds is Addie Ti'ipp. Mr. Rey- 
nolds was lieutenant in Company J), 3d Massachusett Volun- 
teers in the civil war. 

79. — Captain William R. Rose, son of Charles and Abbie 
Rose, was born in 1848. His mother is a daughter of Richard 
Smith. He began with the Church brothers at fifteen years of 
age, and at twenty four was a captain with Albert Gray in the 
trap and i:)urse fisheries. His wife, Mina, is a daughter of 
Samuel Manchester. Their sons are William R., Jr., and Frank 
M. Captain Rose is the inventor of one of the most valuable 
modern features of thescupp trap. 

80. — Henry Schlegel, born in 1834, and his brother Andrew, 
born in 1844, came to Tiverton in 1860 fi-om Hesse Cassel, Ger- 
many. When they had been here about six years they bought 
the place where they now live, of William Gilford. These 
brothers are heads of families. Henry's children are Katie> 
Maggie and Philip. Andrew's are Lizzie, Jacob, John, Emma, 
Etta, Alice, Louisa and Mary C. Henry resigned his position 
as private in the German army to come to America. 

81. — Charles F. Seabury, son of Samuel and grandson of Wil- 
liam, was born in 1815. He married Lydia F., daughter of 
Charles and granddaughter of Judge Thomas Durfee. Thej' 
have three children: Samuel 2d, Mary J. and Charles Lincoln. 

82. — James A. Shaw, farmer, born in 1862, is a son of David 
Shaw, who was born in England. He was fishing five seasons 
with Captain Nickerson. His wife is Ella Ray, of Fall Rivei", 
Mass. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 971 

83.— Richard W. Sherman', born in 1831 (Benjamin', Daniel', 
Richard"), married Abbie E., sister of Charles A. llanil)]y (48). 
He was thirteen years fishing with Albert Gray. He has held 
the office of snrveyor and other local offices. His children are: 
Benjamin F. and Lena B. 

84. — Amasa Simmons', farmer, (Thomas', Peleg', Moses') is 
one of a family of eigliteen. His father was thrice married, and 
became the ancestor of a long-lived as well as numerous gene- 
ration. Amasa went to service at fourteen years of age, and 
followed the sea for about twenty years, beginning at the age 
of sixteen. His wife is a daughter of Stephen King. Their 
daughters, Caroline M. and Ann M., are now Mrs. Simeon R. 
Hart and Mrs. Andrew J. Williston. The grandchildren are: 
Charles E. Williston and Amasa A. Williston (45). 

85. — David W. Simmons, farmer, is a son of William L. Sim- 
mons, and a grandson of Ichabod, the revolutionary soldier. Mrs. 
Stephen C. Hart, who is still living, remembers well the tales of 
Bunker Hill, as related to her by Ichabod, who was her mother's 
father. She thinks he was a private, although the family tra- 
dition places him as an officer. His uncle, Peleg Simmons', was 
an officer. David W. Simmons' mother is Bathsheba, a daughter 
of Joel, and granddaughter of John Albert. Mr. S. married 
Gideon Grinnell's daughter, Grace. They have three sons and 
five daughters. He once owned half of the Borden mill in 
Tiverton, and was largely interested in the porgie and oil busi- 
' ness for several years. 

86.— Otis L. Simmons", born in 1831 (Benjamin', Thomas*, 
Thomas' (84), married Eliza A., daughter of Joseph Barker. She 
died in 1875. Her children living are: Eliza J. (Mrs. Wood), 
Otis B., Joseph Albert and Giles H. Mr. Simmons was thirteen 
years whaling and six years in California. He owned the Bor- 
den mill at one time, and is now engaged in farming. 

87. — William B. Simmons", a farmer, was born in 1831, and is 
descended from Ichabod'', Icdiabod', Thomas' (84). Ichabod* en- 
listed at sixteen in the continental army, and served seven years 
in the revolution. William B.'s wife, deceased, was Cornelia 
Grinnell, who left tiiree ciiildren: Frank W., Jennie and Lizzie. 
Jennie is Mrs. Cyrenus Wilbur. Mr. Simmons' present wife is 
Nancy Grinnell. His l)usiness was with the fish and oil enter- 
prise for aliout fifteen years, and for six years he was whaling. 
88.— James Slocum, son of Benjamin, and grand.son of 



972 iriSTOiiY OF Newport county. 

Thomas, was born in 1851. Fie was nine seasons with Capt. 
George F. Nickerson in the purse fishing, and eight seasons in 
the same business wirli others. He married Estell, a daughter 
of Elijah Wilcox and his wife, who was a daughter of David 
Manchester, and a granddaugliter of John Manchester (67). 

80. — Thomas A. Slocum, son of Aaron, and grandson of 
Benjamin, married Enialine, daugliter of James VV. Monroe. 
Mr. Slocum is a surveyor of highways, was two seasons in the 
fishing business, and for about seventeen years in the butchei'ing 
business. 

90. — Peleg S. Stafford, son of Pelegand grandson of Stephen, 
married Abbie A. Borden, daughter of Richard' (8). They 
liave six cliildren: Sarah I., now Mrs. Daniel Springer; James; 
Adelaide I., now Mrs. Willis Palmer; Stephen E., George and 
Sybil P. Mr. Stafford has been a member of the legislature 
one year, and of the town council two years. 

91. — Isaac S. Tripp, merchant, born 1812, is a son of Stephen 
and grandson of Timothy Tripp. His trade was carpentry. 
He kept a store for twenty years prior to 1875, which was man- 
aged largely by his wife. Seventeen years of his life have been 
spent in the whaling business and mercliant service. He was 
wlialing captain on one voyage. He built his present store on 
the Crandall road in 1878. 

92.— Robert Tripp\ born in 1812 (AbiaP, Rufus\ Abial"), was 
married to Hannah C. Peclc of Seelionlv, Mass., in 1834. Their 
children are: Robert P., Thomas and Phoeba R., now Mrs. 
James P. Millard of East Providence. Mr. Tripp worked at 
his trade, carpentry, until he was about fifty years of age. He 
is now engaged in farming. His farm lies on the south town 
line near Cold Brook. 

93. — Wetamoo, the widow of Alexander (1), was a jirincess 
of the Pocassets. She had three hundred warriors at the battle 
of P"casset. She was the daugliter and successor of Corbitant, 
the sachem who was so implacably opposed to the friendly at- 
titude of Massasoit toward Governor Winslow. After the death 
of her husband, Alexander, she married Petananuet, the sachem 
who declined to aid King Philip in his war, and she therefore 
separated from him and aided Philip, whose wife was her sister. 
She was drowned in the river between Tiverton and Mount 
Hope, August 6th, 1676. 

94. — Lysander P. Westgate, farmer and stone mason, born in 
1833, is a son of James Westgate, wlio lived in the old tavern 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 973 

building north of the Judge Osborn liomestead. Mrs. West- 
gate is Mary E , daughter of Stephen Crandall', 1806, 
(Stephen', Eber*, Eber', SamueP, Samuer 1662-1736). They 
have two daughters : Nancy C. (Mrs. Edward O. Iliggins), 
and Frances E. (Mrs. Frank H. Suell). Mr. Westgate was 
seven years commissioner of the town asylum and three years 
in the town council. 

9;"). — Andrew White' was born in 181.11 on the farm where he 
now resides. When twenty-one years old be went out whaling. 
From seventeen to twenty he was learning the cooper's trade. 
While at sea, a period of nine years, he was a cooper, a position 
equal to second mate. He is one of ten children, four of whom 
are living. He married Louisa Tripp, of Westport, Mass. Their 
children are : Charles H., Andrew P. (96), Edgar R. (deceased), 
and Louisa P. (now Mrs. David Hart). Isaac G. White, brother 
of Andrew, was born in 1821. 

96.— Andrew P. White^ born in 1845, (Andrew* (95), Gideon 
S.', Peregrine", Christopher") was but twenty years old when he 
began business in the firm of C. H. White & Brother, at Pitts- 
ville. He is one of the few who have succeeded as merchants 
in this town. His wife deceased and his wife living are both 
sisters of Captain Nickerson (72). Mr. White has one daughter, 
Cora. He has been postmaster at Tiverton Four Corners since 
April, 1878. 

97.— Henry Frank Wilbour, farmer, born 1862, is a son of 
Henry' (166). His wife was Saidee A. Robertson, whose home 
was with the family of the late Christopher Brovvnell. Their 
children are Benjamin F. and Viola E. 

98.— Fernando A. Wilcox was born in New Bedford, Mass., 
in 1840. His home was with Captain Arlington Wilcox. At 
the age of nineteen Fernando A. began fishing with Captain 
Charles Cook. Afterward he became a.ssociated with Captain 
Cook and William Cory in the fish and oil factory at Pierce's 
wharf, owning a share in the firm. He has for the past ten 
years been engaged independently in fishing. He married Helen 
Fairlield. They have two children, Henry and Florence. 

99.— Captain Gideon Wilcox is a son of John Wilcox and his 
wife, Anna, a daughter of Thomas Wilcox. Captain Wilcox 
went to sea in 1829, whaling, and followed the sea until July, 
1848. In 1849 he went to California as captain by appoinlment 
for completion of a whale voyage on the ship " John Adams " 
of New Bedford. 



CHAPTER XX. 



TOWN OF LITTLE COMPTON. 



By H. W. Blake. 

First Land Titles. — The Proprietors of Seconnet. — Distribution of the Great 
Lots. — The Commons. — The Aborigines. — The Body Politic. — Public Char- 
ity. — Land and Water Routes. — The Revolution. — The Federal Constitu- 
tion. — The Local Government. — Churches. — Cemeteries. — Adamsville. — Pot- 
ter's Corners. — Secular Education. — Public Library. — Business Interests. 



THE history of Little Conipton in its relation to Newport 
county covers now one hundred and forty years, marked 
by but few events to distinguish it from the common history of 
all the rural communities of Rhode Island, but rich in those 
domestic incidents the records of which are so highly prized. 
The general historical interest in Little Compton as the scene of 
stirring events, fraught with far reaching consequences, centers 
in the four score years which preceded its incorporation as a 
town of Newport county. In the history of Tiverton the pecu- 
liar relations which, during that period, were sustained alike 
by Tiverton and Little Ci)mptou to the pai-ent colonies were 
noticed, and those troublesome controversies regarding the 
eastern boundary of these two towns having been fully dis- 
cussed, we will in this chapter consider more particularly the 
history of Little Compton in its individual interests as a town 
and in its more peaceful relations to Plymouth and to Massa- 
chusetts. Some facts to be recorded here will serve as relevant 
commentaries ujjou the meager recoi'ds given in the Tiverton 
chapter of the two great communities to the northward at Pun- 
catest and Pocasset. The charter of January 13th, 1639, giving 
William Bradford and his associates proprietary rights and 
magisterial authority over part of the great territory, then 
called the property of the council of Plymouth, included in its 
terms the land now comprised in the town of Little Compton'. 
The authorities agree generally in fixing the year 1674 as the 



IIISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 975 

date of the first white settlement in the town, or more properly 
in the wilderness which afterward became the town of Little 
Conipton. This is no doubt the date when Benjamin Church 
built a house here, but the thirteen years preceding that are of 
more than passing interest, and the scanty records of those 
years still furnish data of great value as illuminating many 
points in the contemporaneous history of the town with which 
we have regarded Little Conipton as historically associated. 

Francis Baylies, in "Memoirs of the Plymouth Colony," says: 
"A Duxbury company had purchased a part of the Seaconet 
lands and had commenced a settlement [1656] but the settlers 
did not exceed five or six and they were seated on insulated 
tracts. The Seaconet tribe still occupied the long neck known 
by the name of Seaconet Point." Three years later, according 
to Arnold, the sachems sold in 1659 a large tract, including Se- 
connet, to William Pabodie, Josiah Winslow and others. He 
says a son of Pabodie settled on a part of this purchase, and 
afterward sold anothei' part to Benjamin Church, who, in 1674, 
became the first white settler of Little Compton, having moved 
there by the advice of Samuel Gorton. If, as Baylies says, 
settlements were made in 1656, we are satisfied they were not 
within the present bounds of Little Compton. The quotation 
cited treats the present town, or most of it, at least, as "the 
long neck," suggesting the probability that the Seconnet lands 
were thought to embrace more than what is now in the town. 
To raise tradition to the dignity of history, by research and 
verification, is a pleasant task, but no comparisons support the 
tradition that there were settlers here in 1656. 

In 1661, while the Council of Plymouth, as the successor of 
the Plymouth Company, had yet jurisdiction over the territory, 
the authority was vested in the great court of Plymouth. It 
would appear, by implication, at least, from the Plymouth rec- 
ords, that there were two classes embraced in the population, 
and that to the one lands were granted by the other, in recogni- 
tion of services rendered. A record, the earliest known to re- 
late especially to Little Compton, bears date June 4th, 1661, 
and shows that "Libertie is granted unto some who were for- 
merly servants vvhoe have land due unto them by covenant to 
Nominate some persons to the Court, or to some of the Magis- 
trates, to bee deputed in their behalf, to purchase parcell of 
land for their accommodation att Saconett." Nearly a year 



976 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

elapsed before the "Libertie" thus granted was exercised, and 
it seems to have been thought proper by the court to give some 
persons an interest in the grant who were not of tlie class called 
servants; for on the third of June, 1662, "Captain Willitt is ap- 
pointed by the Court to purchase the lands of the Indians 
which is granted unto such that were servants, and others that 
were ancient freemen, which the * * * thinks meet to add 
to them to have interest in the said graunt ye tenure whereof 
is extant ^- * * of the Court." 

Many appai'ent contradictions and manifest discrepancies ex- 
ist in the scanty records of the iirst laud titles acquired from 
the Indians, by purchase, in nearly every portion of southeast- 
ern New England, but in no instance more conspicuously than 
in the title records to the lands at Seconnet. These incongrui- 
ties arise, no doubt, very largely from a practice quite foreign 
to our modern ideas of title deeds. A tract of land bought at 
one time by the white man would become the subject of a sub- 
sequent deed from Indians who were strangers to the records 
in the first instance. Thus a sort of cumulative title was ac- 
quired by the settlers, and it is a puzzle now, and would doubt- 
less have perplexed even the purchasers themselves, to liave 
said when or by whom their lands were actually sold to them. 
The two entries last quoted indicate the action of the court of 
Plymouth, but by far the most pertinent evidence of the trans- 
actions of the early days here is found in tlie records kept by 
the people themselves, who finally, by one way or another, 
came to be recognized by red men and white men alike, in law 
and in equity, as the I'ightf ul owners of the soil. These people 
took the designation in the courts and in history as the "Pro- 
prietors of Seconnet." Their transactions were at first simply 
the acts of owners in common of a great landed property, unim- 
proved and even unexplored. 

In 1673 they recorded this: " Forasmuch as the Honored Court 
of New Plymouth have formerly granted a certain tract of land 
at or about a place called Seconet unto the Old Servants as may 
appear upon record. And at a Court held at Plymouth afore- 
said (viz) the second Session of the General Court held June 
1673 did further order that the records of said land shall be as 
followeth. Whereas there is a tract of land granted to the Old 
Servants, or such of them as are not supplied, lying at Seconet, 
the Court doth determine the Bounds thereof to be from the 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 977 

Bounds of the grant made to Plymoutli in Punkateest and the 
Bounds of Dartmouth, and so all lands Southwardly, lying be- 
tween that and the sea." 

This, as the subsequent events indicate, would approximately 
bound the tract on the east by that portion of Dartmouth wliich 
now comprises the town of Westport, Mass., and on the north 
by the Puncatest tract, now forming the southern tract of Tiv- 
erton. Thus it is that the town of Little Compton, as now 
bounded, corresponds more nearly to the territory of an original 
division than any other town in Rhode Island, with the single 
exception of New Shoreham. The court of Plymouth also, at 
the same time, to provide for having the lands allotted and the 
original rights determined, entered an order that "all persons 
that have rights to the grant of lands unto them as Old Ser- 
vants at Seconet, shall make their appearance at Plymouth the 
22d of the present July then and there to make out their rights 
and also to pay such Disbursements as shall necessaiily be re- 
quired, or else lose their rights." Comformably to the purport 
of this order, twenty-nine men appeared at Plymouth on the 
22d of July, 167.S, and proved their respective shares in the 
grant of land at Seconnet. Of these, Josiah Winslow, Esq., 
Mr. Constant Southworth, Daniel Wilco.x, Nicholas Wade, 
Thomas Williams, William Sherman, William Merrick, Simon 
Rouse, Peter Collomer, Josiah Cook, Thomas Pope, Ephraira 
Tinkham, Thomas Pinson and William Shirtlif proved tiiem- 
selves entitled to rights in the lands. John Washborne, Sr., 
claimed a share as a freenum. Hugh Cole, John Rouse, Jr., 
John Rogers, Jr., Martha Dean, Winia™_PaJbodie^ Edward 
Fobes, John Irish, Jr., Daniel Hay ward, John Richmond, Wal- 
ter Woodworth and Nathaniel Thomas claimed respectively the 
rights of James Cole, Sr., Samuel Chandler, Williams Tubbs, 
Joseph Beedle, Abraham Samson, John Fobes, John Irish, Sr., 
John Hayward, Sr., John I'rice, ThQ^mas_Simrnons and Nicliolas 
Preslong. Benjamin Church claimed in the right of Richaid 
Bishop and Richard Bear; Joseph Church claimed in the right 
of John Smalley and George Vickory; John Cushen had an in- 
terest in the right of Ni(!holas Wade. 

These were the original proprietors of Seconnet, upon whose 
title, then obtained and subsequently confirmed, depends to-day 
the title lights of the present owners of the broad farms, the 
fertile fields and elegant homes of Little Compton. The first 



978 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

act of the proj^rietors in their collective capacity as such, was 
to agree upon William Pabodie, one of their number, as their 
clerk. At the same time thej" made five I'ules or laws unto them- 
selves, and with this brief constitution of five sections, they set 
up a government in a dominion which, by English ideas, they 
could call their own. Their brief record of this important 
pentalogue is: 

I.— Expenses paid according to each proportion. 
II. — Lands purchased to be for benefit of all proprietors. 

III. — One share foi' Ministry. 
. IV. — No person shall have more than two shares. 

V. — Not to sell without consent of Majority of proprietors. 

Probably at this time no white man had a home within its 
bounds. The Church brothers, Benjamin and Joseph, were na- 
tives of Plymouth, and still resided there where their father, 
Richard, had died five years before. Duxbury, Marshfield, and 
the neighboring region, were the homes of the others. Thus 
the first white owners of this now ancient town are found to 
have been the descendants of the Pilgrims and the representa- 
tives of the Puritan ideas of government and religion. It may 
be of interest to recall, in connection with this circumstance, 
the fact that at this first meeting they agreed upon three of 
their number. Constant Sonthworth, William Pabodie and Na- 
thaniel Thomas, to purchase of the Indians. It had then been 
forty years since Roger Williams, in the same Plymouth, that 
scene of much that is best and much that is worst in American 
colonial history, had been compelled for the sake of public peace 
to burn a paper he had written, embodying the doctrine that 
no English grant, not even from the king himself, was valid un- 
til the natives had been fully recompensed. A single genera- 
tion, in the average develoi)ment of sympathy for the weak in 
the hearts of the strong, will hardly show as great a change in 
the public mind as this action of the proprietors of Seconnet 
imislies. 

While many of the broad farms of New England are the spoil 
of unscrupulous conquests, or the proceeds of bargaining which, 
save for the mere matter of euphony, might as well be called 
robbery, the homes on this beautiful jieninsula belong to our 
race by virtue of a purchase, in which the aboriginal landlords 
received all that the lands were worth to them, and all they 
would be worth to-day but for the magic touch of toil which a 
working race has spent to make the present possible. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 970 

The rhree men named concluded tlieir negotiations witli the 
natives on the 31st of Jnly, 1673, and in consideration of sev- 
enty-five pounds sterling the Seconnet tribe deeded to them 
under that date the land "bounded on the west by the sea or 
sound; on the south side by a white oak tree marked on four 
sides, standing in a swamp called Tompe, and so by an Easterly 
and Westerly line from the said tree, extending one mile from 
the seaside into the woods, and from the end of that mile into 
the woods Northerly till it meet with a fresh meadow in the 
woods at the head of Packet brooke, for the easterly bounds 
and for the Northerly bounds the said brook called Packet, till 
it meets with the sea aforesaid." This deed was signed by 
Awashonks, as their sachem, with the totem of the tribe, and 
witnessed by Robert Gibbs and John Monroe. The doctrine of 
land inheritance appears to have been well established among 
the tribes in New England, and before the close of the j^ear the 
purchasers of Seconnet found that several other Indians claimed 
rights in the lands they had bought of Awashonks. There were 
those who claimed under Wetamoo, of Pocasset, the widow of 
Alexander, as heir to the equitable rights of Massasoit. 

Mamanuah, Osomehen, Suckqua and others met the whites 
on the first of November, 1673, in a parley, and for thirty-five 
pounds deeded a larger tract, including within its bounds the 
former purchase from Awashonks. On the same day Peter, one 
of Awashonk'ssons, signed the former deed given by his mother. 
It does not appear in what currency the purchase price was paid 
in these instances, but the descendants of these first purchas- 
ers, some of them still here, bearing other family names, may 
point with pride to the friendly relations existing between 
their ancestors and the natives of Seconnet. These lands were 
not only bought, as were others, but appear to have been paid, 
for. 

We have seen in a preceding chapter that a white settlement 
probably existed at Puncatest, to the northward, before the 
year 1674, which is set down as the date of the first (164) white 
man's habitation in Little Compton. The reader has already 
the impression that the proprietors who bought the lands here 
as recited above were not residents, thus fai-, of this region, bu: 
were yet in their Puritan homes to the northeastward. Their 
meetings, until 1087, were held at Duxbnry, and on the first of 
March, 1674, probably not five of their number had ever seen 
63 



980 HISTOKV OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

their goodly lands by the sea, these very lands which the Plym- 
outh people, thirtj^-six years before, had told the Aquidneck 
settlers they claimed and regarded as the very garden of their 
colony. On that first day of March, however, ai)parently in an- 
ticipation of the purpose of Captain Church to reduce their right 
to actual jwssession, the general court of Plymouth passed the 
following decree: 

"Ordered that ixpon the petition of the Proprietors of the 
lands att Seaconett and places adjacent, the Court hath 
granted unto the said Proprietors or the Major part of them as 
a Townshippe to make such actes and orders as shall be need- 
full or convenient for their wel being settleing and ordering of 
said place or plantation, and especially for the settleing of 
such a society there as may be instrumentall for the managing 
and carrying on of the Worship of God and matters of the 
Commonwealth." 

This document has been regarded as the act of incorporation 
of Little Compton, or at least its date assumed as the date of 
the erection of the town. The wording might mislead, but 
subsequent orders of the court quoted below preclude such an 
assumption. The order is of interest, however, as showing how 
matters and means of religious worship in the territory were 
legislated upon before a tree was felled or a kernel was jilanted, 
save possibly in the little tract of Pu neatest. 

Thirty-two great lots had been surveyed and plotted in the 
Seconuet tract, and at Duxbury, on the 10th of April, 1674, 
they were drawn for by the proprietors individual!}', the re- 
mainder of their lands renuiining as some of them still are, the 
common property of all concerned. The names of the twenty- 
nine jiroprietors who, at Plymouth, on the 22d of July, 1673, 
proved their respective rights formerly granted to certain per- 
sons have been given above. Of that number, let it be noticed 
that the two Ciiurch brothers each owned, by purchase, the 
rights of two others, thus the twenty nine persons represented 
thirty-one shares. They had agreed that one share should be 
for the minister, so we find that the lands they bought of Awa- 
shonks were allotted in the autumn of 1673 into thirty-two 
shares, and on the lOtli of April, 1674, at Duxbury, the same 
twenty-nine persons determined, by chance, the lot each should 
have. The thirty-two shares comprised the whole of the Awa- 
shonks purchase. It was what is now the northwest quarter 



HISTORY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 981 

of the town, bounded north by Tiverton, west by tlie Seconnet 
river, south by Taylor's lane, and east by a straight line which 
was one mile from the river at its nearest point and more than 
a mile where the shore curves. A private copy of the proprie- 
tors' map, which Otis Wilbour made (the town has allowed the 
original to become almost useless), shows the location of each 
proprietor's lot. These lots were each a mile or more in length, 
and nearly equal in width, separated by paiallel lines running 
from the river, east. The lot adjacent to Tiverton was numbered 
I, and the others in numerical order to the southward, the 
thirty-second one being at the southern limit of tlie purchase. 
The lots as drawn and the owners' names were : 

I. Thomas Williams. XVII. Ephraim Tinkham. 

II. Walter Woodworth. XVIII. John Rouse 

III. Peter Colomore. XIX. Benjamin Church. 

IV. William Shirtlif. XX. John Rogers. 

V. John Aliny. XXI. Nathaniel Thomas. 

VI. Martha Dean. XXII. Thomas Pope. 

VII. Nicholas Wade. XXIII. Thomas Pinson. 

VIII. William Pabodie. XXIV. Joseph Church. 
IX. Constant Southworth. XXV. Daniel Hayward. 

X. Minister. XXVI. John Richmond. 

XI. Edward Fobes. XXVII. Daniel Wilcox. 

XII. William Merrick. XXVIII. Josiah VVinslow. 

XIII. William Sherman. XXIX. Benjamin Church. 

XIV. John Washborne. XXX. Jo.seph Church. 
XV. Simon Rouse. XXXI. Hugh Cole. 

XVI. John Irish. XXXII. Josiah Cook. 

The estates as thus distributed were then, and are at present, 
known as "The Great Lots." At this meeting Captain John 
Almy, of the Island of Aquidneck, was admitted an equal pro- 
prietor. Within the year Benjamin Cliurch, and most probably 
John Almy and John Irish, had built houses in the town. Mr. 
Church did not build on the great lot that fell to him, but on 
one he bought of Mr. Pabodie. They reserved a roadway eight 
rods wide to run due south across all tliese Great lots. 

Tlie growth of the settlement was retarded during the year 
by the prospect of more serious trouble with the Wampanoags, 
and all attempts to develop the purchase were brouglit to a 
temporary close by the opening scenes of tiie King Philip war. 
Benjamin Church, a man of great political sagacity, had secured 



982 IIISTOltY OV NEWPORT COUNTY. 

the pledge of friendship from the shrewd squaw sachem, Awa 
shonks, but as the war clouds thickened and every white man's 
life was in the issue, we find the proprietors, under his advice, 
on the 29th of May, 1675, setting off a tract of land three-ft)urths 
of a mile square for her use. This reservation was included in 
a third purchase previously made of the Indians, and was in 
the very heart of their property, covering the farms now owned 
by Isaac C. Wilbour, George A. Gray and others in that vicin- 
ity. Taylor's lane was the northern boundary and the river 
the western. 

Nearly two years now elapsed, covering few, if any, local 
events of notable interest. The attention of all the English set- 
tlements had been absorbed in the doubtful issues of the King 
Philip war. Philip, the king of the Wampanoags, was dead; 
the tribe which had owned him as their chief was practicallj^ 
eliminated as a factor in the white man's problem of settling 
New England; Plymouth and her dependencies recovered from 
the shock; the great heart of New England beat regularly again; 
circulation was restored, and the extremities were warm once 
more with the life-currents of enterprise. > 

The spring of 1677 witnessed a new impulse toward the farther 
occupancy of the Seconnet purchase. Some lands there, or 
some rights in the lands, had not been secured by the three 
deeds mentioned, and on the 6th of March, Mamanuitt, a 
sachem at or about Seconnet, appeared before the court at 
Plymouth and sati.sfied them that he and fifteen men had, dur- 
ing the King Philip war, been faithful to the English, and de- 
sired that they be allowed to return to Seconnet to possess the 
land not formerly disposed of. Whether this request was fully 
granted does not appear, but it is recorded that on the 13th of 
the same month the Seconnet company made a purchase of land 
from Mamanuah for thirty-five pounds. It was bounded south 
by the sea, commencing at "Oquomuck Rocks" and extending 
to the creek at thesouthwest corner of "Quopognit [Quicksand] 
Pond," and from the north end of the pond at "Musquetiquit" 
Brook, thence northerly through "Massawisawit [cold brook] 
swamp" to the Puncatest line. 

This was the fourth deed they had taken from the Seconnet 
natives, and appears to have i;>eaceably extinguished the last 
title claimed by the tribe or their race in these fair acres. We 
get a glimpse into the character of Benjamin Church in the fact 



iriSTORY OK NEWPOirr COUNTY. 983 

that the Indians themselves, knowing him as the conqueror of 
the implacable Philip, souglit permission from the English to 
become his neighbors and live by him in the pursnits of peace, 
a relation of amity which was maintained to the close of his 
life. 

When the allotment of the farms, or as they are still called, 
" the Great Lots," was made in 1673 it was presumed by the 
proprietors that this reduced to individual ownership the most 
valuable of the farming lands of the tract, and the UMaMs[iicious 
circumstances of the next three years, at the same time they 
checked the course of immigration, prevented as well the cor- 
rection of that impression. We have seen how, after the war, 
they gave their almost instant attention to the possession and 
development of their jiroperty. An important step in that di- 
rection was in the early spring of 1677, when their plans were 
formulated for having some day, in the midst of their farms or 
plantations, a central village on lands not comprised within the 
individual estates. Their meeting to consider this question was 
held, as all their meetings had been, at Daxbury, on the 21st of 
March, 1677. They recorded their agreement that a piece or 
parcel of land within the confines of their individual lands at 
Seconnet should be appropriated and allotted out for a compact 
town, if any such place could be there found. At this meeting 
Thomas Burgess, of Rhode Island, appeared and asked admis- 
sion as a jiroprietor in right of Hugh CoIh, whose land he had 
bargained to purchase. The spring of 1677 was well advanced 
toward summer before further action was taken looking toward 
the locating of tlie proposed compact town. Settlements were 
being made on the farms which four years before had been al- 
lotted, and the settlers were rapidly finding out the truth that 
in fertility of soil and salubrity of climate they owned the very 
flower of New England; that trnly their lines had fallen to them 
in pleasant places. Those not yet in actual possession of their 
farms came over from Du.xburyand Marsh Held and from Rhode 
Island, and a meeting was held on their allotted lands, on the 
loih of May, to see if a suitable place might remain for the vil- 
lage they had resolved to build. Tliey selected a site near the 
center of their property, and called it, as it then truly was "The 
Commons," a name still used and recognized as applying to the 
village here now, and to its vicinity generally. They agreed at 
this meeting to lay out seventy-four building lots, which was 



984 HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

subsequently done, with suitable streets- or common ways, 
not all of which streets were found needful to be used for 
that purpose. 

Of the seventy-four lots, two were for each of the thirty-two 
2:)roprie tor's shares, and ten were to be disposed of as they 
should at times see cause, or for the accommodation of such 
persons as might thereafter desire to become residents among 
them. They also voted that "whatever water should be found 
capable of a mill, should be for that use." In the boundaries 
of the tenth of the common lots, it is stated " within which is 
a little Pond and is at present owned for public or Town use." 
There is scarcely a doubt that the first building erected at the 
commons was a meeting house, for in scanning the divergent 
lines of local history and tradition, one must keep ever in view 
the fundamental fact that this community— the only one in this 
county — was composed thus far exclusively of Puritan families 
and descendants of the Pilgrims. With them, in their little 
local government, the state was the church and the church was 
the state; so the nieeting house was the place for meetings and, 
whether for worship or for public business, the same building 
sufficed. The proprietors continued to hold their meetings at 
Duxbury, where William Pabodie, their clerk, lived, until 1681, 
after which time the meetings were held here. Much specula- 
tion has been indulged in regarding the time of building their 
first meeting house, iH its relation to the ecclesiastical history 
of the town, but with the date established, if that were possi- 
ble, it would have no more reference to the religious than to the 
political history, for wherever the Puritan principle predomi- 
nated in planting a settlement, that settlement was planned to 
be a religious rather than a civil commonwealth. These settlers 
were from the Plymouth country; the samePlymouth where they 
once made confession of faith an essential prerequisite in every 
voter, and where eligibility to office depended, primarily, upon 
membersliip in the Puritan church. A vote was r'^corded in 
1693, May 17lh, authorizing the sale of two pieces of land, the 
proceeds to aid in the building of a meeting house. The work 
seems to have been diligently prosecuted, and it became of im- 
portance to the dwellers on the great west road, where the first 
farm improvements were made, to have a way leading fi'om their 
road to the Commons; a matter not satisfactorily provided for 
in the plotting of the tract. This is the record for March 21st, 



HISTORY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 985 

1694. The road is the one from the post office west to the resi- 
dence of Frederick R. Browne)] : 

'•Tile Proprietors liave agreed and voted that there be a high- 
way to go from the Great Highway of ten rods broad, up be- 
tween the lands of Josepli Ohiirch, Jr., and Edward Richmond, 
Jr., up to Daniel Butler, his land, repairing what damage is 
done thereby in land, by restoring so much land and as good, 
and also to allow in land tlu'ee shillings per rod for so many rods 
as the highway is in length, that we may have an open way or 
Common Highway to the Meeting House." 

During the summer of 1698 the meeting house was repaired 
at a cost of twenty pounds. In 1711 other repairs were needed, 
and in 1720 Robert Brownell was paid one shilling and sixpence 
" for underpining the town meeting house," a matter as nearly 
omitted as was possible at its building. In 1747 and 1749 fur- 
ther repairs were voted. One writer has ascribed great piety 
to Colonel Benjamin Church for furnishing, as was doubtless 
tlie case, the timber or trees for this interesting structure. The 
name meeting house in the present generation has an echo as 
if piety should prevail in its erection and in its use, but when, 
if ever, this old edifice was dedicated, it was to the week day 
service of men as well as to the Sabbath day service of God, and 
in its rugged walls many a scene has occurred which would illy 
comport with the modern idea of a meeting house, since now, 
happily for both, the church and state are forever separate and 
distinct. 

Probably in all its history the old meeting house never wit- 
nessed a more exciting scene than occurred in May, 1803. The 
federalists and republicans were nearly equal as to numbers. 
The meeting was for the choice of town officers and two repre- 
sentatives to the general assembly. Benjamin Tompkins held 
tlie office of town clerk, and Samuel T. Griniiell was the oppos- 
ing candidate. The moderator, Isaac AVilbour, declared Grin 
nell elected clerk, and ordered Tompkins to vacate the seat, 
which he refused to do. The town sergeant was then ordered 
to put him out. A scene of confusion ensued, and in tiie 
struggle Tompkins lost his coat, but managed to escape with 
I lie records. It is said that the freemen came out through I he 
windows like angry bees from a hive. The party who left the 
hall oiganized and proceeded to elect officers, while the party 
tliat remained also chose a set. Part of this public building 



986 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

was used for many years as an asylum £or the i)oor, for whose 
care and comfort the freemen of Little Comptonliave ever stood 
sponsors. Sometimes, and often, the apartments were leased 
by the town to individuals as a public inn. Andrew Taylor had 
a tavern here in 1797. The building was finally sold to Chris 
topher Brown, with the reserved right to have use of a part for 
the public business of the town. This right was exercised until 
the nth of April, 1882, on which day the last meeting within its 
walls was adjourned to the new and commodious town hall, now 
furnishing a public hall and elegant rooms, accommodating the 
public records, the public librarj', and the town's legislative 
and judicial officers. On this occasion a very scholarly address 
by Mr. Wilbour closed with these fitting utterances: 

" I congratulate you, fellow citizens, on the possession of so 
convenient and substantial a structure, in which we now meet 
for the first time, and especially for this light and beautiful 
room, all of which alike does credit to the committee who 
planned it, to the builders, and to the generous spirit of the 
town. We have left an unattractive and dimly lighted cham- 
ber of mediaeval style of architecture, but rich and full of the 
associations and memories of the past. We have come to a 
room not only bright with the light of the sun, but also with 
the dawn of the 20th century. Let us see to it that our legis- 
lation here be of that enlightened aiid progressive character 
which the change from the old to the new would seem to sym- 
bolize and typify." 

Of the first tavern or inn ke^Dt at the Commons the proprie- 
tors' records give definite data. The Puritan fathers of the 
hamlet made it a matter of public concern that a place be pro- 
vided to care for the traveler and the stranger, and they record 
jjermission given in 1681 to Simon Rouse " to keep a house of 
entertainment at Seaconnett for strangers and travellers and 
that hee be provided with provisions and Nesessaryes for that 
jDurpose, and likewise he is to keep good order in his House 
that no damage or just harme befall him by his negligence." A 
tavern here was of some importance a hundred and fifty 
years ago, when Little Compton was a way station on a line of 
travel between Newport and southern Massachusetts. 

Encroachments of private owners upon the adjoining public 
domain was one of the first civil vices into which these good 
people at the Commons fell. In 1708 two of their principal men — 



HISTORY OB' NEWPORT COUNTY. 987 

Captain Soiitlnvortli and Edward Richmond, the latter with 
"Esquire," that insignia of Puritan importance, attached to his 
name — were directed to "appoint upon the station the meeting- 
house now standeth upon." Tliese acts and events were the ru- 
diments of the present village of Little Compton. Much here 
said of the old public house is relevant to the following political 
and ecclesiastical sections of this chapter. The public business 
of the town has always been transacted at the Commons, and 
most of the commercial interest of the town has been centered 
here from the first. The General Church homestead, now the 
residence of Senator Church, contained one of the early stores. 
Philip F. Little was the last of the merchants in this building. 
George Cook Bailey is remembered as a merchant in the build- 
ing now a residence north of that of Oliver C. Brownell. The 
same Mr. Bailey ke2:)t a store where Preston B. Richmond's 
mercantile business was located in his lifetime and where his 
widow now carries on one of the two general stoi'es of the ham- 
let. Captain Seabury built and occupied as a store the build- 
ing, now vacant, north of Mrs. Richmond's. Peter White was a 
partner in the business at one time and Mr. Bixby at a later 
period, before he located where he now is, in the old town build- 
ing on the corner of the Commons. 

We are thus taken back again to the same old town meeting 
house, still standing, which has borne its part in the commercial, 
as well as the civil and religious, history of the town. Humphrey 
Brownell, Wilbor Brownell, Colonel Joseph Pearce and Stephen 
Simmons are in that long line of tradesmen here who hired, of 
the town, part of this historic structure prior to 1831. Li that 
year Christopher Brown rented the place, and purchased it in 
the year following, as mentioned above. In the reservation 
made by the town it was stipulated that the town might for- 
ever use the assembly room of the second story, but never drive 
a nail or make any improvement. This restriction for fifty 
years rendered the quarters almost untenantable, and these 
strained relations between the public and the individual were 
tei-minated by the payment of a sum of money, agreed upon, 
to the town. Li the meantime the building had passed into the 
possession of Henry Brown, who now owns it, and until 1877 he 
kept it as a general country store. He built the south wing in 
1855, and later arranged the old hall for domestic purposes. 
Mr. Brown, as a merchant, was succeeded by Smith & Manches- 
ter, Bliss & Cowan, and George T. Bixby. 



988 JIISTOUY OF NEWPORT OOUKTY. 

Prior to 1834 there was no post office nearer than Adamsville 
or Tiverton Four Corners, but in May of that year an office was 
established here called Commons. The first postmaster was Ed- 
ward Gray, his appointment bearing date May 13th, 1834 
Forty days later Philip F. Little was appointed, and served un- 
til August 3d, 1840, Avhen Jonathan Wilbour succeeded him. 
Henry T. Brown became ^jostmaster on the 24th of the April 
following, and in 1846, June 12th, was succeeded by Benjamin 
Seabury, who kept the office until after its name was ciuinged. 
Little Compton. the present name of the office, was adopted on 
the 8th of March, 1847, and on the 3d of July, 1849, Henry T. 
Brown was again appointed. Preston B. Richmond was post- 
master from March 26th, 1857, to May 31st, 1861, when Mr. 
Brown was, for the third time, appointed. The present incum- 
bent, his daughter, Lilla S., was appointed July 13th, 1886. 

We have considered somewhat the title rights of the first 
white settlers, and shall concern ourselves chiefly with the coarse 
of events under their occupancy, but a glance at the ^relations 
the Indians sustained for a few years toward the rudiments of 
our present civilization is of local interest in relation to the pe- 
ninsula, which was one of the last tracts to pass by deed from 
the Wampanoags. 

Just prior to the landing of the Pilgrims, a pestilence had 
swept over this region and wasted the strength of the natives, 
making them an easj^ prey to the Narragansetts. The Wampa- 
noags were formerly the ruling tribe east of Narragansett bay 
and south of Massachusetts. Massasoit, their sachem, was the 
first to recognize the imjiortance of making friends of the Pu- 
ritans, and by formal treaty he enlisted the English upon his 
side in throwing off the yoke of the Narragansetts. His treaty 
with the Pilgrims was faithfully kept until Ids death. His two 
sons, Wamsutta and Metacomet, survived him. The treaty 
made by the father was not so well kept by the sons. Tiie in- 
crease in strength of the English aud decay of their own nation 
made a deep impression on their minds. The elder son, Wam- 
sutta, survived the father but a brief time. He had been a short 
time associated with his father in the government, and at his 
death became chief sachem. 

When the sway of Massasoit as their sachem, and practically 
as the monarch of thirty New England tribes, closed with his 
death of 1662, this territory and the peninsula of Bristol were 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 989 

all the lands wliich they had not conipiomised. Their repre- 
sentatives had signed the deeds and the white men were in pos- 
session. The generations which sold the lands and enjoyed the 
proceeds had passed away, but the deeds remained, and the 
young warriors began to apprehend the significance of what their 
fathers had done, as they found the settlements of the white 
man multiplying. The ring of his axe had scared the wild game 
from their richest hunting grounds; his net had taken the fish 
from their streams, and upon the resources they had called their 
own a shrewder race had come to subsist. These considerations, 
more than all else, led to the Philip war, the adverse infiuence 
of which upon the development of Little Compton has been ob- 
served. 

The Indians were a people with as generous impulses, as lofty 
purposes, as chivalrous withal as paler men, when hampered 
by their environments, but by the irresistible logic of events, 
a power forever potent, forever controlling those who control 
and leading those who lead, it seems to have been decreed that 
another people, fewer, weaker, poorer, and not they, should 
have palaces where they had huts, should sow and reap where 
they had hunted, and should develop on their soil a higher 
civilization. 

The strength of the Wampanoags came less from their num- 
bers than from the intellectual power and military genius of 
Massasoit, and neither of his sons ever succeeded him in the 
influence which he wielded, by the force of his character, be- 
yond the limit of his material power. Their name for this pe- 
ninsula was Saughkonet — Tlie Black Goose comes — and the 
varying orthography only indicates how, to the eye, the settlers 
tried to show how the natives spoke the word. Sagkonate, 
Seaconnet, Seconnet and other forms are modern, the latter 
having obtained, apparently, the most nearly general use. The 
Indians found here, maintaining a rude system of domestic 
government, w-ere tributary to the great AVampanoag confed- 
eracy, which, in the lifetime of Massasoit, included all east of the 
Narragansett bay. Two of these tribes occupied portions of 
Tiverton, and while also tributary to the Wampanoags, nuiin- 
tained their sei)arate tribal governments. Of the Puncatest 
Indians, appearing to be the weakest of the clans, only the 
name is preserved. The Pocassets, so conspicuous in the Plulip 
war, were a tribe under the chieftainship of Corljitant, who was 



990 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

succeeded by Weramoo. One of the tribe was Daniel Page (74), 
the Indian who went from Tiverton in Colonel Barton's squad 
and aided at the capture of Prescott on Rhode Island. 

The clan possessing what is now Little Conipton were known 
to the whites by the name they gave to tlie haunt of the black 
goose. Their squaw sachem was Awashonks, said to have been 
a sister of Wetamoo. She appears in the character of a queen 
beloved by her people, and in her business and treaty relations 
with the settlers seems to have regarded her obligations as 
sacred. One of her subjects was Alderman, the Indian wlio 
shot King Philip. 

An important compact was made between Awashonks and 
Colonel Benjamin Church on tlie ]st of August, 1675, with ref- 
erence to the attitude she and her people should maintain in the 
Pliilip war and toward the proposed settling enterprises of 
the wliite men, then scarcely begun. This compact was of 
signal importance in its bearing upon the is.sues of those times, 
and was the result of great skill and foresight on the part of 
Colonel Church. He came from his home at Plymouth to 
Portsmoutli, on the island, and thence across the Seconnet, and 
was met by Awashonks and her warriors near the shore, on the 
farm now occupied by Mr. Chase (120). The exact spot is gen- 
erally referred to as an immense flat rock on his farm, a few 
rods from the water's edge. "Treaty Rock" is a term as defin- 
ite as any used in local reference, and the rock itself is probably 
the most certain and lasting landmark named in the old writ- 
ings. South of this, on the Macomber place, an adjoining 
farm, recently purchased by Ripley Ropes, president of the 
Brooklyn Trust Company, is another rock with some hiero- 
glyphics; of which two words are distinguishable, which seem to 
have been intended for the words sun and moon. Out of this 
small investment of fact has come a remarkably large income 
of fiction and speculation. An Indian named Solomon is known 
to have lived here among the hitest of his tribe, and if these 
strange words on the rock are simply his rude attempt to leave 
his name on granite, a great many pleasant fancies will be 
chased away by this fact. In this question of where the peace 
treaty was made, we have followed the authority of Colonel 
Church himself who, in his autobiography, is very exi^licit on 
this point. Of the event itself he modestly says very little. 

Awashonks' warriors aided Colonel Church in those critical 



HISTOKY OF NEWPOHT COUNTT. 991 

days and were compensated by awards of the public lands at 
Seconnet, as this, I'rom the records of the Plymouth Court, of 
March, 1677, indicates: 

" Libertie is granted unto eight of the soldiers wlioe have 
bine in the service May sit downeand plant att Seaconnett, Cap- 
tain Church accommodating them with land on condition that 
they shall be ready to march forthe under command of Captain 
Church when he shall see cause to require them for the further 
pursuing our Indian enemies, hee satisfying the Indians had the 
sole prophetts of sucii an adventure." 

This "libertie" was exercised by those who, with other In- 
dians, became residents of the town under the white man's re- 
gime, but they were not called out again to pursue the Indian 
enemy. Several points in the town have yet a local historical 
interest growing out of their residence here. Northeast of Pot- 
ter's corners, on the farm of George H. Gifford, is the grave of 
Aaron Succenash who, with his wife Mary, lived there since the 
place has been owned by the Gifford family. The site of his 
house and his grave are a few i-ods south of Mr. Gifford' s, and 
on the east side of the highway. The field, now a meadow, 
contained also the wigwam of Wainer, an Indian who married 
Mary White. Their son, Rodney, a man of remai-kable phys- 
ique, was a whaler, remembered by persons still living. 

North from Mr. Gilford's house, a few rods, in a field still 
known as " Meeting house meadow," stood the place of worship 
where religious meetings wei'e held by the Indians. During 
Rev. Billings' pastorate of the Congregational church he fre- 
quently instructed the little congregation of Indians in this 
building. It is to be regretted that so little is known of this in- 
teresting element in the early ecclesiastical history of the town. 
When the Congregational church was organized, there were 
over two hundred Indians residing here. Their village, a col- 
lection of unpretentious huts, was northwest of the present res- 
idence of Caleb Mosier. In January, 1703-4, Indian slaves 
were taken from liere to Newport and offered for sale. When 
Little Compton was annexed to Rhode Island eighty-six In- 
dians were included in the population, and the census of 1774 
shows that twenty-five Indians yet lived in the town, fifteen of 
whom were counted as belonging to the households of white 
people. In the next eight years their whole number was re- 
duced to thirteen and probably nine tenths of the present resi- 



992 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

dents of Little Compton never saw a resident Indian in the 
town. On Mr. Gifford's farm west of "Meeting house meadow, 
was the Iiabitation of the Indian priest. His name was Jehu. 
Here he and liis daugliter Alice lived and died^a brief record 
for one of the last of a race. His only monument, the tree 
whose roots have ))ierced his mold, bears no testimony to his 
cliaracter and no man may say whether 'twas to che God ot the 
Israelites or to the Kish-tan of the Wampanoags, that he at 
last commended his spirit. The tree points simply to the better 
land he hoped for, and in its rugged trunk and gnarled old 
limbs was given his body, whatever became of his soul, a resur- 
rection and another life. 

In September, 1803, Rev. William Emerson of Boston, father 
of Ralph Waldo Emerson, published a pamphlet entitled: 
" Notes on Compton, a township in Newport County, State of 
Rhode Island." This highly curious source of information 
preserves the name of John Simon, an Indian, as a preacher to 
bis people. Reverend Emerson was a brother-in-law of Rev. 
Mase Shepard and may have had special facilities for securing 
the data for his pamphlet. Some incidents which he there con- 
nects with the priest, John, are very like the traditions still 
preserved among the i:)eople here as relating to tlie priest Jehu, 
above mentioned; we have, however, found no mention of Jehu 
as a justice of the peace. Reverend Emerson says of John: 

"Their stated preacher was John Simon, one of their breth- 
ren — a man of strong mind, prevailingly temperate, but occa- 
sionally devious, whose object was the welfare of the Indians, 
and who thought it right to use cunning in obtaining it. So in- 
fluential was tliis Indian preacher, that he was made a jus- 
tice of the x>eace. Accordingly, when the Indians were at fault, 
John was associated with the English justice to do away wrongs. 
It hajipened on a time that some Indians were delinquent. Col. 
Almy and John were judges in tlie case. After examitiatiori was 
had, said the former to the latter, concerning one and another 
of those in default, ' how many stripes shall these Indians re- 
ceive ? I think they should receive eight or ten stripes.' ' No,' 
said John, 'four or five are enow. Poor Indians are ignorant, 
and it is not Christianlike to punish as hardly those who are 
ignorant as those who have knowledge.' So John's opinion 
prevailed. But John's squaw was among the delinquents. 
'Well,' said Justice Almy, 'what shall she receive?' 'Double,' 



HISTOKY OF NEWPORT OODNTY. 993 

replied John, ' because slie liad kno\vledfj;e to have done better.' 
Col. Almy, however, knowing that John loved his wife, and 
thinking to'do him a favor, had her punishment wliolly remit- 
ted. John was silent upon this subject whilst the ofTenders were 
present, but assigned another time and place where he met Col. 
Almy, and severely remonstrated against his unjust sentence in 
favor of the squaw, saying: 'To what purpose. Col. Almy, do 
we i)reach justice, if we do unrighteousness in judgment. Here 
you have given stripes to such as were less guilty than my wife, 
but to her you have given none.' The Colonel .so poignantly 
felt the reproof, as most cordially to wisli that the squaw had 
been flagellated." 

The relations which obtained between the Indians here and 
the tribes to the northward made their trail, which was ap- 
proximately along the line of the present Great West road, 
very important, and along this the lirst white settlements ap- 
pear to have been made. They had another line of communi- 
cation by way of the head of Westport harbor, passing east of 
Simmons' hill. Near this trail on Mr. Simmons' farm (156) was 
one of their burial places. From one of the giaves here was 
exhumed a skeleton, evidently of a man fully eight feet tall. The 
skull, which was of remarkable proportions and huge dimen- 
sions, is now in the Fowler & Wells collection in New York 
city. 

For five years after the allotment of the building lots at the 
Commons and that revival of interest in the proprietors' prop- 
erty at Seconnet which has been observed to have followed the 
settlement of the doubts and questions involved in the King 
Philip war, the community had practically an independent 
government — a pure democracy. The public acts, if public 
they may be called, were such as partners in business or tenants 
in common might do foi' the regulation of their property 
interests. 

Their records, the pro])rietors' records of the Seconnet pur- 
chase, the oldest writings extant concerning this period, have 
furnished, largely, the statistics and dates of this chapter thus 
far. The original of these records is in the possession of 
Frederick R. Brownell, Esq., of this town, to whose courtesy 
the writer is indebted for the abstracts used and quotations 
<;ited. 

In the winter of 1681 the people sought to secure different 



994 HISTORY OF nk\vi>()i;t county. 

relations to the general government and applied to the general 
court of Plymouth for some order in the premises. The result 
apiiears in a record of that court directed 

"To Joseph Church of Seaconnett. Whereas the Court are 
informed that your neighborhood is destitute of leading men 
either to call a meeting or otherwise to act in your publick 
concerns, this court empowers you to call your neighborhood 
together at Seaconnett in convenient time to make such neces- 
sary and wholsome orders as may be for your coiiinion good 
and peace, and to choose and present some fitt person or per- 
sons to infoini the court of tlie present state of tlie said neigh- 
borhood, respecting the premises, to the court of iiis majesty to 
be holden aft Plymouth aforesaid in June next." 

The meeting was called and men were chosen to serve as 
grand jurors and one was elected to act as constable. The fol- 
lowing document shows how and when the town was incor- 
porated. It is the official record of the court of Plymouth as 
transcribed by the Seconnet proprietors. 

"July Seventh 1682. Att the court of his Majesty held att 
Plymouth for the jurisdiction of New Plymouth theseaventh 
day of July 1682 before Thomas Hinckley Esq Gov. upon the 
X)etition of Mr. Joseph Church and the rest of the proprietors 
and inhabitants that are or shall be there admitted orderly ac- 
(;oriling to the laws of this Collonie, shall from this time be a 
Township and have the liberties of a Towne as other Townes 
of this Collonie, and shall be called by the name of Little 
Compton." 

No dated records are extant in the town of a town meeting 
held until one in the following January, which is noted on the 
lirst page of the town book thus: 

"At a meeting of the inhabitants of Seacon. . . this 26th 
day of January 1682 in obedience to the order of the court of 
Plymouth Sargt. Edward Richmond was chosen moderator." 

In this entry the scribe used the Indian name of the com- 
munity although the name " Little Compton " had been offici- 
ally proclaimed in June prior. From the lack of general 
attendance no business was transacted at this meeting. The 
next entry is this: 

" At an adjournment of a town nuieting of the inhabitants of 
Little Compton from tlie 26th day of .lanuary 1682 to the 29th 
day of the same month inst. and voted that Joseph Church was 
chosen modei'ator. 



HISTOUY OF NKWPOUT COUNTY. 99i"> 

Some remedy seemed to be demanded for this iiidilferenee on 
the part of the freemen toward tlie public eoncerns, and as one 
of the sources of misrule the people sought to eliminate it by 
penal legislation at the outset. They enacted that every legal 
voter in the town should be required to attend all legally warned 
meetings or pay a line of one shilling. This seemed to meet the 
case, and on the 19th of the following Jnne, " At a meeting of 
the inhabitants of Little Compton, Joseph Church was chosen 
town clerk for this present year." Within that year William 
Briggs was elected constable; John Irish and William Brownell, 
surveyors of highways; and Cai)tain Richmond, Joseph Church 
and William Southworth, selectmen. Thus providing for the 
control of their local affairs, they chose Simon Rouse as a grand 
juror, and sent Henry Head as deputy to represent them at the 
great and general court of Plymouth. 

One of the citizens, Joseph Church, was subsequently given 
the office and title of "One of his Majesties Justices of the 
Peace," and the little settlement embarked decently and in or- 
der upon that career of domestic ijrosjjerity and internal peace 
which, almost uninterruptedly, covers the whole period of its 
history. 

The division of the Plymoutii colony, in 1685, into three coun- 
ties, placed Little Compton with Bristol county, and with name 
and area unchanged, it became, in 1691, a part of the common- 
wealth of Massachusetts, and thus entitled to a voice in its 
government. The officers chosen for this purpose were styled, 
"Deputies to the General Court." The town's record of these 
elections begins in 1697, when Joseph Church was chosen. In 
1698-9, John Woodman was the deputy; 1700, Henry Head; 
1701, Wniliam Jacobs; 1702, John Palmore; 1703, William 
Southworth; 1704, Joseph Church; 170o, William Briggs; 17()6, 
Joseph Church, William Jacobs; 1707, Capt. William South- 
worth; 1709, Benjamin Ciiurch, William Jacobs; 1710, Benjamin 
Church; 1711-17, Capt. William Southworth; 1718-21, Capt. 
Thomas Church; 1722, Jonathan Davenport, Joseph Southworth; 
17234, Joseph Southworth; 1725-9, Thomas Church; 1730, 
Thomas Church, David llillard; 1731, Thomas Church: 1732, 
Sylvester Richmond; 1733-8, Thomas Church; 1739-41, William 
Hall; 1742-6, William Richmond. 

In the history of Tiverton is quoted the act of t lie Rhode 
Island general assembly incorporating these two towns. The 
63 



1)96 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

etistern line of Little Compton was located somewhat east of 
where it had i^reviously been, and included a i)ortion of the old 
town of Dartmouth, which then included what is now West- 
port. The lirst town meeting in Little Compton, after the act 
of incorporation, was held on the 10th of February, 1746-7, of 
which they recorded that "William Hall, Esq. was chosen 
Moderator of ye meeting and tooh his engagment according to 
a late act of the General Assembly of the Colony of Riiode 
Island and then proseaded to qualify the Freemen of ye town 
according to ye act of Assembly.'' 

The status in Rhode Island of the former citizens of Massa- 
chusetts was thus defined, and the general assembly from year 
to j-ear admitted various persons as freemen of the colony. In 
May, 1757, John Brownell, Daniel Ormsby, George Simmons, 
James Pierce, Jonathan Feckham, Samuel Pearce, Adam Sim- 
mons, George Pearce, Joshua Brownell, Aaron Davis, Benjamin 
Brownell, Peter Simmons, Peleg Wood, Christopher White and 
John Briggs were thus admitted, and in 1758 William Carr, 
William Brown, Benjamin Stoddard and Nathaniel Stoddard 
were added to the list from Little Compton. In 1759 and 1760 
the following named persons were made freemen of the little 
colony: John Peabody, Jr., Gideon Taylor, Constant Woodman, 
Gideon Salisbury, Thomas Davenport, Philip Taylor, Fobes 
Little, Jr., William Davenport and Joseph Salisbury. 

Fifty years before Little Compton was annexed to Rhode 
Island its colonial government consisted in part of the house of 
deputy governors. In the schedule of June, 1797, the title of 
*'The Deputies" was changed to representatives from the sev- 
eral towns. These officers are now generally styled representa- 
tives or members of the general assembly. The following list 
shows those who have repi'esented Little Compton since the an- 
nexation: 1747, John Hunt, William Wilbore; 1748, William 
Hall, James Wood; 1749, William Hall, Nathaniel Searles; 1750, 
John Hunt, Joseph Feckham; 1751, Lieut. Col. John Hunt, 
Charles i^rownell; 1752-3, William Hall, Richard Greenhill; 
1754, Nathaniel Searles, Joseph Wood; 1755, Moses Palmer, 
Joseph Wood; 1756, Richard Brownell, Thomas Church; 1757, 
Thomas Church, William Wilbore; 1758, William Hall, Con- 
stant Southworth; 1759-60, William Hall, Benjamin Simmons; 
1761, William Hall, Thomas Brownell; 1762-65, William Hall, 
Oliver Hilyard; 1766, Captain Thomas Brownell, Caj^tain George 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 997 

Simmons; 1767, Captain George Simmons, Elihu Woodwoi'th; 
1768, Nathaniel Searles, Eiiliii Woodworth; 1769-70, Tliomas 
Chnrch.'Nathaniel Searles. Jr.; 1771, Philip Taylor, John Peck- 
ham; 1772, Thomas Chnrch, George Pearce; 177H-4, Thomas 
Church, Daniel Wilbur; 1775, Thomas Brownell, William Rich- 
mond; May, 1776, Thomas Brownell, Daniel Wilbur; October, 
1776, Perez Richmond, Nathaniel Chnrch; 1777-78, Nathaniel 
Searles, Jr., Adam Simmons; 1779,Thomas Brownell, William 
Richmond; 1780, William Ladd, William Richmond; 1781, 
William Richmond, Isaac Bailey; 1782, William Richmond, 
Edward Simmons; 1783-84, Daniel Wilbur, Joseph Gifford; 
1785, William Ladd, William Brown; 1786-87, George Sim- 
mons, Nathaniel Searles; 1788, George Simmons, Thomas 
Palmer; 1789, George Simmons, Fobes Little; 1790-91, 
Philip Taylor, John Davis; 1792-93, William Richmond, 
John Davis; 1794, George Simmons, Isaac Bailey; 1795, Natha- 
niel Searles, John Davis ; 1797-9, Isaac Bailey, John Davis ; 
1800, Andrew Taylor, John Davis; 1801, William Wilbor, An- 
drew Taylor; 1802, John Davis, Andrew Taylor; 1703-4, Wil- 
liam Wilbour, Isaac Wilbour; 1805, Daniel Wilbor, Isaac Wil- 
bour; 1806, Edward "Woodman, John Brown; 1807, William 
Wilbour 2d, John Brown; 1808, Thomas White, John Brown; 
1809, Isaac Bailey, Andrew Taylor; 1810, Robert Seabury, Ed- 
ward Woodman; 1811, Philip Wilbour, Godfrey Pearce; 1812, 
Philip Wilbour, Edward Woodman; 1813, Edward Brownell, 
Jediah Shaw; 1814, William Wilbour, Jediah Shaw, Abraham 
Bailey; 1815, Edmund Brownell, Jediah Shaw, Abraham Bailey; 
1816, Abraham Bailey, Sylvester Gifford; 1817-18, Sanford 
Almy, John Brown, Abraham Bailey, Sylvester Gifford; 1819- 
20; s'anford Almy, John Brown, William Howland; 1821, San- 
ford Almy, Jediah Shaw, Tillinghast Bailey, William Howland; 
1822, Sanford Almy, John Brown, Nathaniel Tompkins; 1823, 
Tillinghast Bailey, John Brown, Sanford Almy, Nathan Tomp- 
kins; 1824-7, Jolin Brown, Jediah Shaw; 1828, Sanford Almy, 
Peleg Bailey; 1829, Sanford Almy, Ebenezer P. Church; 1830, 
Sanford Almy, Nathaniel Tompkins; 1831-2, Jediah Shaw, 
Nathaniel Tompkins ; 1833, Jediah Shaw, Pardon Brownell ; 
1834-6, Jediah Shaw, Nathaniel Ciiurch; 1837-40, Nathaniel 
Church, Christopher Brown; 1841, Nathaniel Church, Jediah 
Shaw; 1842, Nathaniel Church, Christopher Brown. 
By the provisions of the state constitution, the town, since 



998 HISTOUY OF NEWPORT COUNTS'. 

May, 1843, lias been entitled to one representative and one state 
senator. Christopher Brown was the representative in 1843-5; 
John Church, 1846-8 ; Christopher Brown, 1849 ; Oliver C. 
Brownell, 1850-62; Benjamin Seaburj^ 1863; O. C. Brownell, 
1864; C.W. Howland, 1865; William S. Church, 1866-7; Thadeus 
H. Church, 1868; Orin W. Simmons, 1869-70; H. T. Sisson, 1871- 
72 ; Isaac W. Howland, 1873 ; Frederick R. Brownell, 1874; 
Kichmond Brownell, 1875; Jediah Shaw, 1876; Albert T. Sea- 
bury, 1877-8; Benjamin F. Wilbur, 1879; O. C. Brownell, 1880- 
81; Oliver P. Peckham, 1882-4; Nathaniel Church, Jr., 1885-6; 
John B. Taylor, 1887. 

To tlie state senate, under the constitution of 1842, Little 
Comjiton has elected the following persons : In 1843 5, Natha- 
niel Church; 1846-8, Otis Wilbor; 1849-62, Nathaniel Church; 
1863, Charles W. Howland; 1864, Benjamin Seabury; 1865, O. 
C. Brownell ; 1866-7, N. Church ; 1868, O. C. Brownell ; 1869, 
Isaac B. Richmond ; 1870, no election and Mr. Richmond held 
over; 1871-2, N. Church; 1873, Henry T. Sisson; 1874 6, N. 
Church; 1877-8, Jediah Shaw; 1879, Albert T. Seabury; 1880-81, 
Benjamin F. Wilbur; 1882-5, O. C. Brownell; 1886, O. P. Peck- 
ham; 1887, Nathaniel Church. 

Public Charity. — The stages of moral and social develop- 
ment in a community or a state are generally well measured 
by the care which the people manifest for the helpless and 
needy of their own number. The public policy of the Little 
Compton people has always been liberal toward the unfortunates 
of their own number. The first generation of settlers here 
deemed the loss of an ox by one of their number a public calam- 
ity, and considered the subject of sharing with the owner in the 
loss. Children have been raised here as wards of the town 
from their birth. The indigent people of the town have always 
been comparatively few, and for many years the apartments of 
the meeting house of 1694 were ample for their accommodation. 
Before this building passed into private hands the people in the 
town meeting of Ajn-il, 1827, appointed a committee relative to 
" the purchase or hiring a house and land for the poor of this 
town as a home." The result of this action, and the delibera- 
tions of which this was a part, has been to provide a tine farm 
and a comfortable house in the south part of the town, where 
the dependent people are well cared for in the "Town Home." 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 999 

Land and Water Uovths. — The town founders made 
broad provision for thorough Cares through their properties, 
hut while they foresaw the needs of their descendants in many 
particuhirs, it is very noticeable, from a glance at their old 
nuip, that we walk not to-day in the ways of the fathers. Pri- 
vate selfishness, at odds with the public rights, has made the 
ways never the more straiglit and much the nujre narrow. The 
Great West road, that magniticent boulevard which the men of 
1674 made straight and broad, has lost both those characteris- 
tics, but some things are unchanged. The ruts on many fre- 
quented roads are as deep as they were two hundred years ago. 

The Taunton bridge was the subject of much concern to Little 
Compton while it was included in Bristol county, Mass. As 
early as 1700 the trouble began. "At a meeting of the inhab- 
itants of Little Compton this ye 5th day of August 1700 voted 
that W. Jacobs and Daniell Eaton are chosen for to go to 
Taunton to morrow for to act as agents for this Town to meet 
the Committee Appointed by the General Court to treat about 
the Charges that they may be at about rebuilding of Taunton 
Bridg." 

The encroachments upon the width of the Great West road 
made trouble nine years later, which was settled by Nathaniel 
Searles, John Palmer, Edward Richmond, selectmen. Again, 
May 15th, 1712, " Whereas Little Compton Are Served and No- 
tified from the General Court to Answer Concerning Taunton 
Bridge, voted that this Town are not willing to be at any more 
charge about or concerning Taunton Bridge." 

In 1713 the town made record of a communication which was 

given no farther attention: "Taunton January 21th 1713 To 

the select men In Little Compton . Gentlemen This come to 

advise you that you woukl be pleased to send your proportion 

of that twenty pounds money that the great and general court 

ordered Dartmouth Little Compton Tiverton and Freetown 

Concerning the great Bridge over the great River. The Town 

of Taunton have ordered & do receive the s'd money to give 

recpiest or acquittance for the same pray fail not but send or 

bring this or send me word what you Litend to do For I think 

it is hig time the matter be finished, Sign your most iiumble 

servant, 

" Joii\ King. 

A line of communication to the island across the Seconnet 



o 



1000 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

became of the oreatest importance prior to the Revolution, 
and from a cove on the Compton side, called Church's harbor, 
to a landing near the Berkeley Memorial church in Middle- 
town, a ferry was maintained for years as Taggart's ferry. 
This and the one from Fogland, five miles farther north, were 
the principal means of business intercourse with the people 
of Rhode Island. 

A lottery was authorized by the general assembly in Febru- 
ary, 1763, by which it was proposed to raise £6,000 to build 
a wharf in Church's harbor. Thomas Church, William Hall, 
Samuel Bailey, Thomas Brownell, Aaron Wilbour, Simeon 
Palmer, William Richmond, Jr., and Henry Wood were ap- 
pointed directors of the lottery. The road along the south 
line of the 1678 purchase was given by Esquire Taylor about 
this time and the town built the walls dividing it from the 
fields. It is generally known as Taylor's lane. 

Since the natural advantages of Seconnet point as a summer 
residence have built up that part of the town and brought an 
annually increasing number of summer residents, more atten- 
tion is being given to the care of the thoroughfares. A railroad 
from some point in this town to connect with the Old Colony 
road at Tiverton is seriously urged and the requisite legislative 
action has been secured, both by state and town, the town 
pledging, conditionally, the sum of $25,000 in aid of the scheme. 
Two steamers, the "Dolphin" and the "Queen City," make 
the present connection with Providence, from Seconnet point. 

The Revolution. — The people of Little Compton were 
among the first in southern New England to take public action 
in regard to the initial steps in the war for American inde- 
pendence. So closely allied and mutually dependent were the 
salient features of that period, in their relation to this town and 
Tiverton, that many of the events concerning both towns alike, 
and which occurred within their borders are incorporated in the 
latter; yet a few incidents in Little Com.pton were so strictly 
local as to require mention here. 

About the time hostilities began, this town contained three 
hundred and four white male persons over sixteen years of age 
in its population of twelve hundred and thirty-two. When 
Little Compton was inc()r])orated as a town of Rhode Island its 
militia was organized as a company and attached to the New- 
'port county regiment, but in May, 1776, better discipline was 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 1001 

deemed desiraMe, and the Little Compton company was divided 
into two companies, by a line running from Perez Richmond's 
house easterly across the town. The first company was to be 
officered by Gideon Simmons, captain; Ephraim Simmons, lieu- 
tenant; and William Bailey, ensign. In the second company 
George Simmons was captain; David Cooke, lieutenant; and 
Fobes Little, Jr., ensign. 

Preparations were making for further sacrifice, and, with the 
events of the summer already noticed, the people looked for- 
ward with forebodings to the future. In December, as a prep- 
aration for offensive, and if occasion required, for defensive 
measures, the town was authorized to take from Howland's 
ferry two mounted field pieces, one four or six-pounder and 
one smaller one, and the proper cartridges; the towu clerk was 
empowered to draw 150 pounds of lead, 50 pounds of powder 
and 500 flints for the use of the Little Compton soldiers. The 
cannon were not long idle in Compton, for within ten days after 
New Year's they took them out to try them on the British 
frigate "Cerebus," laying at Fogland ferry. They worked well 
on such a target; six English were killed before the craft could 
get out of range; but one Compton man was wounded. 

For fourteen months after July, 1778, a system of signaling 
was kept up between the Americans in Little Compton and 
their friends, who were under the surveillance of the British, 
on the other side of the Seconnet. Isaac Barker, of Middle- 
town, managed that end of the line, and Lieutenant Chapin, of 
Sherburne's regiment, stationed in Little Compton, managed 
the east end of the system. Great adroitness was required on 
the part of Mr. Barker, for the British were quartered in the 
house where he lived, the house still standing in Middletown, 
the residence of Stephen P. Barker. Lieutenant Chapin had 
less to be solicitous about, and improved his time at odd jobs 
of his own inventing. In 1778, December 17th, he took a whale 
boat and six men and captured a British brig bound for New 
York. His prisoners, including Mrs. Sir Guy Johnston, were 
landed at Seconnet point. 

During the same winter Major William Taggart, who had com- 
manded a flotilla of gunboats under General Sullivan, had re- 
tired wifli his son, Captain William J., to his farm in IJttle 
Compton. In July, 1779, an attempt was made by tories from 
Newport to capture them. The two American sentinels on the 



1002 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTy. 

shore were surprised and captured, and also Tlionias Bailey, at 
whose house the sentinels were quartered. This house is still 
standing on the Kempton farm, east of the Warren Point road. 
Captain Taggart and a brother of his were taken prisoners, and 
four of the five taken were lodged in Newport Jail as prisoners. 
The captain's brother was shot in an attempt to escape. The 
captain subsequently resigned his position as prisoner of war, 
and, with Benjamin Borden, of Fall River, retired again to the 
American lines. 

Five years after the settlement of peace, when the question of 
adoiDting the federal constitution was agitating the public mind. 
Little Compton recorded this vigorous action: — 

"To Messrs. George Simmons and Nathaniel Searle, Deputies 
for the town of Little Compton: — 

" We the inhabitants of the town of Little Compton, being 
lawfully assembled in public town meeting, this 6th daj' of Jan- 
uary 1788 for the i^urpose of taking into consideration the pro- 
ceedings of the late honorable Continental Convention * * * 
and viewing the new Federal Constitution as a plan of govern- 
ment well adaj^ted to the present critical situation of our na- 
tional affairs: AVe do therefore enjoin it upon you, gentlemen, 
as our positive instructions, that you each use your utmost en- 
deavors at the next session of the General Assembly of this 
State, to have an act passed [providing for a Constitutional 
Convention]; and these our positive instruclions, gentlemen, you 
must not fail to execute on pain of incurring our highest dis- 
pleasure." 

The general assembly, in Februai'y, 1788, passed an act pro- 
viding that town meetings be held on the fourth Monday in 
March, 1788, at which the voters should declare by ballot for or 
against the adoption of the federal constitution. Little Comp- 
ton and Bristol were the only towns casting a close vote. The 
vote of Little Compton is here preserved, as a reliable list of 
the active freemen as well as their different views on a great 
public measure. 

Yeas. — John Bailey, Benjamin Coe, Thomas Briggs, Constant 
Seabury, Zebedee Greenell, Gideon Simmons, Billings Greenell, 
Zebedee Stoddard, Joseph Brownell, Joseph Wilbur, Job Man- 
chester, Ebenezer Church, Nathaniel Tompkins, Sylvanus 
Brown, David Hilliard, Jr., Nathaniel Searle, Joseph Gilford, 
George Wood, John Woodman, 2d, Nathaniel Church. Borden 



HISTOKY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY; 1003 

Wilbur, Isaac Wood, Samuel Coe, Adam Simmons, Tliomas 
Davenport, Isaac Baley, Williams Simmons, Gamaliel Tompkins, 
William Ladd, Caleb Church, 2d, Lemuel _Sawyer, Jeremiah 
Davenport, Gideon Taylor, Ichabod Wood, Aaron Will)ur, 
David Hilliard, Robert Woodman, Enos Giflford, Samuel Gray, 
Robert Taylor, William Brown, William Baley, Elisha Wood- 
worth, Thomas Brownell, William Southworth, William Wood- 
man, Thomas Richmond, John Greenell, Isaac Simmons, John 
Tompkins, Barnabus Clapp, Arnold Stoddard, Benjamin Tomp- 
kins, John Davis, David Tompkins, Abell Simmons, William 
Richmond, Perez Richmond, Philip Taylor, Nathaniel Taylor, 
Nathaniel Simmons, Nathaniel Stoddard, John Woodman. 
-[63.] 

iVrti/s.— Jonathan Taylor, Nathaniel Dring, Thomas Wilbur, 
John Brownell, Thomas Brown, Charles Brownell, John Pearce 
2d, Henry Head, William Wilbur, Jr., Wing Durfy, Aaron 
Simmons, Stephen Brownell 2d, John Bennet, Seth Shaw, 
Benjamin Head, George Simmons, Israel Shaw, William Hunt, 
William Carr, Moses Brown, Brownell Stoddard, Peter Shaw, 
Nathaniel Pearce, Fobes Little, Jr., Aaron Greenell, Peleg 
Wood, Ezra Chase, Caleb Simmons, Elkanah Palmer, Fobes 
Little, Charles Manchester, John Carr, Benjamin Stoddard, 
Benedict Palmer, John "Wilbur, John Simmons, Daniel Wilbur, 
Thomas Palmer, John Salsbury, Zurah Simmons, George Brow- 
nell 2d, Isaac Peckham, James Pearce, Pardon Snell, Joseph 
Pearce, Isaac Wilbur (son of John), Joseph Brown, Canaan 
Gifford, Benjamin Head, Sen., Abner Wood, Owen Greenell, 
Thomas Baley, Jonathan Brownell, Joseph Bennett, Thomas 
Irish, William Wilbur, Gideon Giffofd.— [57]. 

The history of that effort is extant. Finally, on the 29th of 
May, 1790, with the majority at Newport, Little Compton's 
delegates, John Davis ami William Ladd, who had voted 
against the South Kingstown adjournment, voted for the adop- 
tion of the federal constitution. 

Local Government.— The more strictly internal affairs of 
the town have generally been administered by as able men as 
those who have been chosen to participate in its behalf in the 
colonial or state legislation. 

We have con.sidered the religious trend of the people in their 
first steps toward organizing a local government; how the con- 
trol of public affairs was made a matter for the church to con- 



1004 UISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

sider, and how the management of the church was considered 
the public business as much as maintaining tlie highways. 
This business, whatever might be its nature, was largely di- 
rected, and in most cases practically controled, by the leading 
men of the town who were chosen to that trust. They were 
elected by the people and were given the title selectmen. This 
office was one of honor and responsibility, and the names of the 
men who have filled it will include quite generally the influ- 
ential citizens of each decade. The same officers are now called 
councilmen, individually and collectively, the town council. 

Prior to 1701, Captain Southworth, Christopher Allen, Wil- 
liam Fobes, George Webb, Aaron Davis, William Jacobs, Ed- 
ward Richmond, Daniel Eaton, Jonathan Thurston and Henry 
Head are the only names recorded. The significance of the fol- 
lowing list of those who have held the office since 1700, is the pre- 
servation of prominent names — a matter always of interest — and 
the approximate dates of their prominence. In the town's 
records the same name frequently recurs during consecutive 
years or at intervals. Here the date preceding a name is the 
date it first appears, and if it is in the list of selectmen or coun- 
cilmen more than two years the number of years is given after 
the name. When the same name recurs in the record after an 
interval so great that the name is not probably of the same man 
it is repeated with a date, and the years of subsequent service 
noted: In 1701, Joseph Wilbore; Thomas Brownell, 3; 1703, 
Porter Taylor, 4; John Coe, 3; Nathaniel Searles, 9; 1706, Ed- 
ward Richmond, 10; 1707, John Palmer, 4; 1710, Jonathan 
Head; John Sanford; 1711, Thomas Searles; 1712, Thomas Gray, 
7; William Pabodie, 5; 171.'i, Capt. William Southworth; 1716, 
George Brownell, 6; Robert Woodman; 1717,Tiiomas Church, 25; 
1718, Samuel Crandall, 8; 1719, Samuel Wilbor, 10; 1723, George 
Pierce, 4; 1727, Joseph Southworth, 5; 1730, James Rouse, 9; 
1735, William Richmond, 10; 1745, Elijah Woodword; Samuel 
Gray, 7; 1746, Nathaniel Searles, Jr., 29; Joseph Wood, 11; 
Robert Taylor, 8; 1746, Joseph Peckham, 6; 1750, Elihu Wood- 
worth; John Hunt, 7; Jeremiah Brownell; 1752, William Shaw, 
4; Samuel Tonii^kins, 3; Benjamin Seabury; 1754, Oliver Hil- 
yard, 12; 1755, Thomas Church, 6; Fobes Little; 1756, Charles 
Brownell; Benjamin Simmons, 8; 1757, Jeremiah Briggs; 1758, 
John Gift'ord; 1759, William Taylor, 6; Richard Brownell, 11; 
1760, John Briggs; 1762, Thomas Brownell, 7; William Briggs, 



HISTORY OK NEWPOHT COUNTY. 1005 

6; 1764, John Irish; 17(35, Philip Taylor, 28; George Simmons, 
12; 1766, Thomas Dring, ;5; 1709, George Pearce, 8; John Peck- 
ham, 5; 1770, Perez Richmond, 14; 1771, David Hilyard, 
3; 1774, Aaron Wilbour, 18; Daniel Wilbour, 12; 1779, 
Thomas Palmer, 25; 1784, John Davis, 6; 1787, James Brownell, 
12; Ebenezer Church; William Southworth, 3; 1788, Joseph 
Gifford, 4; Nathaniel Church, 9; 1791, Andrew Taylor, 3; 
1793, Thomas Briggs, 10; 1797, Pardon Brownell, 5; John 
Bailey, 5; 1799, Edward Woodman, 10; 1800, John Brown, 
15; 1802, Josiah C. Shaw; 1803, Zebedee Grinnell, 5; 1804, 
William AVilbour, 7; 1806, William Wilbour 2d, 3; Thomas 
White, 11; 1807, Joseph Pearce, 9; 1808, Sanford Aimy, 14; 
1809, Philip Wilbour; 1811, Stephen Brownell, 10; 1813, Sylves- 
ter Gifford, 4; Owen Grinnell, 4; Tillinghast Bailey, 4; 1814, Syl- 
vester Brownell; 1815,Davis Simmons; 1817, Job Briggs, 6; 1821, 
Jadiah Shaw,10; Peleg Bailey, 3; Ezra Coe, 3; Samuel Hilliard, 6; 
1824, Peleg Peckham, 7; 1827, Nathaniel Tompkins, 6; 1829, 
Christopher Brownell, 17; 1831, General Nathaniel Church, 41; 
1832, Clark Brownell 12; 1834, Elisha Brownell, 4; 1835, Pardon 
Almy;1837, Christopher Brown, 9; 1838, George Potter,19; 1839, 
Peleg Sanford; Jonathan Wilbour; 1840, Thomas Wilbour, 6; 
1845, Isaac B. Richmond; Pardon Gray; Allen Gifford; James 
Bailey; 1846, Nathaniel Gifford, 15; John Church; 1848, Oli- 
ver C. Brownell, 32; 1849, Billings Grinell; 1854, Benjamin Sea- 
bury, 14; 1861, Charles W. Rowland, 4; Thomas G. Tompkins, 
4; 1863, George W. Staples, 3; 1865, William S. Church 9; 1866, 
Ezra Wilbur; Oliver P. Peckham; 1867, George F. S. White, 3; 
1869, Frederick R. Brownell; Oliver H. Almy, Jr.; Ben- 
jamin F. Wilbur, 9; 1870, George W. Butler, 11; Thomas Wil- 
bor 2d, 5; Warren Seabury, 5; 1871, William H. Sisson; 1873, 
Oliver H. Wilbor, 4; 1875, Frank W. Simmons; John Sisson; 
1876, John Sisson 2d; 1877, Philip W. Almy, 11, Edwin T. 
Seabury, 8; 1885, George H. Peckham: IXaniel Wilbour, 3; 
1887, William H. Briggs. 

The town clerks have ever been charged with trusts no less 
important than the recording and preservation of all the land 
evidence of the town, the records of the probate court, of 
which they are also clerks, and the whole clerical work of the 
town government. The policy of tiie town has been to keep 
the clerks in office as long as possible. In the following list 
the date of commencement of service is given; each serving un- 



1006 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

til his successor was chosen: John Woodman, 1696; Edward 
Richmond, 1714; Joseph Southworth, 1725; William Richmond, 
1730; Joseph Sonthworth, 1732; William Richmond, 1736; John 
Pabodie, 1746; Jepthah Pearce, 1755; Thomas Church, 1771; 
Adam Simmons, 1775; Barnabus Clap, 1794; Benjamin Tomp- 
kins, 1795; Samuel T. Grinnell, 1803; Thomas Palmer, 1813; 
Samuel T. Grinnell, 1817; Godfrey Pearce, 1819; Alexander R. 
Brownell, 1821; Otis Wilbor, 1840; Henry M. Tompkins, 1856; 
Isaac B. Cowan, 1876; Frederick R. Brownell, 1881. 

Churches. — We have considered the settlers at Seconnet in 
their social and business relations, and noted that union of ec- 
clesiastical and political functions under which the social fab- 
ric of the Seconnet community was conducted. 

While the disciples of Roger Williams, with their consciences 
freed from the claims of the Puritan church, were welcoming 
the peaceful, practical Quakers to Rhode Island, Seconnet was 
being peopled by men whose minds had been moulded to the 
Plymouth pattern; so at Seconnet may be seen to this day a fairer 
instance of the resultant of the i^olitical and ecclesiastical forces 
of Puritanism than in any other part of the county or the state. 

Unmistakable traces of the great Puritan ideas are in the 
public acts of the first century ( t this settlement, in marked 
contrast to the ideas underlying the public policy of the famed 
towns of the island. Here the church and the state were one. 
The affairs of religion were made a part of the public business, 
and in the town meetings the preacher and the schoolmaster 
were elected, and their support by public tax was provided for. 

From the first date of the white man's effort to gain a foot- 
hold in the land of Awashonks, the movement maybe regarded 
as the primitive period in the history of the Congregational 
church. The proprietors assumed the support of the gdspel 
ministry as a part of the public business, and set apart a poi-- 
tion of their lands for sacred uses. This community was for 
several years regarded as a missionary field by the older towns 
to the northeastward. In 1682, at the same session of the 
general court in which the town of Little Conipton was incor- 
porated, the following decree was issued : 

"Whereas it hath pleased God to move our honored Magis- 
trates with a sence of the soule languishing condition of such 
of the people of this jurisdiction att Seaconett and places adja- 
cent for ilie want of the preaching of Gods word amongst them 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 1007 

together with their owiie want of the sence of that duty to doe 
what in them lyes, that the good knowledge of God and his 
wayes might be taught them, and there fore doe commend it to 
sevral of the elders to take their tnrnes as they may have op- 
portunities given unto them, and the elders being moved with 
compassion toward their soules, being desirous to promote the 
honor of God amongst them agreed to visit the same in turn." 

The following year the court of Plymouth directed the town 
to raise £15 for the support of the minister. Tliis order was 
supported by time-honored precedents in the Puritan towns of 
New England, but Aquidneck was not far away and there they 
did as they pleased about such things, and the idea of doing as 
they jdeased at Seconnet struck their minds quite favorably, 
so they held a town meeting and made various excuses and 
finally sent word to the Plymouth Court that they would raise 
no £15. This was in 1685 and in October the court issued a 
peremptory order thus: "To the Constable of Little Compton. 
Whereas the Town of Little Compton hath sent to the Court of 
Assistants, a vote of the said Towne under the hand of the 
Towne Clarke, wherein they manifest their refusal of obedience 
to the orders of the General Court not only in the way of ne- 
glect, but contempt, if the said Towne shall still neglect to 
yield obedience to said order. You are then in his Majesty's 
name required to summon the inhabitants of Your Towne per- 
sonally to api)ear at his Majesty's Court at Plymouth March 
Next then and there to answer the contempt aforesaid." 

To answer this order the town chose David Lake and Henry 
Head as their agents, and they appeared at the court in March 
and presented a plea under the hand of the town clerk present- 
ing exceptions, and refusing to plead "because we are not 
brought in to answer neither by presentment or indictment." 
' The court maintained its authority and fined the town £20 for 
the neglect of its orders and contempt for its dignity. The tax 
was collected and the position of the rebels abandoned. 

Their descendants of the present generation, men zealously 
liberal in their support of churches and schools, excuse the po- 
sition of their ancestors on the theory that they had already 
given sufficient for this purpose in donating one-tenth of their 
land to the use of the ministry, and that they were but acquir- 
ing thus early some of the commendable ideas of religious lib- 
erty which prevailed on the other side of the river, from whence 
the Almys, Brownells and Wilbours came. 



1008 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

The erection of the first meeting lionse on tlie commons has 
already been noticed. Two of the ministry lots were sold in 
May, 1C93, to aid in its completion, and in 169.5 Thomas Palmer 
was chosen first minister of the town. 

May 17th, 1692, this record appears in the acts of the proprie- 
tors: 

" Whereas by an order of the Proprietors bearing date May 
11, 1677, it is granted that the first minister that settles at Se- 
conet should have one House lot and an equal share of the un- 
divided lands in the late Indian purchase freely, and also an 
equal share in all the unpurchased lands at Saconet, in consid- 
eration of the said grant and in lieu thereof the said Proprie- 
tors at this Meeting did order that a Committee shall lay out 
one hundred Acres of land, so as they judge shall be most con- 
venient for him, he relinquishing any claim to any other divi- 
sion, and by settlement, is to be understood and intended, such 
as shall continue in this Town in the said Work, during his life, 
or at least for the space of ten years. Voted clearly." 

Tlie'idea of the Gospel being free is queerly confounded with 
the notion of its being cheap. Tiie proprietors' records of 1697 
show that " At a Meeting of the inhabitants September 7th, it 
was voted that Mr. Eliphalet Adams be the Minister of this 
Town provided he will be contented with so much as the people 
shall willingly contribute to his Maintenance, and the lands be- 
longing to the Minister, and to the use of the lands belonging 
unto the Ministry witliout arateor tax upon the people.'' Mr. 
Adams was a young man twenty years of age, a graduate of 
Harvard College, and a son of William Adams of Dedham. He 
preached here for three years. 

John Clarke was chosen minister of the town by a vote in 
public town meeting January 14th, 1701. Sixty-five persons 
had recentlj' been baptized, and their names added to the record. 
Among those baptized at that time were seven children of Jon- 
athan Davenport; five children of Joseph Church; John and 
Elizabeth Palmer, with tiieir seven children; Edward and Sarah 
Richmond, with six children; and Lieutenant John Wood, with 
his seven children. Of these last mentioned seven children, six 
died within eight days in the month of March, 1712, and were 
buried in four graves. The name of Nathaniel Searle, who was 
the first schoolmaster, was in the list. 

Ten months from the election of Reverend Clarke, Richard 



HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 1009 

Billings was chosen to be the town minister, and then began an 
uninterrupted pastorate of over forty-seven years. For the three 
first years he held simply the relation of religious teacher for 
the town, the same as had his predecessors, but during that 
period the foin;ative era in the history of Congregationalism in 
Little Compton maj' be said to have ended. 

Richard Billings was the oldest of a family of thii-teen chil- 
dren. His father was Ebenezer Billings, of Dorchester, Mass. 
It is probable that he was born in England, September 21st, 
1675, and removed to Dorchester wlien about five years of age. 
He graduated at Harvard College in 1698, and three years later, 
at the age of twenty-six, began his labors in this town, where 
he served faithfully until his death, November 20th, 1748. 

Mr. Billings thus far was not an ordained minister, and there 
was no church organization, but the people were pleased with 
his gospel ministrations among them and he had gained a 
warm place in their affections. There was also a desire for the 
establishment of Christian ordinances. Therefore on the first 
of November, 1704, William Pabodie and Thomas Gray, in the 
name of the rest, sent letters mis.sive to the neighboring 
churches calling a council to establish a church and "ordain 
the Rev. Richard Billings to the Pastrol office." This council 
convened on the 30th of November, 1704. 

A copy of faith was formulated and to it was appended the 
signatures of Richard Billings, then their ordained pastor, and 
ten others revered as the founders of this church. Their names 
are William Pabodie, Thonuis Gray, William Pabodie, Jr., 
Joseph Blackman, James Bennett, Joseph Church (brother of 
Colonel Benjamin), Jonathan Davenport, John Palmer, John 
Church (son of Joseph) and Sylvester Richmond. 

While the elements of Congregationalism were crystalizing, 
the Episcopal church kept missionaries in the field. Reverend 
James Honeyman, who became rector of Trinitj' church at New- 
port in 1704, was sent to Rhode Island by the English Mission- 
ary Society, and for eight years made weekly visits to Tiverton 
and Little Compton. Freetown, Tiverton and Compton were 
made a missionary Held in 1712, and a missionary sent from 
England to organize an Episcopal church, but the effort was 
unsuccessful. 

In February, 1723, it was voted to build a new meeting house, 
forty-two feet long, thirty-eight feet wide and twenty feet posts, 



1010 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

to Stand about two rods to the southward of the old house. This 
new liouse occupied the site of the presentCongTegational church. 
That the old house referred to is the house until recently owned 
by the town and used as a town house is not undisputed, but it 
is generally believed to be the same. 

The building committee were Deacon William Pabodie, Syl- 
vester Richmond and Thomas (vhurch, Esq., son of Colonel 
Benjamin Church, who gave the timber for the new house. The 
timber was of excellent quality, and some of it still exists, sound 
and strong, in the present edifice erected in 1833. 

The last Sunday in 1724 Pastor Billings records: " This day 
we had our first Meeting in our New Meeting House." This 
structure of 1723-24 was built by a subscription of C'olO Os. 7d., 
and from that time the contributors or their principals took 
the name of the " Proprietors of the Congregational Meeting 
House of Little Compton." The proprietors originally intended 
this meeting house for the use of the Congregational church, 
and in 1746 passed a formal resolution, drawn by the pastor, 
in which they " forever devote .... the meeting house 
for the public worship of God, to the Church and Christian so- 
ciety that now worship God in it, of the Congregational per- 
suasion and way of worship, as long as the said meeting house 
shall endure, and for no other use." This is the only dedica- 
tion of the house of which mention is made in the records. 

Succeeding the pastorate of Richard Billings was the thirty- 
six years of the parish and piiliiit work of Rev. Jonathan Ellis. 
He was born in Massachusetts in 1717, graduated at Harvard 
College in 1737, and was settled here as Reverend Billings' 
successor in 1749. During his pastorate the " United Congre- 
gational Society" was formed, February 8th, 1769. Nathaniel 
Searle, Oliver Hilliard, Constant Southworth, John Bailey, 
Thomas Brownell, Thomas Church, William Taylor, JohnWood, 
and Gideon Taylor — who wei-e especially interested in having 
the meeting house repaired — met and issued a call for a meeting 
on the 20th instant to consider the subject. At that meeting 
those who acknowledged themselves as belonging to the Congre- 
gational denomination formed a society, which had the care of 
the meeting house and the ministry lands, and also was re- 
sponsible for supplying the pulpit. This society was incorpo- 
rated in 1785 as ''The United Congregational Society." After 
the death of Jonathan Ellis this society, it appears, had the 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 1011 



entire coiitro] of the pulpit, engaging candidates and settling 
a pastor; but when the next pastor was called and settled, the 
society acted in co-operation with the church, and this lias ever 
since been the practice. 

At the March session of the general assembly at South Kings- 
town, in 1787, this society petitioned for authority to raise £600 
to build a parsonage. The act granting this petition named 
Perez Richmond, George Simmons, Nathaniel Church, David 
Stoddard, Nathaniel Searle and John Davis as managers, " pro- 
vided they shall previously give bond to the general Treasurer 
of this State, in a sum double the amount of said scheme, for 
the faithful performance of their trust." 

The pastorate of Rev. Mase Shepard from September 19th, 
1787 (more than two years after the death of Mr. Ellis) until 
his death, February 14th, 1821, was a marked era in the history 
of the church. His ordination was celebrated at the house of 
Captain George Simmons, with an entertainment which was 
sumptuous, to say the least, and was untrameled by sumptuary 
amendments. Mase Shepard was a typical New Englander, the 
son of a farmer, born May 28th, 17.o9, the youngest of thirteen 
children, and spent his minority at the farm. He graduated at 
Dartmouth at twenty-six years of age, and two years later be- 
gan that remarkable career in Little Compton which insures his 
name a place in the memory of the people here for years to 
come. In tlie vestibule of the church is a tablet erected in his 
memory. 

Rev. Emerson Paine was installed pastor November 20th, 
1822. He was born at Foxboro, Mass., in 1786, graduated at 
Brown University in 1813 and studied theologj^ with the re- 
nowned theologian. Doctor Emmons. He was ordained as pas- 
tor of the church in Middleboro', Mass., in 1816, and dismissed, 
at his own request, in the same year in which he was settled 
here. It would seem that he supplemented the labors of Mr. 
Shepard admirably, for in 1831 there was a great ingathering. 
His careful instructions in jiulpit and Sabbath school were at- 
tended with happy results, and, in the year mentioned, sixty- 
three were received into the church. He was dismissed at his 
own request April 20th, 1835, and accepted an invitation to la- 
bor in Halifax, Mass., where he continued to preach till his 
death at the age of sixty-five. 

After the dismission of Mr. Paine, Rev. Samuel W. Colburn 

64 



1012 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

labored here for three years, but his health seems not to have 
been permanent enough to justify a settlement. He was a native 
of Lebanon, N. H., a graduate of Dartmouth in 1808, and had 
been previously settled in West Taunton, Mass., but was dis- 
missed after three years labor because of ill health. He was 
afterward pastor at West Attleboro, Mass., for seventeen years. 
He died at the residence of his son-in-law, Mr. A. Reed, in New 
York city, in 1854. 

Rev. Alfred Goldsmith preached his first sermon here Febru- 
ary 1st, 1839. He was dismissed at his own request in the au- 
tumn of 1844. The Sunday following Reverend Goldsmith's 
dismission, it would seem that Rev. Samuel Beane began his 
ministry, which continued as stated supply for nearly two 
years, and after that for eleven years as pastor. He was a na- 
tive of New Hampshire, a graduate of Dartmouth and of Ando- 
ver Theological Seminary. His second request for dismissal 
was granted May 11th, 1857, after which he was principal of a 
western seminary for three years. At his death in 1865 he was 
pastor of a church at Norton, Mass. 

Within a month of Mr. Beane' s resignation, Nathaniel Beach 
of Middlel)ury, Mass., was installed. This pastorate continued 
until 1867 and was followed by tliat of Rev. George F. Walker, 
of Wellfleet, Mass. His pastorate, which was terminated in 
1872 at his own request, was marked as having inaugurated an 
era of changes in the house of worship and the residence of the 
pastor. The first change consisted in remodeling the inside of 
the meeting house and frescoing the walls. Then the society 
sold their parsonage and lot, and bought another lot nearer the 
church, upon which they erected a large and convenient parson- 
age, at an additional cost of about §3,000. 

In 1871 they began work again upon the meeting house, which 
was completed about two years later. It included raising the 
house and putting underneath it a vestry, committee room, 
ladies' parlor, etc., the building of a tower and steeple, and 
painting the house — the whole requiring an expenditure of some 
$6,000. Later still the society placed in the church a beautiful 
and truly valuable pipe organ. 

In making all these improvements, the Ladies' Sociable con- 
nected with the church has been a valuable auxiliary. The so- 
ciety has existed under various names for forty-two years. It 
was organized in 1846, during the pastorate of Samuel Beane, as 
the "Peoiile's Colporteur's Society," having as its object the 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 1013 

tiiaiiitenance of colporfenrs in the Mississippi Valley. In 1S.")2 
il added to its objects that of general benevolence, and changed 
its name to the " Ladies Sewing Circle." In 3867 the name was 
changed to "The Ladies' Social Aid," and it is now known as 
''The Ladies' Sociable." Since 1852 this society has, in addi- 
tion to a vast amount of benevolent work for objects abroad, 
aided the United Congregational Society to the considerable 
snm of more than $2,200. 

Between Mr. Walker's pastorate and the beginning of the 
present one, the church engaged, as stated supply, for nearly 
two years. Rev. A. M. Rice. 

The church, under the pastoral care of Rev. W. D. Hart (130) 
since October, 1875, has been prosperous in all the departments 
of its work. 

Two hundred years ago the dominant idea was the union of 
the church and the body politic. Here in the midst of Mr. 
Hart's labors record cannot be made of the chief characteristics 
of this pastorate, but in his love for, and labor in tiie cause of 
public secular education may be noticed a renaissance of that 
other doctrine of two centuries ago — -unhappily since too long 
untaiight — that the culture and expansion of the intellectual 
powers lie very closely along the line of religious development; 
that he who would develop the spiritual may not neglect the 
intellectual side of man's nature. 

On a tablet on the wall of the church is this inscription: 

In Memoriam. 

Rev. Richard Billings, 

Pastor 44 years. 

Died November 20th, 1748. 

Rev. Jonathan Ellis, 

Pastor 36 years, 

Died September 7th, 1785. 

Rev. Mase Shepard, 

Pastor 34 years. 

Died February 14th, 1821. 

Rev. Emerson Paine, 

Paf^tor 13 years, 

Died April 25th, 1851. 

Rev. Samuel Beane, 

Pastor 11 years. 

Died May 8th, 1865. 



1014 HISTOKT OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

The Christian Baptist church, at Adamsville, is an ecclesias- 
tical body of waning influence, once belonging with the Baptists 
of the Stone Church of Tiverton. They took the title "The 
Christian Baptist Church." and built the edifice now the public 
school building at Adamsville. 

The first religious services held in the town by the Methodist 
people were at the house of Lemuel Sisson, in 1820, preaching 
by Reverend Mr. Dorchester, of Portsmouth, once in two weeks. 
A local preacher, Levi Chase, also held meetings in various pri- 
vate houses early in 1821. July 7th, 1821, Reverend Daniel 
Webb, of Newport, preached at the house of Mr. Sisson, after 
which he baptized Mr. Ephraim Sisson and his wife, Mr. Job 
Sisson, his son John and daughter Mary, also Ann and Mary 
Brownell. He then organized the first Methodist class of Little 
Compton, and appointed Ephraim B. Sisson class leader. A lot 
for a church was purchased of Sylvester Brownell, at the head 
of what is now called '' Meeting House lane," and on this lot 
the first church was built, in 182.'). This building was subse- 
quently converted into a dwelling house, now owned by Abra- 
ham Wilber. The second Methodist Episcopal church, built 
in 1839-40, on a lot given by the town, was dedicated April ICth, 
1840. This building is now "Odd-Fellows Hall." The present 
church building, erected in 1872, stands on Little Compton 
Commons. It was dedicated by Bishop Matthew Simpson, 
October 22d, 1872. 

The trustees of the first church were : Lemuel Sisson, John 
Sisson, Ezra Brownell, A. R. Brownell, Philiii Wilbour, Jon- 
athan Tallman and Samuel Dedrick, 

The successive pastors have been : Daniel Dorchester, 1820; 
Lsaac Stoddard, 1821-22; Milton French, 1823; Joel McKee, 
1824; Newel Spaulding, 1825; David Culver, 1826; Amos Bin- 
ney, 1827; Stephen Puffer, 1828; Hiram Walden, 1829; William 
Barstow, 1830-31; Israel Washburn, 1832-33; G. W. Winches- 
ter, 1834; Henry Smith, 1835; Daniel H. Bannister, 1836; Philip 
Crandon, 1837-38; Joseph Brown, 1839; John C. Goodrich, 1840; 
Lemuel Harlow, 1841; John W. Case, 1842; Daniel Webb, 1843- 
44; Philip Crandon, 1845-46; Richard Donkersley, 1847-48; 
Elihu Grant, 1849-50; G. W. Rogers, 1851; Carlos Bonning, 
1852-53; B. L. Sayer, 1854-55; J. B. Weeks, 1856-57; Charles 
Hammond, 1858; John N. Collier, 1859; G. B. Cargill, 1860; 
C. A. Merrill, 1861-62; C. S. Sanford, 1863; S. W. Coggeshall, 



HISTORY OK NKWPOKT COINTY. 1015 

1864-65; W. McKendree Bray, 1866; A. A. \Vri,-lif, 1867-69; 
Walter Ela, 1870-71; S. T. Patterson, 187-2-74; W. J. Smith, 
1875-77; J. O. Tliompson, 1878-79; J. II. Huniplirev, 1880-82; 
E. W. Goodier, 1883-85; W. P. Stoddard, 1886. 

The first building erected in Little Compton, exclusively as a 
house of worship, was built in 1700 by the Society of Friends. 
For one hundred years this old "meeting house," with its high 
galleries, its open fire-place and its movable partition, served 
the purpose intended. By this partition the audience room 
could be divided into sections, one for the brethren, tiie other 
for the sisters. Men and women worshiped God, but each on 
their own side of that partition. All these Little Compton 
Quakers belonged to and attended the "monthly meeting" at 
Westport, Mass. The present meeting house was built on the 
old site in 1815. The leading member of the early society was 
John Irish, who, with his family, the Wilbours and the 
Peckhams, were among its earliest members. John Irish's wife 
was a sister of Colonel Benjamin Church. Their residence was 
just west of the old meeting house, the stone chimney of vvhich 
is remembered by residents here. It was standing long after the 
house to which it had belonged, as well as all the otlier houses 
of that early day, had been destroyed. John Peckham's wife 
was Elizabeth Wilbour, daughter of the original Samuel Wil- 
bour= (168). 

Edward Howland, one of a family long identified witli this 
society, is the last to maintain, with eccentric persistency, the 
"First Day" meeting, often worshiping alone. 

During some twenty years preceding 1884, Elder John Smith, 
from New Bedford, occasionally came to Little Compton and 
preached to the people the doctrines of the Reorganized Church 
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Sometimes tlieir meet- 
ings were held in the school buildings, sometimes in private 
houses, and occasionally his own wagon .served for a rostrum 
and the Commons for an audience room. Elders John Gilbert 
and Cyril E. Brown also preached here during the same period. 

March 30th, 1884, the Little Compton liranch of this society 
was organized with eleven members. In tiie same j'ear they 
built themselves a sni;g chapel in the northern part of the town, 
where a large family and a small hill have furnisiied the local 
geography the descriptive term of Pearce hill. The seating ca- 
pacity of tills chapel is about two hundred. The first officers 



1016 HISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

of this society were: Priest, Algeriiie O. Tripp; teacher, John 
L. Crosby; deacon, Joseph B. Pearce. Tiiey have now a mem- 
bership of thirty-two. Thp officers are: Priests, Samuel O. 
Wilbur and A. O. Tripp; elder, Joseph B. Pearce; deacons, 
William Whaley and Charles E. Briggs. 

Cemeteries.— The people who are moving and controlling 
the affairs of Little Compton to-day are six or more generations 
removed from the men and women who were in the prime of 
life when the first white man's grave was dug in the land of the 
Seconnets. Much of historic interest centers in the cemeteries 
and burial places throughout the town, wherein " The rude fore- 
fathers of the hamlet sleep." 

The old cemetery at the Commons contains the greater num- 
ber, and perhaps the most interesting, of these graves, but the 
private cemeteries in the town contain graves of more than fam- 
ily interest. The oldest dated grave in the town is that of 
Captain Edward Richmond, in a family plot on the farm now 
owned by William H. Chase. This was formerly the Richmond 
farm, and the burial place of the family is here. The captain's 
grave is marked by a rude slab with the date 1696. The earli- 
est date at the Commons is 1698, at the grave of Mary Price. 

Among the descendants of the Pilgrims who became residents 
of Little Compton was a woman whose name is ever a part of 
the song and the story of the quaint old town. She was a daugh- 
ter of John Alden, whose relation to the courtship of Miles 
Standish is a part of Longfellow's great poem. Her grave was 
at first marked, as that of her husband beside it is still marked, 
with a brown stone slab. The tradition which makes her the 
, first white woman born in New England suggested the propri- 
ety of some more substantial monument to mark the spot. 
This sentiment was reduced to practice, largely through the 
efforts of Mrs. Sarah S. Wilbour (170), and now the most notice- 
able monument here is the white marble shaft on this historic 
spot where a handful of dust has made some other dust seem 
sacred. Lito the west face of the monument the little old orig- 
inal headstone was sunk, with its inscription: "Here lyeth the 
body of Elizabeth the wife of William Pubodie who died May 
ye 31st, 1717, in tiie 94th year of her age." 

(North face.) 

Elizabeth Pabodie, daughter oe the 

Plymouth Pilgrims, John Alden 



IIISTOKY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. lOlT 

AND Pr[SCII-LA MuLLIN. 

The first white woman boun in New-England. 

(East face.) 

New Monument Erected 

June, 1882. 

(South.) 

A bud from Plymouth's Maj'flower sprung, 

Transplanted here to live and bloom, 
Her memory, ever sweet and young. 
The centuries guard within this tomb. 
— o — 
The four lines on the south side, from the pen of a resident 
poet (118), are a monument to him as much as the stone is to 
her. Immediately north of the monument is the grave of her 
husband, with its original headstone thus inscribed: 

Here Lyeth buried ye body of William 
Pabodie who departed this life 
Decembr yE 13TH 1707 in ye 88 year 

OF HIS AGE. 

Another interesting grave is covered with a horizontal slab- 
with this inscription: 

Here lyeth interred the Body of the 

Honorable Col. Benjamin Church Esqr. 

who departed this life January the 17th 1717-18 

IN ye 78 YEAR OF HIS AGE. 

Near it is a like stone recording in similar phrase the death 
of his wife Alice, " March ye 5 A C 1718-19 in ye 73 year of her 
age." It is rarely the case in America that a direct line of six 
generations can be found in the grave-yards of one town. Here 
lie, however, of the Church family Joseph"', Joseph', Caleb', 
Ebenezer', Joseph", and John' and Nathaniel'. 

The antiquarians of this vicinity had their curiosity excited 
by a discovery, in 1887, of an ancient gravestone which ante- 
dates any heretofore known in tliis town. A Brooklyn gentle- 
man purchased the farm of the late Allen Gray, and in making 
repairs workmen found in the cellar a smooth, flat stone, which 
apparently had for many years served as a standing place for 
the farmer's pork tub. On bringing it into the light it was 
found to bear the following inscription : 



1018 HISTORY OF NEVVPOKT COUNTT. 

" Or Jonathan Black- 
man, AGED ABOUT 32 
YEARS, DEPARTED THIS 

LIFE July ye 3d 
1690." 

The first Blackman known to have lived here was a Jonathan, 
born 1667, died Stli of Octol)er, 1717. His wife, Leah, born 1667, 
died 1st of October, 1741. The upper part of the stone is gone, 
but it is probable that the inscription may have been prefixed 
by the words, "Here lyeth the body, etc.," as Savage, in his 
genealogical dictionary, mentions a Jonathan Blackman, son of 
John and his wife Mary (Pond), of Dorchester, born 1658. Where 
this stone came from, and how " it came to this base use at last" 
are mj'steries, but the extensive carving indicates that it belong- 
ed to some one of wealth and jjosition. This land formerly be- 
longed to Edward Richmond (son of John of Ashton Keye.s), 
born in 1832, was attorney-general 1677 to 1680, died in 1696, 
and is buried a few rods west of the Gray house. His wife was 
Amy Bull, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth, of Newport. It 
was afterward owned by Colonel Sylvester (son of Ed ward), who 
married Elizabeth Rogers, great-granddaughter of John Alden 
on the maternal side,and of Thomas Rogers, of the "Mayflower," 
on the paternal side, and by him devised to his son, William 
Richmond. 

Adamsville. — On the eastern boundary of the town, sup- 
ported by a rural community including more of Westport and 
Tiverton than of Little Compton, is the post village of Adams- 
ville. West and south is that portion of Seconnet purchase 
known then, as it might well be now, by the designation of " The 
Woods." Isolated thus, as Adamsville is from the rest of the 
town to which it belongs, the social and commercial interests of 
the village are more closely allied to those of the region to the 
eastward in Massachusetts, and to the northward in Tiverton, 
than to the town of which it is geograiihicall}' and politically a 
part. 

This was the condition which obtained in 1788, when from Fair 
Haven came Samuel Church, and built here the first countrv 
store. The coming of Mr. Church, if it did not create an epoch 
in the historj^ of this community, was certainly contemjioraneous 
with that first awakening which may well be regarded as the be- 
ginning of Adamsville. He purchased the mill site and water 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 1019 

power, and erected the store nearest the stream, a building still 
standing, and which for the most of the intervening century has 
been used for the purpose first intended. The chaiiges of a hun- 
dred years would forcibly appear in a comparison of the nature 
and extent of the business of Samuel Church of 1788 with that 
of Philip J. Gray of 1888 in the same building. Then the stork 
of the stores consisted of the plainest necessaries of life; for tlie 
people of the vicinitj^, as a class, were poor, the wealtli of 
Comi^ton being then, more generally even than now, in the 
western portion of the town. Rum was a staple commodity in 
those days, and at one time as manj'as three stores in the little 
borough furnished that article of diet. 

South of his store Mr. Church built a salt works, utilizing the 
water of the bay, and the manufacture of that staple became 
no insignificant portion of the business of the place until, in 
the September gale of 1815, the works were nearly ruined. The 
plant was rebuilt, but; after the death of Mr. Church little, if 
anything, was done to render the business profitable. What 
might have been the future of that and other enterprises of his 
must remain conjectural, for his years were numbered at thirty- 
five, and the completion of his schemes was left to his widow 
and Ebenezer P. Church, his younger brother. The mansion lie 
had begun was finished by them, and is now the residence of 
his nephew, Thaddeus 11. (122). 

This younger brother came here in 1796 as his clerk, and in 
that capacity, or as proprietor, he was a part of the business 
history of Adamsville until his death. He lived a bachelor, 
acquired a fortune, and kept to the close of his life the confi- 
dence and esteem of the people. 

From the conflicting statements of those who can date from 
memory only, it is useless to attempt a chronological arrange- 
ment of the names of the merchants of the century here. Tiiis 
Ebenezer P. Church, as a merchant, was conspicuous and suc- 
cessful. With his brother Nathaniel, as E. P. & N. Church, he 
did business for several years, and in 1839 the late Philip Man- 
chester became his junior in a partnership which continued un- 
til his deatii in 1872. They occupied the store that Mr. Church 
built in 1820. It is still standing and is occupied by Mr. Man- 
chester's son, Abraham, as one of the two general stores here at 
this time. From the deatli of Mr. Church until the deatii of 
Mr. Manchester in 1878, the firm was Philip Manchester & Son. 



1020 HISTOKY OF NKWPORT COUNTY. 

Another of Mr. Church's clerks, William A. Brown, became 
proprietor in a building which he erected, and whicli now, on 
another site, is the residence of George Palmer. The residence 
of Captain Calvin Manchester was also once a store kept by this 
Mr. Brown, for whom E. P. Church was at one time clerk. 

On the corner where John Tompkins now lives, a building 
was burned in 1855 which had been owned or occupied as a 
store by Colonel Nathaniel Tompkins, Geoi-ge W. Brown and 
Albert H. Simmons. East of this corner Joseph Hicks had a 
store at one time. 

The Philip J. Gray store mentioned has been occupied at 
various times since the days of Samuel Church by John Almy, 
Mr. Bliss, Isaac L. Tripp and Leroy M. White. In January, 
1879, it i^assed into control of Mr. Gray, who owns and occupies 
it in his business as a general merchant. 

The proximity of Adamsville to Westport harbor quite nat- 
urally suggested to the early merchants the idea of a packet 
boat to connect them with the markets of Providence, while the 
Fall River market, as an outlet for the products of their cus- 
tomers' farms, makes constant employment for a number of men 
and teams. One of these early packets was run by Henry B. 
Simmons, when it was the principal means of communication 
for the merchants here and at the Commons with Providence, 
which then was the chief base of supplies. A line of coaches 
from Westport harbor to Fall River during the summer season, 
and a daily mail from New Bedford, connect Adamsville with 
the outside world. Electric communication with Fall River 
and New Bedford renders possible to-day a volume of business 
which could not be comj^assed by the methods of a hundred 
years ago. 

The first post office in the town of Little Compton was estab- 
lished here in 1804, and given the naine of the town. On the 
8th of March, 1847, the name of the office was changed to 
Adamsville, to correspond with the name of the village. The 
first i^ostmaster was the old merchant, Samuel Church, whose 
appointment was dated October 1st, 1804. He served until 
July 1st, 1810, Avhen William A. Brown was given the appoint- 
ment, and held the office as long as it was called Little Comp- 
ton. Albert B. Cory was appointed the day the name was 
changed, and Nathaniel Tompkins was appointed April 8th 
of the following year; Philip Manchester, May 14th, 1850; 



IIISTOKV Of NKWPOIIT COUNTY. 1021 

Albert H. Simmons, June .jtli, 18G1; Philip Manchester, August 
6th, 1862; and his son Abrahiim, the present incumbent, July 
9th, 1878. 

Potter's Corners. — Between the Commons and Adamsvilleis 
a district known as Potter's Corners, including school number 
seven of the town, wliicii is second in size only to the one ut 
Simmons' hill. A store was lo(!ated here in 1860 by Noah M. 
Castino in a private residence. In 1880, Ernest L. Manchester 
built the store on the corner here, wliich, two years later was 
sold to Mrs. Castino (169), who has since, by good management, 
made the business successful. The mail for this community is 
handled by Mrs. Castino at the store as preliminary to the lo- 
cating of a government office here. 

Education. — The attention given to public education is an- 
other criterion for judging the standard of morality and cul- 
ture of any people. By this standard, the town of Little Comp- 
ton ranks as equal to any in the state, and in the early years of 
its history as much attention was given to the subject of public 
instruction as other towns reserved until a later period in their 
development. 

Nathaniel Searles, one of the leading minds in the early stages 
of the social development here, was the first man chosen in town 
meeting to the position of schoolmaster. This was in 1698 or 
1699. He was chosen from year to year, his duties prescribed 
and his wages determined. This is the way they did it: "No- 
vember 20th, 1710. Nathaniel Searles is to be the Schol Mas- 
ter of this town for one year from the date of these presents 
And the town to pay him his years Sallary £26. The Schol is 
to be keept as foUoweth, the first half year to be keept wliere 
he now liveth & the third qiuirter at Lut. ^yoods or thareabouts 
& the last quarter at Will palmers or sum whare thareabouts." 

The idea of school districts had this early beginning, and it 
appears that no officei's were charged as now with the care of the 
schools as a separate duty, for on tiie 15th of May, 1712, it was 
"Voted that this town meeting Doth advise the Selectmen ther 
of to procure A Schol iVfaster for this Towne & to remove quar- 
terly in to the four quarters of this Towne where the Selectmen 
shall order him to teach Schol." 

Ten years later. May 7tli, 1722, " Rogger Huzzill was chosen 
school master for the ensuing year for to teach & instruct our 
children & youth in reading, Writting & Arithmetick & to have 



1022 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

for his servise fonrty 8 pound and to be paid quarterly & to 
move his school quarterly as the town shall order." 

This custom of having four schools in the town was given 
the dignity of a town law in 1722. The control of the four 
schools was delegated to men residing in the respective parts of 
the town. This is their record in the premises: 

"June 15th, 1722. Voted that this town shall be divided 
into four quarters according to the Numb'r of houses Aaron 
Davis, Richard Grenill, & William Briggs of John, are chousen 
to order whare the school shall be keept in ye northwest quar- 
ter of the town. Voted George Peirce, Richard Heart, Thomas 
Stodded, are chousen to order whare the school shall be keept 
in ye North east quarter of the town, voted George Brownell, 
William Wilbur, & William Wilbur son of Joseph are chousen 
to order whare the school shall be keept in ye south est quarter 
of the town, voted Thomas Church, Joseph Southworth & 
Ensign Peter Taylor are chousen to order where the school 
shall be keept att the south west quarter of tliis town." 

The life of Mase Shepard, as pastor for more than a third of 
a century, was as much a part of the educational as of the re- 
ligious history of the town. The Puritan clergy measured use- 
fulness by intellectual as well as spiritual results, and we may 
expect to find that feature conspicuous in the practice of the 
Congregational churches which, more truly than any other, 
may be considered, in form, as the successor of the Pilgrim 
fathers. His son, Professor Charles U. Shepard of New Haven, 
Conn., writing on this subject and alluding to Ray Palmer, the 
poet, says: 

" It was through my father's exertions that a very superior 
instructor was obtained for the special benefit of a few families 
resident near the center of the town. One of these was that of 
Judge Thomas Palmer, between whose family and ours there 
existed a close intimacy. The teacher employed was Rev. John 
Sandford, of Berkley, Mass. Mr. Sandford was an uncommonly 
fine English scholar, and in every respect a lovely character. In 
particular, he was a zealous and inspiring teacher. A portion of 
his success evinced itself in that of some of his pupils in their 
after life; and in none more strikingly than in two of the young 
Palmers, one of whom became a prosperous merchant in Boston, 
but whose wealth was as nothing compared with his extraordi- 
nary excellence of character and Christian usefulness; the 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 1023 

other, rising if ])ossible, s(ill higlier in the public estimation as 
young ladies' teacher, a pastor, the manager of an important 
Christian charity, a literary writer, and most of all, as the 
author of a hymn destined to he sung around the globe by 
every kindred and tongue where the name of Jesus is spoken 
or his dying love adored." 

In August, 1722, Thomas Gray was chosen to teach with the 
title, then for the first time used in the records, "Grammar- 
School master." He taught for one year and then the town in- 
structed " Joseph Southworth their Representative to inquire 
at Cambridge for a Grammar school master to serve the town 
and to know what he wishes j^ear and when he can come." This 
idea of giving a townsman charge of the hiring a teacher is the 
first trace of the school trustee system under which all the 
schools are now managed. This was the recognized method in 
June, 1725, when the town meeting directed that " Mr. George 
Pierce be desired to agree with Mr. James Robonson to keep 
school in Little Compton one year and not to exseed 40 pounds 
for said year, and to move quarterly if ye Town sh'ld cause, 
also to teach all children that are sent to him to read, wright 
sypher and Latten." 

Ray Palmer, himself, speaking on this subject of school fa- 
cilities in his native town, recalls the names of Steuben Taylor, 
Jonathan Bigelow and John Sandford as among the teachers of 
his time. To Mr. Sandford he attributes the formation of the 
library of that time which, as managed by Esquire Pardon 
Brownell, was for years an important element in the educational 
problem of the town. 

Isaac B. Richmond, who.se relations to the church are noticed 
elsewhere, was the means of having an academy opened here at 
the Commons, and for .seven or eight years a higher education 
was within the reach of tlie people at home. The building, 
now a tenement, standing south of his homestead, then stood a 
few rods south of Thomas Briggs' residence. Under the pro- 
vision of the state law for a free school, Little Complon in 1846 
voted $120. 

The public school system of the town now consists of ten 
schools. The school census of January, 1886, shows 202 between 
five and fifteen years of age. Eighty live per cent, of this num- 
ber were in average daily attendance. For the last current year 
the town particii)ated in the educational fund of the state to the 
amount of $1,247.89. 



1024 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

The superintendent is William D. Hart, whose great personal 
care for the general as well as particular interests of the schools 
has, during his five years of service, been a potent impulse to- 
Avard their substantial advancement. His reports to the town 
are models of neatness and care, and it seems that his ser- 
vice, much of it in excess of his prescribed duty, is well ap- 
preciated. 

The Free Public Library here is the outgrowth of a library 
established about 1845 by certain shareholders, who purchased 
a small collection, consisting principally of Harper's publica- 
tions. Public interest in this collection was so inconsiderable, 
and the revenue from fines and assessments so insignificant, that 
the library was of very little value as an element of public edu- 
cation, when the state law was passed providing an appropria- 
tion of fifty dollars per annum in aid of any town establishing 
a library of five hundred volumes. Frederi(;k R. Brownell was 
instrumental in securing the consent of the stockholders to turn 
over to the town the whole collection. The books were accepted 
by the town in town meeting, and Mr. Brownell was appointed 
a committee to secure the aid from the state. 

The first board of managers were Frederick R. Brownell, Ben- 
jamin F. AVilburand Jediah Shaw. Doctor Cowan was libra- 
rian while he was town clerk. Philip H. Wilbur was elected 
manager, vice Jediah Shaw, deceased. The collection, now 
numbering eleven hundred volumes, is increased annually by 
the state appropriation. F. R. Brownell is librarian. 

Business Interests.— Little Compton is essentially an agri- 
cultural town, and the principal revenues of the present gen- 
eration are the products of the farms, consisting of corn, hay 
and live stock. Within the last few years the raising of poul- 
try for the city markets has been added, to a greater or less ex- 
tent, to nearly every farmer's business. Many of the people 
make this their main dei)endence, and following a nearly uni- 
form system, the fields through the town are dotted with the 
buildings where the flocks are colonized. The middle man is 
not a great favorite with the average Granger, but this indus- 
try, whatever may come to be its proportions, may be credited 
to those who have made a ready market at home for all these 
products by becoming themselves middle men and trustworthy 
buyers. 

The city market for dressed poultry is the ultimate outlet 



HISTOKY OF NEWPOUT COUNTY. 1025 

for these products. The collecting of the stock from the vari- 
ous farmers and handling it, with reference to the prices and 
demands of the outside market, is a business of considerable 
proportions. E. A. Cornell, of Adamsville, and the firm of 
Brightman & Lincoln (111) are principally depended upon in 
this matter by the producers in the town. Mr. Brightnuin be- 
gan this business at his farm in ]881. They killed and shipped, 
in 1886, not less than 3,000 geese, 3,.'500 ducks and 6,500 other 
fowls. During the time they were fitting this stock for market 
$1,500 worth of grain was fed. Pour men, besides the partners, 
are employed. They depend upon New York and Boston mar- 
kets. Wild geese are bred in the town. A pair weighing forty 
pounds is not exceptional, the price frequently reaching 28 or 
30 cents per pound. 

The first grist mill in the vicinity, accommodating the fami- 
lies of Little Compton, was the one at the Puncatest settlement, 
ill Tiverton. Another, just east of the town line at Adamsville, 
at a later date began to supply a portion of the people of this 
town. These were the water mills of an early day, both outside 
the town whose patronage was their partial support. 

The first water mill erected within this town was between the 
Commons and Adamsville. It is still standing — or one in the 
same place — known as the Simmons mill. Benjamin Simmons, 
the father of Samuel Simmons (156), built the dam about the 
year 1750, and erected a mill with two run of stones. Here, 
for years, the families of this town and part of Tiverton 
were supplied with Hour and meal. Tiie power was secured by 
an old-fashioned "undershot" wheel which has since given 
place to the modern Turbine. The mill passed through the 
hands of other generations of the Simmons family, was owned 
by Nathan Skinner, George R. Brownell, George H. Woodman, 
and is now the property of James N. Pierce. 

South of Potters' Corners, a half mile, William Mauley built 
a grist mill which he subsequently sold to Peleg Peckbam {l-i'2). 
It was owned later by Gideon Church and came to be generally 
known as the Church mill. It was abandoned about 1848. 

On the farm of Thomas E. White was a water grist mill, 
built probably by Adam Simmons for his son Isaac. The water 
supply was that which the original proprietors reserved for 
common use when they plotted the seventy-four house lots for 
the village site in 1677. As the farms along this stream were 



1026 IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

cleared and tilled, the supply of water was diininislied and the 
mill abandoned. 

Wind power was utilized here at an earlj' day for grist 
mill purposes, but now there are none of these mills in operation 
in the town. One on the Butler lot near the Commons, was 
abandoned about forty years since. For several years, before 
and after J800, a large mill was in operation at Seconnet point 
where Doctor Gardner's cottage now stands. It was probably 
built by William Roach before either of the other two men- 
tioned. 

The octagonal wind mill, with its four canvas sails, is as 
much an institution and product of New England as Thanks- 
giving, or pumpkin j)ie, or Indian summer, and several have 
served their day and generation — some of them two genera- 
tions — in the domestic economy of Little Compton, in reduc- 
ing to meal the native corn, as the first stej) in the preparation 
of that delectable dish known as the New England "Johnny 
Cake." The mills themselves, like the mills of the Gods, 
grind slow. They are winged creatures, surely, and some are of 
the migratory species. One of these was built in 1828 in Tiv- 
erton by Cook Almy who sold it to George A. Gray who* re- 
moved it to Little Compton where it did service until 1880. 
Daniel B. Almy of Portsmouth bonght it that year, and remov- 
ing its parts to that town, again set it up. 

In May, 1665, a mutual fire insurance comjiany was incorpo. 
rated by thestatelegislature, to do a local business in this town 
and Tiverton. The first board of directors consisted of Isaac B. 
Richmond, who was chosen president, Gideon H. Durfee, Oliver 
C. Brownell, Charles W. Howland, Isaac C Wilbour, and Job 
Wordell. Andrew H. Manchester was made a director in 1876, 
Henry Durfee in 1881, Frederick R. Brownell in 1883, and 
Henry I. Richmond in 1884. Israel Allen was elected secretary 
1865, Preston B. Richmond 1866, Frederick R. Brownell 1883. 
The treasurers elected have been: Gideon H. Durfee, 1865; 
Henry Durfee, 1880; Job Wordell, 1881. Mr. Wordell is the 
company's agent for Tiverton, and George F. Taylor for Little 
Compton. In 1884 the present president, Isaac C. Wilbour, was 
elected. Their assets in June, 1887, were !?10,0il0 in savings 
banks, and premium notes amounting to over $70,000. The 
executive committee in 1887 consisted of Isaac C. Wilbour, 
president ex officio, and Oliver C. Brownell, Frederick R. Brownell 
and Henry I. Richmond. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 1027 

Nearly all the lire risks of the two towns are carried by this 
company, and their experience warrants a continuation of this 
system of insurance. The premium notes are written obliga- 
tions of the insured. Dividends to the makers of these notes 
are declared from the net earnings of the company. 

An enterprise, bearing an important relation to the future 
possibilities of the town, was undertaken in 1887 by a company 
of six persons; John Sisson, George Drowne, Frank T. Church, 
Valentine Simmons, John Davis and Mrs. Doctor Cowan. Late 
in the fall they finished a hotel at the Point, the only one in 
the town, which every indication shows is to be a nucleus of a 
large summer community there. It is known as the Seconnet 
Point hotel. 



65 



CHAPTER XXI. 



TOWN OF LITTLE COMPTON {Concluded). 

Colonel Benjamin Church.— Colonel John Church. — Nathaniel Church.— Joseph 
Church.— Thomas Church.— William Pabodie.— Major Sylvester Brownell.— 
Isaac Bailey Richmond. — James F. Simmons. — George W. Briggs, D. D.— 
Ray Palmer.— The Coe Family.— Colonel Henry T. Sisson.— Levi W. Sisson. 
— Ephraim Bailey Sisson. — Albert Seabury.— George Arnold Gray.— Edward 
Wing Rowland. — Philip W. Almy.— Personal Paragraphs. 



THE lives of several men, well known bej^ond the narrow 
bounds of this little township, have reflected credit upon 
this as the place of their birth or residence. No question has 
been raised in two hundred years but that Colonel Benjamin 
Church, in his military, business and political relations, 
was the most conspicuous figure in the local history of the town. 
His fame and his usefulness were as broad as New England, and 
in the general histories of the new world his deeds are always 
recognized. He and his brother Joseph each were original own- 
ers in the first Seconnet purchase. They were sons of Richard 
Church, an Englishman, who came to America in 1630 and died 
at Dedham in 1667. His will, dated shortly before his death, 
says: " Equally divided * * * only my son Joseph shall 
have a dubble portion * * * by reason of the lameness of 
his hand whereby he is disabled above the rest of my children 
from the getting of a livelihood." 

Colonel Church thoroughly understood the character of the 
Indians and their modes of warfare, which latter he adopted 
with great success. He was to southern New England what 
Miles Standish had been to the first generation of Plymouth 
colonists — a buckler and shield in the hour of danger; but he 
had far more experience in military affairs than fell to the lot 
of the Pilgrim captain. It was destined for him to strike the 
first and the last decisive blows in Philip's war, by which he is 
now best known to fame. So great was the reputation he gained 
that he was afterward constantly called to the field to repel the 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 1029 

French and Indians at the north and east. He served in no less 
than five expeditions against Canada and Maine, ascommander- 
in chief of the colonial forces sent out by the roj'al governors of 
New England. The first time was at the request of Sir Edmund 
Andros, in 1689; again, in 1690, by Hinckley; then, in 1692, he 
was commissioned by Sir William Phipps; next, in 1696, by 
Staughton; and finally, in the sixty-fifth year of his age, he was 
urged by Governor Dudley, in 1704, to command the forces for 
the fifth time sent out against the French, and accepted. He 
was born at Duxbury in 1639. He married Alice Southvvorth, 
granddaughter of the distinguished wife of Governor Bradford, 
by whom he had five sons and two daughters. The wife of the 
late Deacon Sylvester Brownell, of Little Compton, was his 
great-granddaughter. Colonel Church was killed by a fall from 
his horse, January 17th, 1717-18, in his seventy-eighth year. 
The history of his wars, under the title "Entertaining passages 
relating to Philip's War, with some account of the Divine Prov- 
idence toward Benjamin Church," was written by his son, 
Thomas, from the colonel's dictation. The volume contains a 
Latin ode by a grandson, attesting ohe scholarship of his de- 
scendants. Some branches of the family have settled in differ- 
ent parts of the state or moved elsewhere. Some of the descend- 
ants of the old hero still reside in Little Compton, where they 
preserve the position and the patrimonial estates inherited from 
their illustrious ancestor. Governor Winslow, in his letter to 
the king, June 26th, 1677, accompanying presents of the spoils 
of Philip, "being his Crown, his Gorge and two Belts of their 
own making of their goulde and silver taken from him by Capt. 
Benjamin Church," speaks of Church as " a person of loyalty, 
and the most successful of our commanders." The original let- 
ter is in the British State Paper Office, New England papers. 
Vol. IIL, page 16. 

Colonel John Church,* son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Tay- 
lor) Church, was born in Little Compton, on the 17th day of 
March, 1794. He was a lineal descendant of Ilicliard Church 
and his wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Warren, who came 
in the "May Flower," in 1620. The dii'ect line of descent is 
John'; Joseph', 1764-1840; Ebenezer', 172r)-1825; Caleb', 1701- 
1769; Joseph', 1663-1715; Joseph', 1638-1711; Richard', 1608- 
1667. 

By F. R. Brownell. 



1030 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 



John' moved to Providence about 1812, and was connected 
with John H. Green in bnsiness, as an architect and builder. 
He afterward became the senior partner of the reliable firm of 
Church & Sweet. Being interested in military affairs, he be- 
came colonel of the Piovidence infantry, and while occupying 
that official position, escorted General Lafayette into and out of 
Providence, when that distinguished friend of our country vis- 
ited Rhode Island in the year 1824. He was a member of the 
city council of Providence in 1832, director of the Providence , 
Mutual Fire Insurance Company for many years, and of sev- 
eral of the Providence banks. 




THE CHURCU HOMESTEAD. 

In 1841 Colonel Church retired from business in Providence 
and returned to his native town, where he had previously erected 
a house on the large estate which had been owned by his ances- 
tors from the time of the first settlement of Little Compton, and 
which is now owned by his sons, John and William S. This 
beautiful country home was the hospitable center of a large 
circle of relatives and friends for the remainder of his life. He 
represented his native town in the general assembly several 
years, was a member of the town council, and held other offices; 
but having no desire for office, he many times refused the so- 
licitations of his friends to be a candidate. With his excellent 
wife. Prudence W. Simmons, whom he married in 1816, he 




-*^ 



HISTORY OF NKWI'OIIT COUNTy. 1031 

united with the Coiiiiref^iitioniil L-liurch in Little Conipton about 
1852. He died November 18th, 1882. 

He was a man of line personal appearance, of great decision 
of cliaracter, of unswerving integrity, a lover of peace and good 
order, a helper in every good work, and possessed tlie esteem 
and respect of all who knew him. The memory of his manly 
life is a rich legacy for his children, and will long be cherished 
by his friends. "Without fear and without reproach," might 
truly have been his epitaph. 

Nathaniel Ckurch. — Joseph Church, the grandfather of 
the subject of this biography, and his wife, Elizabeth, had 
children : John, Peter, Benjamin, Susan (Mrs. Augustus Peck- 
ham), Lydia (Mrs. James Brownell), and Nathaniel. The last 
named son was born Decend^er 17th, 1801, in Little Compton, 
and married Sarah C, daugiiter of Gray and Hannah 
Wood. Their children are : Cordelia, born in 1827; Hannah 
E., 1828; Mary A., 1830, deceased; Francis T., 1832; William 
M., 1835, deceased; Joseph, 1837, deceased; Alexander, 1839; 
Henry S., 1841, deceased ; Eliza, 1843, deceased ; and Natha- 
niel. General Nathaniel Church for nearly two generations 
tilled a prominent jdace in the political and social life of the 
county. At the age of thirty-two he entered the general assem- 
bly as representative, and was from that date a member of the 
upper or lower house for thirty-four years. During the early 
days of the rebellion he, as the oldest member of the senate, 
acted as governor for a brief period. When the militia was or- 
ganized he received a brigadier general's commission and took 
great pride in discharging the duties of the position. His genial 
nature won for him many friends and caused him to be sincerely 
mourned. 

His son, Nathaniel (who is the nephew of Colonel John 
Church of the preceding biography), was born December 
13th, 1845, in Little Compton, where, with the exception of a 
brief interval in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, he has since resided. 
His education is more the result of observation and caieful 
habits of thought than of hours spent over his books at .school. 
Bred to the work of the farm in his youth he has since been de- 
voted to his chosen calling and occupied the homestead farm. 
To this he has added an extensive traffic in grain, flour and 
feed. Mr. Churcli was married on the 17th of January, 1861), 
to Mary E., daughter of Alfred C. and Elvira M. Briggs, born 



1032 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

March 26th, 1849. Their only child, a daughter, Sarah W., 
was born November 23d, 1876. Alfi-ed C. Briggs was born 
May 21st. 1813, and died June .^th, 1886. Plis wife, Elvira M., 
was born May 16th, 1820, and died November 3d, 1849. Mr 
Church has always given his supi)ort to the republican party 
in politics. He was elected rejiresentative to the general as- 
sembly in 1885 and 1886, and in 1887 senator from his district, 
serving meanwhile on the committees on fisheries and state 
property. He was also appointed one of the commissioners of 
the stone bridge connecting Tiverton and Portsmouth. Mr. 
Church fills the role of that important individual, the township 
auctioneer, and in various other ways has made his presence 
indispensable to the township. 

Joseph Church, son of Richard', was the oldest brother 
of Colonel Benjamin. His descendants, although widely scat- 
tered, have always been represented in Little Compton, and the 
property owned by him in 1681, in which year he moved to 
Seconnet from Hinghara, Massachusetts, is still owned by John 
Church', son of Colonel John', and several families from the 
same ancestral line reside here, one of the sons in each gener- 
ation remaining at home and inheriting the farm. 

Thomas Church* (Thomas', Benjamin", Richard') was a 
military man of more than local reputation. He commanded 
the Rhode Island regiment at the siege of Boston. His home 
in Little Compton was at Seconnet point, where Colonel Henry 
T. Sisson now lives. His regiment, " the 15th Regiment of 
foot," was at Jamaica Plains in 1775. It consisted of five com- 
panies from five of the Newport county towns. In it were 
seventy-four men from Little Comj^ton as privates. Their 
captain was Thomas Brownell, Aaron Wilbour was lieutenant, 
and Aaron Wilbour, Jr., was ensign. The muster roll of this 
regiment was sadly mutilated, but what remains of its pages 
are in possession of Mrs. Wilbour (170), who received them 
from the colonel's great-granddaughter. 

William Pabodie, whose grave at the Commons is mention- 
ed, was a conspicuous man in the early affairs of the town. He 
was for many years clerk of the Seconnet proprietors. The 
respect with which he was regarded, and the respectful manner 
in which some jjublic business was done by the gallant gentle- 
men of the old school are both vividly portrayed in this 
entry in their records, September 24th, 1702: " Mr Peter Tay- 







fc»-\ft-\X»t» i %rt.*»'\V^1 \». ^. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 1033 

lor was chosen a Clerk of the said Proprietors, Not thereby to 
diminish Mr William Peabodie, the ancient Clerk, but that 
either of them May officiate in the said Office, and the reason 
and intent of our so doing is that the ancient Clerk, while he 
liveth, may inform the New Clerk in many things touching the 
records of the lands of the said proprietors, which cannot so 
well be understood by a stranger." 

His home was south of the original thirty "Great Lots." 
Some question has arisen within the last few years as to the 
location of his homestead. The farm now owned by George A. 
Gray was the property of John Pabodie in 1762, and on the 
24th of April of that year he deeded to Pardon Gray, for 
£14,000, " Old Tenner" bills of credit, eighty acres, which in 
the description is called the "homestead where I now live." 
If this was the Pabodie homestead no doubt the remnants of 
the original house are in the present buildings of Mr. Gray. 

Major Sylvester Brownell" (Jonathan*, 1719-1776; George", 
1685-1756; Thomas', 1650-1732; Thomas', 1619-1665) was born 
November 20th, 1757. In his eighteenth year he enlisted in 
the revolutionary army, and was one of the thousand men who, 
under Colonel Prescott, on the night of the 16th of June, 1775, 
marched from Cambridge to Breed's hill and threw up the re- 
doubt which, the next day, brought on the battle of Bunker Hill. 
He served through the war, and was in the disastrous battle of 
Long Island under General Sullivan, and afterward in the bat- 
tle of Rhode Island. In 1778 he married Mercy, daughter of 
Colonel Thomas Chui'ch, and great-grandaugliter of Colonel 
Benjamin Church, the hero of King Philip's war. He had 
eleven children. The oldest, Thomas Church Brownel!,was edu- 
cated at Brown University, and after a professorship at Union 
College, Schenectady, studied theology and was rector of 
Trinity church. New York city, elected bishop of the diocese of 
Connecticut, and founded and was first president of Trinity 
College, Hartford. His statue adorns the public park there. 

Sylvester was for nearly twenty years a senator in the Massa- 
chusetts legislature. In 1804 he was elected deacon of the United 
Congregational church in Little Compton. He died in Little 
Compton March 21st, 1840. Deacon Brownell was much re- 
spected for his intelligence and public spirit, and his opinions, 
after a lapse of half a century, are quoted by the older inhabi- 
tants of the town. Professor Shephard, of Yale, once said of 



1034 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

him: "For genuine excellence and dignity of character he was 
a model man, and greatly esteemed by my father." His sons, 
Pardon, Richmond and Jonathan, were educated at Union Col- 
lege, Schenectady. Sylvester Brownell's commission as major, 
by John Hancock, governor of Massachusetts, is now in posses- 
sion of his grandson, Frederick R. Brownell, Esq., of Little 
Comj^ton. 

Isaac Bailey Richmond. — The earliest Richmond of whom 
there is authentic record came from France to England with the 
Conqueror in the year 1066. We next hear of William Rich- 
mond of Druycot Hall in 1390. The progenitor of the family 
in America was Col. John Richmond, who came from Ashton, 
Heynes, Wiltshire, England, in 1637. He settled in Taunton, 
Massachusetts, but later removed to Little Compton, accom- 
panied by his sons, John and Edward. The latter, from whom 
the subject of this biography is descended, purchased land at 
Westerly, Rhode Island, in 1661, and at East Grreenwich in 1667, 
but ultimately settled in Little Compton. Edward was born in 
1632 and died in 1696. His son. Colonel Sylvester Richmond, 
was born in 1673 and died in 1754. He was a lieutenant and 
justice of the jieace, afterward became a colonel, and was an 
influential and highly respected citizen. His son. Captain 
Perez Richmond, born in 1702, died in 1770. He married Deb- 
orah Loring in 1731 and had ten children, of whom Joshua, 
the eldest son, was born in 1734 and died in 1778. He married 
in 1761, Elizabeth, daughter of John and Deborah Barker Cush- 
ing, of Scituate, Massachusetts. Among their sons was Joshua, 
whose birth occurred in 1770 and his death in 1812. He mar- 
ried in 1797, Mary, daughter of Isaac and Sarah M. Bailey, and 
had six children as follows: Isaac Bailey, Mary, John Cash- 
ing, Joshua, Mary 2d and William. 

Isaac Bailey Richmond was born June 14th, 1798, in Little 
Compton. Here and in Providence, at that date the home of 
his parents, his childhood was passed. His education was re- 
ceived at the common schools and under the direction of Rev. 
Mase Shepard, after which, at the early age of fourteen, he was 
apprenticed to Mr. John H. Green of Providence, a well known 
house builder and one of the foremost architects of the country. 
Mr. Green having received an order to build a large edifice for the 
congregation of the Independent Presbyterian church of Savan- 
nah, Georgia,ai)pointed his apprentice as foreman to superintend 




a 
z 

o 
2 

X 

o 



u 

< 

o 
< 

< 

(0 

u. 



w 
o 
z 

Q 

5) 
u 

c 





o 



IIISTOKY OF NEWPOKT COUNTY. 1035 

this work. The young man, though but niuetfen years of age, ac- 
cepted the position, and tlirough it became favoraldy l^nown in 
Savannah, where he determined to locate, and for twenty years 
thereafter conducted a prosperous business as house buihler and 
lumber dealer. His wife's health having failed, he returned to 
Little Compton and purchased the property now embraced in 
his present home. Mr. Richmond soon after established a lum- 
ber trade in New Bedford, and also acted as agent for various 
parties engaged in the whaling l)usiness, being himself largely 
interested in these ventures. For a pei'iod of thirty years these 
commercial relations were continued. Little Compton still being 
his home. 

Mr. Richmond, on the 30th of September, 1823, married Aba- 
gail Brown, who was born September 15th, 1803, and died July 
14th, 1884. Their children are: Henry Isaac, Horatio Whit- 
ridge, Georgia Anna, Preston Baker, William Brown, Charles 
Gushing, Abby Elizabeth and Joshua Bailey. Mr. Richmond, 
aside from his jirivate business, has been interested in many 
corporate enterprises. He was the projector, and for nineteen 
years president of the Tiverton and Little Compton Mutual 
Insurance Company, and a director of the Commercial Insur- 
ance Company of New Bedford. His political affiliations have 
been either whig or republican. He represented his district 
in the state senate in 1870 and 1871, has been a notary public, 
president of the town council, and filled other township offices. 

Mr. Richmond, or Deacon Richmond, as he is familiarly 
known, in his Christian life has exhibited, as his most marked 
characteristic, a firm, undeviating loyalty to the truth. It has 
ever been his aim to do right. He has sought to do his duty; 
first of all his duty toward God, and then as faithfully his duty 
toward man. While susceptible, in a high degree, to influences 
flowing from the love of God, yet the impression which he has 
made ujion his fellow-men is that of a life grounded upon prin- 
ciple rather than emotion. Consequently he has e.vhibited a 
steady, abiding interest in every good work. His position nii 
any question of duty was clearly defined and easily ascertained, 
and when once known, was known forever; for as the truth al- 
ways remains the same, so his loyalty to the truth compelled 
him to be unswerving in his position toward it. This is not to 
say that he never changed liis opinion, but only as new light 
revealed the truth in a different aspect. On this principle he 



1036 HrSTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

has been the fast friend of every cause which liad for its object 
the spread of the truth as it is in Jesus. 

Hence we find that for years he has been a liberal annual con- 
tributor to the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign 
Missions, the American Home Missionary Society, the American 
Missionary Association, the American Bible Society, the Amer- 
ican Tract Society, the American Seamen's Friend Society, the 
American Education Society, the American Colonization Soci- 
ety, the Congregational Union, the Congregational Sunday 
School and Publishing Society, the New West Education Com- 
mission, the Rhode Island Temperance Union, and doubtless to 
other benevolent organizations. Of many of these societies he 
is a life member, and of three or four he made also his wife and 
each of his eight children life members, desiring thus to culti- 
vate an interest on the part of his children for those objects so 
dear to himself. 

But his strongest attachment has been for the United Congre- 
gational church and society of his own town. For more than 
fifty years this church has received his almost constant care, 
his warmest prayers, his frequent tears, and his great lal)or of 
love. A deacon for nearly all this period, performing his du- 
ties wi(h singular fidelity, dignity and love; as Sunday school 
superintendent, carrying the gospel into less favored parts of 
the town; as clerk and treasurer of the church, keeping its rec- 
ords with almost faultless accuracy; as president and treasurer 
of the society, managing its financial interests with remarkable 
sagacity; and as member of the standing committee, watching 
every department with the keenest interest, his wise counsels 
were felt in the whole administration of the church. 

In matters of religious doctrine, while cherishing a hopeful 
view of the ultimate success of the kingdom of Christ, he has, 
during all his Christian life, been conservatively orthodox. 
Tills is clearly shown b}' the doctrinal part of the church man- 
ual, which, although the adopted sentiment of the whole church, 
was prepared by him alone. To very few persons is given the 
opportunity for such extended usefulness, and to still less the 
ability to fill each position with such efficiency. 

It would be a long story to tell of his deeds of charity. The 
Bible Depository, auxiliary to the American Bible Society, 
which was inaugurated and managed pi-incipally by him, being 
kept for twenty years in his house, and the Richmond Acad- 



mSTOKY Ob' NKWPORT COUNTY. 1037 

emy, wliich he established by erecting suitable buildings and 
procuring teachers, and sustained for a period of years for the 
benefit of his own and other children, are examples of that 
Christian enterprise which has ever marked his course. As 
a result of this faithful adherence to Christian principles, Dea- 
con Richmond has ever held an honored place in the resi)ect 
and confidence of his fellow-citizens. 

James F. Simmons' (Davis*, 1769-1832; George', 1731-1809; 
William', 1699-1774; William', 167.'5) was born in Little Comp- 
ton September 10th, 179o. His means of education were lim- 
ited to the schools of the rural neighborhood. Trained to the 
hard}' labors of the farm, his evenings were occupied by study, 
and at an early age he manifested a taste for finance and com- 
merce, and when quite young established himself in Providence, 
and soon after in Johnston, R. I., where he lived until his 
death. Johnston was then a stronghold of the democratic 
party for several years. Mr. Simmons contended with the 
dominant party, but in 1827 was elected to the legislature, where 
he soon rose to a commanding position, and where he continued, 
with brief intermission, till 1810, when he was elected to the 
United States senate for the term commencing in March, 1841, 
with the administration of General Harrison. Clay and Cal- 
houn were then in the senate, and Webster had just left it for 
the state department. 

Mr. Simmons was a manufacturer and a high taritf man; his 
memory was remarkably teiuicious of statistics, and lie soon 
took a high position on financial questions. It is said that Mr. 
Clay declared on one occasion that Mr. Simmons knew more 
about finance than any other man in the nation. In 1847, after 
one of the most memorable struggles ever held in this state, 
Mr. Simmons was succeeded by John H. Clark. It is said that 
Mr. Simmons was defeated in consequence of his advocating the 
pardon of Thomas W. Dorr, who was then in prison on a life 
sentence for treason. In 1857 he was again elected to the 
senate. 

He was a warm supporter of Henry Clay and his personal 
friend, in his first term in the senate. Soon after taking his 
seat, he made a powerful speech on the currency, which estab- 
lished his reputation as a sound thinker and a practical man ac- 
quainted with matters of trade and commerce. Upon these 
matters he was always an authority and his views commanded 



11 



1038 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

the respect and attention of his colleagues. The subject to 
which he gave his greatest study was tlie tariff, and his reten- 
tive memory and familiarity with financial and commercial sta- 
tistics gave him great power in debate. 

Mr. Simmons was tall and elegant in person, but plain and 
simple in manners. Few men have liad, to a greater degree, the 
power of attaching friends to them, and few have been followed 
with greater personal devotion. He died July 13th, 1864. 

George W. Briggs, D. D., of Cambridge, is a man remem- 
bered here with love and respect. 

Ray Palmer, the poet, was born here (131) and his sister, 
Mrs. Thomas B. Grinnell is still a resident of the town. 

The Coe Family.— Early generations of the Coe family were 
prominent here. The grave of John Coe" (106) is south of the 
Pabodie monument, in the cemetery at the Commons. He was 
a son-in-law of Elizabeth Alden Pabodie, having married her 
daughter Sarah. George S. Coe, president of the American Ex- 
change National Bank, of New York, is one of the descendants. 

Colonel Henry T. Sisson. — Whoever would know of the 
prominent men of New England who are or have been a part of 
the local history of Newport county, must have some knowledge 
of the life and public services of the gentleman, now a resident 
of Seconnet, whose well known name and well earned title 
head this i)aragraph. Henry Tillinghast Sisson was born Au- 
gust 20th, 1831. His father, David Sisson, was one of the thir- 
teen children of Lemuel Sisson. Lemuel was a native of Ports- 
mouth, R. I., in which town David was born on the 16th of 
February, 1803. In 1811 the family removed to Newport, 
whence they came in 1816 to Seconnet point, where Lemuel be- 
came a tenant on the Roach estate, then one of the best farms 
in Little Compton. Here Lemuel reared his seven sons and six 
daughters. Here David was trained to the life of a farmer, and 
after he and his brother had succeeded their father as tenants, 
he became the owner of the Roach farm. This property, now 
occupied by Colonel Sisson, is the estate once owned by Colonel 
Thomas Church and is said to have previously been the property 
of his grandfather, Colonel Benjamin Church. It is unques- 
tionably the most valuable land projjerty on the Seconnet pen- 
insula. Colonel Sisson has been principally engaged for the 
last several years in managing this property, plotting it and 
getting it into the market as building sites for summer cottages. 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 1039 

Eight generations of white owners have made this locality his- 
toric. As the home of Colonel Church it is of more than pass- 
ing interest. As the site of the Roach mill it has been men- 
tioned in the preceding chapter. As the home of Lemuel Sisson 
it became the Mecca of the early Methodists. The active days 
of David Sisson' s life were passed outside of Newport county. 
Beginning at the age of twenty-three as clerk at Fall River for 
the Fall River Iron Works Company, he was made their agent 
in 1837 and put in charge of a branch establishment at Provi- 
dence, where he soon after removed his family, which consisted 
in part of his wife, who was a daughter of Tillinghast Bailey, 
of Little Compton, and the son, Henry T., then a lad of eight 
years. The name of David Sisson from that time until his 
death was closely identified with mercantile and manufacturing 
enterprises, including the American Print Works, the Globe 
Print Works, the American Linen Manufacturing Company 
and the Providence Tool Company. He was a man of indom- 
itable energy — a characteristic of his father — and a high ideal 
of moral and religious duty, a quality conspicuous in the char- 
acter of his mother. 

Colonel Sisson was educated at the Gorham Academy, Maine, 
and fully prepared for college there and at the University 
Grammar School at Providence. Prior to 1861 he was engaged 
in various manufacturing and mercantile pursuits, but the 
opening of the civil war created an era in his life and led to the 
military career by which he will be best known to posterity. 
In 1851 he connected himself with the Providence Marine Corps 
of artillery as a private, and in the same year he received an 
appointment upon the staff of its colonel, George L. Andrews, 
the present senior colonel in the United States army. He after- 
ward acted as major under Governor Sprague, who was colonel 
of the organization. Probably no man living has displayed 
more activity in the militia organization of Rhode Island than 
the subject of this sketc^h. Some two years prior to the rebel- 
lion he accepted the colonelcy of the Mechanics' Rifles, raising 
it from a company to a full regiment, and thus earned the dis- 
tinction of being the first in Rhode Island to raise and comnuuul 
a full militia regiment. From this regiment were enlisted two 
companies for the First Rhode Island Regiment for United 
States service. Colonel Sisson took a jiosition on General 
Burnside's staff, with the rank of lieutenant, and acted as pay- 



1040 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

master. He was appointed instructor of " The Carbineers " — 
a hundred picked men — and led the company in the lirst battle 
of Bull Run. For ability displayed there he was put in com- 
mand of the Ninth Rhode Island Artillery. He was in the 
fight at James Island and in front of Charleston. For gallant 
services on that occasion he was recommended for promotion 
and received the colonelcy of the Fifth Rhode Island Artillery, 
which rank he held to the close of the war. 

He performed service as commandant of the Fifth Regiment 
in North Carolina, commanding a brigade and division in 
the second siege of Newbern, commanding the center and most 
important division with more men than both wings. In April, 
1863, he raised the siege of Little Washington while in com- 
mand of the Fifth Regiment. This event is the subject of much 
war correspondence, and is one of the cardinal points in Colonel 
Sisson's career. Governor Sprague, one of the colonel's friends 
and admirers, in an autograph letter, says he was "a distin- 
guished officer ill our Union army, who conferred great credit 
u^wn our sr;iip iiihi reaped great honor for himself, doing the 
cause iiniiiMi-t- service." The legislature of Rhode Island 
passed a vi,ie <<[' ilianks to Colonel Sisson in apprecia- 
tion of fliis s.-i-vice. After the war he was general superintend- 
ent of the Spi-;ig;ie iniils in Coventry and Warwick. From 1875 
to 1877 lie was lieutenant-governor of Rhode Island. In 
1881, haviiiii- espoused the cause of the democracy, he accepted 
the nom ilia lion for congress against the present incumbent, 
Hon. H. J. Spooner, who was elected. He is the inventor of 
several practical devices in the arts of war and of peace, to 
which he has not yet given the time and attention which is 
called for by their possibilities as practical improvements. 

Colonel Sisson, in the environments of his home life, is hap- 
pily circumstanced. His wife, Josephine E., is a daughter of 
Joseph Brownell, whose mother, Lydia Church Brownell, was 
a daughter of Joseph Cliurch, a lineal descendant of Richard 
Church. Their four children are: Nettie W., David, Henry T., 
Jr., and Frank Harris. 

Levi W. Sisson.— Lemuel Sisson, born in Portsmouth, April 
21st, 1769, removed to Seconnet point in 1816, where he resided 
for the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1849. He 
married Susannah Lake, of Portsmouth, born April 2Sth, 1775. 
Their children were: Mary, born October 1st, 1793; John, Jan- 




«^^r 




V-j^J-c^n 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 1041 

tiary 21st, 1796; Elanor, November 25th, 1797; Ann, Feb- 
ruary 26tli, 1799; Josepli, February 12th, 1801; David, 
February 14th, 1803; Lemuel, May 27th, 1805; Levi W., March 
19th, 1807; Susannah L., March loth, 1809; James P., June 16th, 
1812; Sarah A., January 4th, 1815; William H., January 19th, 
1818, and Harriet P., January 19th, 1818. But two of this num- 
ber, Sarah A. and Harriet P., survive. 

Levi W. Sisson was a native of Portsmouth, and spent his 
early youth in Newport. At the age of nine years he removed 
with, his parents to Seconnet point, and received such education 
as the primitive schools of the day afforded. He then gave a 
helping hand to his father in his farming pursuits, and the year 
succeeding his marriage, having leased the farm, continued for 
twelve years to cultivate it. Owing to failing health Mr. Sisson 
deemed it prudent to abandon for a time active employment, 
but continued his residence as before. He married on the 2d of 
February, 1837, Mary, daughter of Elnathan Taber, of Fair 
Haven, Massachusetts. Their children are: William H., born 
December 24th, 1837, who, with his family, located near the 
home of his father; Elizabeth T., May 22d, 1839, deceased; 
Rachel D., October 30th, 1840; Mary F., September 30th, 1845; 
Lemuel, February 8th, 1849, and Levi, December 9th, 1852. 
In 1853 Mr. Sisson purchased the property now the home of 
his younger sons, and there engaged in what is termed mixed 
husbandry until his death. 

He was retiring in his manner, shunned the excitements of 
public life, and was content to cast his vote with the republi- 
can party, without aspiring to the offices within its gift. On 
the occasion of his death, which occurred November 1st, 1880, 
• the following tribute was paid his memory by a friend: "Mr. 
Sisson had been a member of the M. E. Church about fifty 
years. He will be remembered as a humble, trustful, con- 
sistent Christian. As an office-bearer in the church, in busi- 
ness life, in his family, under all circumstances, he exemi)lified 
the religion which he professed. Mr. Sisson has, ever since 
his conversion, taken a deep interest in the church; he loved 
her doctrines and usages, and enjoyed with a deep relish the 
means of grace. He was an affectionate husband and father, 
a genial companion and a true friend. His last sickness, though 
lingering and jxainful, was met with fortitude, and with a spirit 
of loving, trustful submission to the will of God. He lived 



11 



1042 HISTORY OF NEWPORT OOTTNTY. 

well, and thei-efore died well. A little before losing conscious- 
ness he said, with utmost assurance, ' I have no fears for the 
future.' " 

Ephraim Bailey Sisson. —No family name in Little Comp- 
ton has been more closely associated with the growth of Ameri- 
canism than that of Sisson. In 1816 Lemuel Sisson settled at 
Seconnet, and during his lifetime his home was the Mecca of the 
Methodists. Jolin Sisson, one of his thirteen children, who was 
born in Portsmouth twenty years before and died in 1879 in 
Little Compton,with his wife, Mary Brownell, lived on the farm 
belonging to James I. Bailey at Seconnet. Their only child, 
Eijhraim Bailey, was born there February 4th, 1821. At this 
point his early days were pas.sed, and from this humble home 
the lad was sent to get as he might, such learning as he could 
in the primitive schools of that day. Later he enjoyed some 
advantages at a city school in New Bedford, and during his 
early manhood was twice employed as a teacher in the schools 
of his native town. Tlie year after attaining his majority he was 
married to Harriet E., daughter of Jediah Shaw, and six years 
later they became tenants of the homestead farm. Here were 
brought into action those inherited qualities which have dis- 
tinguished their lives until to-day. For thirty years he con- 
tinued this business relation, and by the decease of his father 
he became the owner of the Edmond Brownell homestead prop- 
erty in 1879, which he now rents, though still retaining his res- 
idence. 

Mr. Sisson is a republican in politics, but has uniformly de- 
clined to be a candidate for ofBce, and devoted his attention to 
the increase of his estate by the mixed husbandry which lie has 
found congenial and profitable. His experience as tenant for 
his father, with whom closeness in dealing was a principle, has 
tended to make him considerate as he is of his own tenants' 
rights. John Sisson, his father, made honesty the first virtue, 
and said on his death-bed he had no recollection of having 
wronged any man. Mr. Sisson is one of the most exemplary 
and useful members of the Methodist Episcopal church of 
Little Compton, and has for many years filled the office of class 
leader. He is a member of Seaconnet Lodge, No. 39, I. O. 0. 
F., of Little Compton, and its present chaplain. He has also 
been high priest of the encampment. He was noble grand, by 
virtue of which he became a member of the Grand Lodge of 
Rhode Island. 



"*%:. 






tu^m/. ^.^<yycdd^y! 



w%^1^•!V^^ t. %\\v.%-\vb^ s 




ALBERT SEABURY. 



V*-\OTXVt, t %\tV.^"\W^\ >S. 



HISTORY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 1043 

Albert Skaburt.— Robert Seabuiy, tlie father ol' Albert 
Seabury, was born July 13tli, 1789, married January 3d, 1813, 
Caroline Woodman, whose birth occurred September 27th, 1789. 
Their children were: Oliver Perry, boi'n 1814, deceased; Alex- 
ander, 1815, deceased; Fi'ederick, 1817, deceased; Caroline, 
1819, deceased; AlexanderSd, 1822, deceased; Warren, 1826; Al- 
bert ; Harrier C, 1831, deceased; and an infant daughter. 
Albert Seabury was born July 8th, 1829, in Tiverton, and spent 
his earh"- years as an assistant to his father on his farm. The 
Avinter months were partially devoted to the sessions of the dis- 
trict school where the simple primary studies were taught, but 
work was more especially the order of the day. On his mar- 
riage he received an interest in the income of the farm, largely 
the result of his industry. In 1872 he purchased the farm which 
is the present home of his widow and until his death was en- 
gaged in general farming. 

Mr. Seabur\' was married on the 8th of September, 1852, to 
Emeline F., daughter of John E. Alniy, of Little Compton, born 
February 3d, 1835. Their children are: Charles A., born Jan- 
uary 16th, 1854; Harriet E., October 23d, 1856; Benjamin C, 
May 18th, 1861; John E., November 25th, 1864; William H., 
January 30th, 1867; Flora L., January 9th, 1869; Lester, March 
16th, 1870; Emma F., November 5th, 1874, and Cora B. E., 
September 22d, 1878. Mr. Seabury allowed nothing to divert 
him from his legitimate business, that of farmer. He was in- 
dustrious, persevering and successful, enjoying the reputation 
of being an excellent manager. His death, the result of an as- 
sault, occurred December 2d, 1882. 

George Arnold Gray. — Edward Gray, of Plymouth, mar- 
ried Mary, daughter of John Winslow, a brother of Governor 
Edward Winslow. His second wife was Dorothy Lettice, whose 
son, Edward', was born January 31st, 1666. The line of descent 
from the latler is as follows: Philip', born February 11th, 1702; 
Pardon*, April 20th, 1737; Job', May 14th, 1756; Willard", July 
27th, 1798; George Arnold', May 19th, 1828. 

Colonel Pardon Gray, the great-grandfather of the subject of 
this sketch, was entrusted with the care of the commissary de- 
partment during the revolutionary wai', aiul is referred to in 
the history of Tiverton. Willard Gray, the father of George A., 
died in 1874. He nuirried Judith Wilbour, of Little Compton, 
and had two children, a son George A., and a daughter, Abby 
66 



k 



1044 IIISTOKY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

Catherine, wife of Alexander Wilbour, of the same township. 

George A. Gray was born on the farm in Little Compton, 
which is his jn-esent residence, and to which some historic in- 
terest attaches as the home of the first white woman born in 
New England. On this estate Mr. Gray has sjjent his life, liaving 
teen bred a farmer. The public school afforded the only op- 
portunity for an elementary training, after which his father 
claimed his time and services. At the age of thirty he took upon 
himself the management of the property, and subsequently, to- 
gether with his sister, inherited the estate. The interest of the 
latter he x>urchased, and thus became sole owner. He has since 
been engaged in general farming, and at times giving special at- 
tention to grape culture and the raising of poultry. Mr. Gray's 
private business and personal tastes have precluded an active 
political life. A staunch republican, he is interested in the 
questions of the day, but content that othei's shall enjoy the 
honors of office, which for him possess no charms. As a citizen 
he is public spirited and liberal in his' views, as a business man 
«nteri3rising and sound in judgment. 

Mr. Gray, on the 26th of December, 1859, married Elizabeth 
H. Rowland" (Charles H'., William', Thomas", Thomas', James*, 
Nathaniel', Zoeth", Henry'), of Little Compton. Their only 
child is a daughter, Lizzie Amelia. 

Edward Wing Rowland. — The progenitor of the Howland 
family, resident in Little Compton, was Henry Rowland', or 
Howlan, as then spelled, who, in the year 1659, was disfran- 
chised by the court of Plymouth for entertaining Quakers. His 
son, Zoeth^ was married to Abagail — - — in 1656, and the fol- 
lowing year took the oath of " Fidelitie." The same year he 
was fined for having a Quaker meeting at his house, and the 
year after was sentenced to "Sitt in the Stocks for the space 
of an houre" for speaking opprobriously of the Puritan clergy. 
He was killed by the Indians at Pocasset in 1676. In the direct 
line of descent is Nathaniel', chosen Friends' minister of the 
town of Dartmouth in 1723, James', Thomas', Thomas", Wil- 
liam' and John B". 

The last named and the father of the subject of this sketch 
was born in 1804, and died in his sixty-eighth year. He mar- 
ried Lydia Wing Hix, of Tiverton, and had thi'eesons, of wliom 
Edward Wing' is the only snrvivor. He was born May 26th, 
1833, in Little Compton, on one of the several farms owned by 



/ 





6H.d^ c^y? ^^^ 




^-t^U^Oi^^ A^(^^7r^-^^ 



HISTORY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 1045 

liim. After a mastery of the rudiments of English at the piib- 
lin schools, he became associated witli his father in the manage- 
ment of the farm, their specialty being market gardeninf^-. Tiiis 
he has since continued, and at the deatli of his father became 
sole owner of the j)roperty. 

Mr. Howhmd has, in all his business ventures, been eminently 
successful, the result of a conservative method which leads him 
to weigh carefully a subject, and defer to his judgment rather 
than be guided by impulse. He is public-spirited and enter- 
prising, and ready with counsel and material aid to advance 
all worthy and philantliropic schemes, and all deserving recip- 
ients of his kindness. Mr. Rowland is a democrat in his polit- 
ical faith, but has neither sought nor desired office. He is the 
projector of the proposed Seconnet railroad, and the leading 
spirit in a project wiiich has the .support and co-operation of 
many leading citizens. The characteristics of head and heart 
peculiar to the early Rowlands have been transmitted, and the 
incidents already alluded to in repelling encroachments, by hiw, 
upon what they deem to be mat^ters of personal import, find their 
counterpart in the experiences of the subject of this sketch. 

Mr. Howland was, July 17th, 1879, married to Lydia, daugh- 
ter of Isaac T. Hathaway, and widow of Ellery Remington. Mr. 
Howland adheres to the religious faith of his ancestors, and reg- 
ularly attends the Friends meeting. The natural aversion of 
the Friends to anything akin to display is fully developed in 
Mr. Howland, yet, yielding to the public interest in him as a 
representative man, he has allowed the publidiers to insert the 
accompanying engraving in the history of his native township. 

Philip W. Almy.- -William Almy, the progenitor of the 
Almy family in America, emigrated from England. His son, 
Job, born in 1640, died in 1684. A second Job, son of the 
former, was the. father of John, the great-grandlather of I'liilip 
W. His son, Sanford, born August 28th, 1759, was married 
March 15th, 1763, to Lydia Gray. Their children were four- 
teen in number, of whom Sanford, the fatlier of Pliiiip \V., was 
born September 20th, 1788, in Little Compton, and married 
Lydia B., daughter of John Brown. She was born March 15th, 
1797. Their children are: Andrew J., deceased; Mary B., de- 
ceased, married to Theodore Lawton, and Philip W. 

Tiie last named and only surviving son was born April 17th, 
1823, in Little Compton, the home of many representatives of 



1 



1046 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

the family who are among its foremost citizens. His early ex- 
periences were not unlike those of most of the youth of the 
day, the farm engrossing his attention during the summer 
months, while the rudimentary branches were mastered in 
winter at the neighboring school. His father claimed his ser- 
vices for a period, after which the farm was managed in his own 
interest. The death of Sanford Alniy occurred on the 6th of 
Febi'uary, 1881, in his ninety-third year, after which his son, as 
the only surviving child, inherited the estate. He was married 
on the 1st of January, 1868, to Mary C, daughter of Pardon 
Almy. Their children are a daughter, Mary Lois, and a son, 
Philip W., Jr. Mr. Almy has given his allegiance to the demo- 
cratic party, but has not permitted the fascinations of political 
life to divert him from his legitimate pursuits. He has avoided 
office, for which he has no inclination, the only exception being 
his service as a member of the town council. He worships with 
and aids in the support of the Congregational church at Little 
Compton. 

PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS. 

The following paragraphs, numbered 100 to 172, and tlie per- 
sonal paragraphs of Tiverton, are referred to by corresponding 
numbers in parentheses. Where reference from one of the pai'- 
agraphs to another would elucidate the text or avoid repetition, 
the same method of reference has been employed. In giving 
the lines of the descent the usual plan of genealogical outline 
has been followed. Thus: 173. — William Youngs', born 1816; 
John*, died 1820; Caleb\ born 1750; NathanieF, born 1622; 
James', 1600-42, indicates that the William Youngs mentioned 
is rhe son of John, the grandson of Caleb, great-grandson of 
Nathaniel, and great-great-grandson of James Youngs; that 
William was born in 1816, that John died in 1820, that Caleb 
was born in 1750 and Nathaniel in 1622, and that James of the 
first generation known was born in 1600 and died in 1642. 

100. — Alderman, the Indian who killed King Phili]) (75), is 
represented by Hubbard as being a Seconnet Indian. The dis- 
similarity of spelling makes it unsafe to say that there is any 
record of his having lived here. 

101. — Allen. — This family name is borne by onlj^ two res- 
idents of Little Compton, Joseph D. and Mary Allen, children 
of William P. and grandchildren of William Allen, who came 





■/^ •// J I 



A1'\^^ 



Vi.\'!i.-\\^\^ K- W'i.VhW.'V^ *. ■* 



HISTOUY OK NKWVOirr COUNTY. 1047 

from Rhode Island. They have two brothers in New Bedford: 
Daniel B., a merchant tailor, and Jesse, in the harness btisi- 
ness. Their mother was Mary, a sister of Stanton Beebe (107). 

102. — Henry N. Almy, who was born in 1837 and died in 1887, 
was a son of John Edwin and grandson of Sanford Almy (103). 
i\Irs. Almy is Clara L., daughter of James Douglass. She has 
one son, James Henry Almy. 

103. Oliver H. Almy, boin in 183.'), is a son of Oliver 11. and 

a grandson of the Sanford Almy mentioned as the grandfather 
of Philip W. Almy. Mrs. Oliver H. Almy, Elizabeth, is a daugh- 
ter of Capt. Frederick Howland. They have one child, Fred- 
erick W. C. Almy. Mr. Almy is chairman of the school com- 
mittee, and for four years has held the same position in the 
board of assessors. He is serving his second year as council- 
man. 

104.— William S. Almy", born in 1853 (John S.', 1815; Freder- 
ick*, Sandford', John', Job'), has been collector and treasurer of 
Little Compton since 1883. For the past two years he has con- 
ducted the store at the Commons for Mrs. Richmond. Mrs. 
Almy is Ida F. Brownell (113). 

105.— Awashonks, the Indian sachem, is first mentioned in 
1661 as queen of the Seconnets. She had three children: Peter, 
Betty and William. The latter had some English education, 
and was designing to enter college, but paralysis prevented it. 

106.— James Irving Bailey', 1833 (James\ John^ Ephraim'), 
owns the Bailey farm at Seconnet. His wife is Betsey S. Palmer. 
His mother was Abagail Coe°, Ezra', 1789-1851; Benjamin', 
John', 1699, John^ 1659; Mathew', who, in 1645, came to 
New England from Suffolk, England, where the name is still 
preserved. Mr. Bailey is one of the leading farmers of the 

town. 

107.— Stanton Beebe (1797-1883), son of Daniel Beebe, was 
born in Little Compton. His business, that of a jeweler and 
watch case manufacturer, was carried on in Newport and Prov- 
idence. His daughter, Harriet G., is Mrs. Dr. Alfred W. Clark, 
and lives in the old Beebe house built by Judge Little about 
1787. Doctor Clark, several years in commercial business in 
New York, came here about thirteen years ago. Tlieir child- 
ren are: Ellen N. W. (Mrs. Hunt, of Boston), Edward S., Cliarles 
B., Harriet O. (Mrs. Amos Peckham, of Jamestown), and Eliza- 
beth A. 



1048 IIISTOKY OF NEWPOIJT COUNTY. 

108. — George P. Bixby, born in 1852, is a son of Horace W. 
Bixby, who came to Little Compton from Vermont in 1858. 
Mis mercantile business at the Commons was established in 
1875. He ran a store wagon for two or three years prior to that 
time. His wife is Ella F. Washbuin. Their children are Bertha 
W. and John Horace Bixby. 

109. — Benajah Alexander Borden, son of Benajali and grand- 
son of John Borden, was born in 1819. His tiist wife, Elizabeth 
Russell, left one daughter, Sarah B. (deceased); she was the 
wife of O. C. Manchester. Mr. Borden's second wife, Hannah 
B., is a daughter of John S. Palmer. He is road surveyor and 
school trustee. His father was a long time deacon of the Con- 
gregational church at "Four Corners" in Tiverton. 

110.— Thomas Briggs", born 1822, Jeremiah^ 1778-1856, Ma- 
jor Thomas', 1757-1822, Jeremiah', 1721-1764, Job', John". 
John' in 1638 was a freeman of Newport, and in 1640-55 was an 
officer in Portsmouth. Mr. Briggs' first wife was Miss Harlow, 
who died in 1886, leaving one son, William H. Briggs'. The 
present Mrs. Briggs is a daughter of Amasa Gray (128). Mr. 
Briggs was interested for ten or twelve years in the butchering 
business. 

111. — Thomas Brightman, born at Fall River in 1824, has 
been a resident of Little Compton since 1880. He was engaged 
in the oil works and in the Fall' River granite quarry prior to 
1880. His wife, Emily D., is a daughter of Oliver INfanchester 
(66). Their son Everett, and their son-in-law, George F. Lin- 
coln, comprise the wholesale poultry firm of Brightman & Lin- 
coln. 

112. — Frederick Brownell, born in 1810, is a son of Amasa 
and grandson of James Brownell, who was a brother of Major 
Thomas Brownell of militia fame. Major Brownell died in 
1808, iiged 89. Mrs. Frederick Brownell is a daughter of Israel 
Palmer and a granddaughter of John Palmer. They have had 
four children. Three are living: Esther, William, and Sophia, 
now Mrs. Joseph D. Allen, of Fall River. Mr. Brownell' s 
mother was Esther, a daughter of Jonathan Wilbour. 

113. — Galen T. Brownell is a son of James and a grandson of 
Joseph Brownell. His mother was Lydia, a daughter of Joseph 
Church, (121). His wife, Harriet R., was a daughter of Ben- 
nette Wilbour. She died in 1884, leaving two children, Ida F., 
Mrs. William S. Almy, and William B. Mr. Bnjwnell's busi- 



HISTORY OF NKWPOKT COUNTY. 1049 

ness for the last thirty-five years has been house painting and 
graining. He has been steward in the Methodist Episcopal 
church here for eight years. 

114 —John C. G. Brown was born in North Kingstown, R. I., 
in 1828. He came to Little Compton in 1842, and twenty-nine 
years ago began a butchering business here with Thomas Briggs, 
who operated with him about three years. Ilis wholesale trade 
in New Bedford and Fall River had increased by ISTo so that 
he transferred the local trade to Robert G. Brownell. He 
now kills calves, lambs and sheep exclusively for wholesale 
trade for Fall River and New Bedford. His wife is Maria M., 
daughter of Henry S. Brownell (116). Their children are: 
Edward A. Brown, of Newport; Hattie J., Fannie, Charles 
and Arthur G. 

115.— Oliver C. Brownell was born in 1817, and is descended 
from Clark', 1793-1870 ; William', 1749-1810 ; Stephen*, 1726 ; 
George', 1685-17.56 ; Thomas', 1650-1732 ; Thomas', 1619-1665. 
Mrs. Brownell is Ann B., daughter of Pardon Brownell. They 
have three children: Pardon, Prank N., Anna (Mrs. Albert 
Davis). Mr. Brownell was in the cattle business some twenty 
years with Judge Osborn, and has had a long career as legis- 
lator from Little Compton. 

116.— Robert G. Brownell, son of Henry S. and grandson of 
Henry, was born in 1852. His wife, Mary E., is a daughter of 
David D. Palmer. He was with Brown & Brownell (114) seven 
years in the meat business, and during the last eleven years has 
been in the same business for himself. 

117._Henry M. Bundy was born in North Woodstock, Conn., 
in 1842. In early manhood he engaged in a horse shoe manu- 
factory in Valley Falls. In 1878 he bought the old Tillinghast 
Bailev farm, to which he retired, on account of his health. He 
bought the place of Henry T. Sisson. The old Bailey house was 
still standing ; this he took down, and in 1882-83 built his pres- 
ent residence. The location is one of the finest on Seconnet 
point. The house is heated throughout by steam, and furnished 
with hot and cold water. Mr. Bundy only intended tliis as a 
private residence, but the beauty of the place, the completeness 
of its appointments and its close proximity to the beach, soon 
made it sought out by people seeking for summer re.sorts. As 
a result, it has been filled with summer boarders each season. 
As surveyor of highways, he opened the road leading past his 



1*^^*^ HISTORY OF NEWPOHT COCTNTT. 

house, Which greatly adds to its attractiveness. The accompa- 
si;;relttr " '' ''^^ '''''-'' ^^-^^ ----^^-^^^^ ^^^ows Jhe 
118 George Shepard Burleigh, the poet, was horn in Plain- 
field Conn., March 26th, 1821, and for thirty-six years has re- 
sided here. He published his first volume, "The Maniac and 
Other Poems," in 1849. This was followed in 1856 by " Sional 
Fu-es on the Trail of 'The Pathlinder.' " His next work was a 
metrical translation of the great French poem, " Victor Huo-o's 

bXV 'ti" ''r^''"'""''-" '^^' ^''' '''''' ^^'-^^ P"»^«l P^-'-^tely 
in 1867. The lines on the Pabodie monument here are his Mr 

f " i? ^T -ysociated with his brother, William H., as editor 
of The Charter OaTc^^ in 1846-47, the earliest Liberty party 
paper in Connecticut. Mrs. Burleigh (Ruth Burgess) was born 
here. Sydney R. Burleigh, the water color artist, of Provi- 
dence, is their son. 

llO.-Pliilip T. Chase, born in 1833, is a son of Thomas W 
Chase. His wife, Meribah T., is a daughter of Wanton Man' 
Chester. They have two children : George P. and Leonora W 
Mr. Chase was formerly assessor for a term of three or four 
years, and is now serving his third year of another term Mr 
Chase's mother was Ruth, daughter of Thurston Davol (123) 

120.— William H. Chase,^ born in 1818, is a son of Thomas W 
(lia). His first wife, Sarah A., was a daughter of Thurston 
Davol. The second wife, Cynthia, was her sister. Mr Chase 
IS a farmer. He rented a large farm forty- one years ago, and 
has bought shares of it at different times until he owns it all. 
On this farm is the rock known since 1673 as "Treaty Rock " 
and on the same farm is the oldest dated grave in Little Com'p- 
ton— older than any in the cemetery at the Commons. 

121.— All the people named Church in the history of Little 
Compton are believed to be the descendants of Richard Church 
whose will in the Plymouth records is dated December 25th,' 
1667. His wife was a daughter of Richard Warren, who came 
in the " Mayflower." Joseph, Benjamin, Nathaniel, Caleb and 
Abigail were five of their children. TJie second of the.se was the 
illustrious Colonel Benjamin Church of the King Philip War 
William S. Church' (John', 1794-1882; Joseph', 1764-1840; Eben- 
ezer', 1725-1825; Caleb', 1701-1769; Joseph^, 1663-1715; Joseph^ 
1638-1711; Richard-, 1608-1668), was born at Providence, R. L.' 
in 1823. He was several years in the town council heie, and 




>■ 

Q 
Z 
D 

a 





u 
o 
z 
w 

Q 
m 



c 



a. 
£ 



O 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. IH")! 

rejiresented Little Compton in the general assembly two years. 
His wife was Hannah S., daughter of Thomas and grand- 
daughter of Joseph Wilbor. They have one son, Edmnnd V. 
Church'. William S. was in California in 1849-54. His present 
business is farming and market gardening. 

122. — Thaddeus H. Church of Adamsville, is a son of Joseph 
Church, who wasadirect descendant from Joseph Church' (121). 
His mother was Ruth, daughter of Sylvester Brownell and 
Mercy Church, she being a direct descendant from Benjamin 
Church" and Richard'. Mr. Church was largely interested in 
the cotton business in Mobile, Ala., prior to 1861. He now lives 
retired, summering at the residence erected by Samuel Church, 
the old merchant, and passing his winters in Providence. 

123. — William T. Davol is one of the nine children of A.sa 
Davol's oldest brother, Thurston. He was born in 1822. He was 
married to Phoeba M. Woodman, who died leaving two chil- 
dren, Phoeba S. and William H., who is now a merchant. He 
afterward married Anna, sister of Robert Tripp (92). They have 
two children: Mary A. and Asa T. Mr. Davol, in early life, 
worked by the month at farming, beginning when only eleven 
years of age. From lifteen to twenty-nine he went whaling and 
coasting. He is now a traveling merchant. 

124. — James Douglass was born in Bristol county, R. I., in 
1839. His wife, Sarah A., is a daughter of Gorton L. Austin 
(1809-1878), who lived and died in Portsmouth, and a grand- 
daughter of Job Austin. Mr. and Mrs. Douglass lived in Fall 
River formerly. They came here about seventeen years ago. 
Their children are: Clara L. (102), Henry G., George L. and 
Herbert. 

125.— Horace G. Dyer was born in Tiverton in 1837. He mar- 
ried Rebecca G., daughter of Henry S. Brownell (116). They 
have one daughter, Annie. Mr. Dyer's business is farming and 
poultry raising. 

126.— Barney GilTord*, born in 1826 (Robbin', Isaac', Enos',) 
married Rebecca C. Tripp. They have four children: Ella V. 
(Mrs. Caleb Macomber), Emma C. (Mrs. Joseph V. Peck ham), 
Frederick B. and Lena G. 

127.— Gideon Gifford, born in 1813, farmer, is a son of Noah 
and a grandson of Canaan GilTord. His wife is Mary Austin. 
They liave five children: Sarah, now Mrs. George Wadsworth, 
Lydia, James A., Elizabeth A., who has taught some twenty 



1052 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

years in public schools, and Noah. Mr. Gifford and his family 
were educated at the Friends' school at Providence. He worked 
at carriage building southwest of Adamsville for several years, 
where he owned a mill and water power. 

128. — Amasa Gray, born December 13fh, 1801, is a son of 
John Gray, whose father was Samuel Gray. Mr. Amasa Gray's 
mother, Elizabeth Church, was a daughter of Ebenezer (121). 
By Mr. Gray's first marriage with Mary Irish he had one son, 
Benjamin I. By a second marriage with Phoebe A. Irish, he 
has four ciiildren: Patience, Lydia, Amasa Jr., and Samuel B. 

129.— Philip J. Gray, born in 1837, is a son of Philip^ (38). 
Mr. Graj' is a merchant at Adamsville, where he has been in 
business since 1879. He was engaged in the oil business at 
Pierce's wharf, in Tiverton, with Mr. Cook (18), and subse- 
quently was in the St. George Oil and Guano Company. Later 
he bought the Abraham Manchester farm in Tivertou. His wife 
is Permelia W., daughter of William L. Simmons (85). Mr. 
Gray is now serving as assessor, 

130. — Reverend William D. Hart, born in 1843 in Cayuga, 
was educated at Oberlin, where he was graduated in 1870. He 
was in Yale College in 1871-2, taking the theological course. In 
1873 he graduated from Andover, taking only the senior year. 
After preaching two years at Litchfield, IS". H., he was settled 
here October 1st, 1875, over the Congregational church. Mr. 
Hart is now serving his fifth year as superintendent of public 
schools, and his second year as moderator of the town meetings. 

131.— George T. Howard was born in Easton, Mass., August 
27th, 1858, came here in 1876, and in 1883 was married to Juliana 
Peckham (142). Their children are Louisa H. and Alice May. 
Mr. Howland was in the purse fishing business seven years, and 
is now engaged in farming. His home is the house where Rev. 
Ray Palmer was born. 

132. -Isaac Wilbour Howland' (Charles W.^ William', Thom. 
as°, Thomas', James", NathanieP, Zoeth', Henry'), (55), was born 
in 1839. He married Mary E., daughter of Christopher Borden. 
They have one son, William ^Y., who is now a clerk at the 
Shove mills, in which Mr. Howland is a director and the largest 
owner. Isaac W., for the past fifteen years, has been interested 
in real estate business in Fall River. 

133. — Stejihen R. Howland was born in Little Com[)ton in 
1816. His father, W^illiam Howland, was a son of Thomag 



II 



IIISTOUY OF NEWPOUT COUNTY. lOr)^ 

Howland, wlio came here from Bartmonth (132). Stephen U. 
married Lucy P. Washburn. Tlieir children are: Albert P., 
Asa R. and William I. Howland. He lived in Massachnsetts 
about forty years, but has been engaged in farming here since 
1881. 

134. — Dennis R. Hunt, born in 1810, farmer, is a son of Na- 
thaniel and Amy Coggeshall Hunt, and a grandson of Adam 
and Ruth Hunt. His wife is Angeline Manchester, of West- 
port. Their living children are: Mary (Mrs. William G. Pierce, 
of New Bedford), William, Allen and Charles. A deceased 
daughter, Ann Frances, was the wife of Mr. Whitrell. Their 
daughter, Julia E. Whitrell, has her home with the grandpar- 
ents. Adam Hunt's name is preserved in the name of the vil- 
lage of Adamsville. 

135. — Cornelius King, born in 1823, a son of Cornelius and 
grandson of Godfrey King, married Cynthia, sister of William 
B. Simmons (87). Their children are : Mary E. and Deborah J., 
wife of Squire M. Chase. Mr. King was gardener for Thomas 
Whitridge thirty-two years, and was five years on two whaling 
voyages. He recently purchased a handsome property and lo- 
cated at Adamsville. His father was gardener at the Whit 
ridge place for more than sixty years. 

136.— Wilbour P. Manchester*, one of the eight children of 
Charles Manchester' (Edward', Archibald'), was born in West- 
port in 1822. In 1848 he married Drusilla Gifford, daughter of 
Robbin' (126). Mr. Manchester died in 1884, leaving his widow 
and one child, Lucretia A., now Mrs. E. A. Cornell. 

137.— The family name spelled Pierce, Peirce and Pearce, is 
one of those in which a various orthography has been intro- 
duced by carelessness or caprice, much as in the case of the 

name of Wilbour. James Pearce*, 1802 ; Godfrey', Right*, 

James", James', George' (138). Godfrey' was town clerk and 
justice. He has one son in Illinois, whose name is George S.* 
George' settled on a large tract north of "Pearce Hill," and at 
his death left his estate to James' and George'. 

138.— Jonathan D. Pierce', 1801-1866; Isaac', 1759 1825. the 
carpenter; Jeptha', 1822-1770, the town clerk; George', 1697- 
1764; George', 1662-1752 (137). Mr. Pierce* was a blacksmith 
by trade and a farmer by practice. He raised nine children. 
Miranda, who was twenty-five years a public school teacher 
here; Hannah M., Horatio, Albert H., Jonathan E. and Susan 



1054 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

E., of Texas; Mrs. Borden (8) and Julia A., are the eight now 
living of the sixth generation. 

139. — Joseph B. Pearce, farmer, was l)orn in 1844, son of 
Joseph and grandson of Joseph Pearce, and married Cynthia 
E.., sister of Ichabod Wilbour (167). Mr. Pearce is the ruling 
elder in the Little Compton branch of the Reorganized church. 

140. — Rouse Peirce, born in 1820, is a son of Benjamin and 
Sarah Peirce. His mother, Sarah, was a daughter of Right 
Pearce' (137). Rouse's jjresent wife was Deborah Bower of 
Nova Scotia. His daughter was Estella M (167). Mr. Peirce is 
somewhat interested in the poultry business and has a valuable 
farm property, quite in contrast with his condition when a boy 
working for a " darkey " for six cents a day. 

141. — Albert Peckham, son of Gideon Barker Peckham, who 
was a brother of Honorable Nathaniel Peckham of Middle- 
town, is the largest gardener here, having one hundred and ten 
acres devoted to market gardening, the pi'oducts of which are 
marketed principally in Providence. His farm is the oldGrin- 
nell place. Mr. Peckham has two daughters and four sons. 

142.— Oliver P. Peckham', born in 1828 (Wilber", Peleg\ Jona- 
than', Jonathan', John\ John') married Julia A. Manchester. 
They have a-son, Edgar S., and two daughters, Sarah and Juli- 
ana (131). Mr. Peckham has been councilman, deputy sheriff, 
representative and state senator. 

143. — Benjamin S. Pierce' (VaP, Joseph", Nathaniel') was born 
in 1827, married Pheba Ann Brayton, and has three children: 
Annie B.\ Philander R.° and Herbert W.' Mr. Pierce's busi- 
ness for over forty years has been house carpentering and con- 
tracting. The residences of Warren Kempton, Henry I. Rich- 
mond, Prudence Wilbor, Isaac W. Howland and the M. E. 
church at the Commons were built by him. 

144. — John Barney Potter, born in 1827, is a son of George 
M. Potter, who, about 1835, came to Potter's Corners from 
Westport, where he was born in 1795. He was a member of 
the town council here fifteen years. John B. married Sarah, 
daughter of Joseph Wilcox, of Tiverton. They have one son, 
Clifton F. 

145. — Richard C. Reynolds was born in Massachusetts in 
1822. He was married in 1852 to Susan, daughter of George 
Wilbour' (162). Mr. Reynolds made three whaling voyages in 
his early life. He has worked at his trade, that of a stone ma- 
son, for many years, and has thus acquired his properly. 



HISTOUY OK NEWPORT COUNTY. 1055 

146.— Henry T. Richmond, son of Isaac B. Ricliniond, was 
born in 1824, and was married in 1859 to Frances E. Palmer, of 
Boston. Tiiey have one son, Henry I., Jr., born in 1865. Mr. 
Richmond was in California in 1849-53, in mercantile business. 
After 1859 he was in Boston, engaged in a milling business, for 
six or eight years. ■ 

147. — Preston B. Richmond was born in 1832, and died in 
1888. He was a son of Isaac B. Richmond. He was in the 
Seventh Rhode Island infantry during the civil war, serving 
four years as regimental i)ostmaster. He was one of those who 
returned to the field to rescue the body of Colonel Sayles. He 
was in business at the Commons until his death. His widow, 
surviving, is Maria M. Durfee (28). Their sons are: Gideon H. 
and Charles D. 

148.— Albert T. Seabury', son of Benjamin Seabury' (149). was 
born in 1843. His wife, Susan A., is a daughter of Henry Bur- 
lingame. Mr. Seabury has represented this town one year in 
the state senate and two years in the house. His trade is that 
of a wheelwright. Farming and summer boarding are now 
parts of his business. A remarkable coincidence of numbers is 
noticed on the records of this family. Mr. Seabury' s father 
and mother were each one of thirteen children, and Mrs. Sea- 
bury' s father and mother were also each one of thirteen. 

149.— Captain Benjamin Seabury', born in 1803, is descended 
from Benjamin', Gideon' and Constant'. When twelve years 
of age, Mr. Seabury began working for two dollars a month, 
and at twenty-three he was master of a vessel. He left the sea 
at thirty-five, and two years later came to Little Compton. He 
then built a store here, which he carried on for nearly forty 
years. Mr. Seabury has been in the town council seventeen 
years, was senator one year and representative three years. 
His wife, Elizabetii, was a daughter of Gideon Tompkins. 
Their children are: Ciiarles H. Seabury, of Providence; Edwin 
T., Albert T., Lucia N. and Benjamin Seabury, of Providence. 

150.— Captain George M. Seabury, born in 1837, is a son of 
John Seabury, whose father was Benjamin Seabury. His life 
as a sailor began in 1852, on the bark "Sacramento," of West- 
port. From that time until 1884 he followed the sea. He was 
in the vessel "Elizabeth Swift," of New Bedford; the merchant 
ship "Comet," and was captain nine voyages in the bark 
"President" and the "Morning Star." 



1056 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

151. — Alexander C. Simmons', born in 1817 (Abel', Ichabod', 
Thomas', Peleg", Moses"), married Clarinda B., daughter of 
Peter T. Burgess. Their rhihlren are: Edward W., cashier 
and bookkeeper, Jamaica Plains, Boston; Captain Charles L., 
Mary J. (Mrs. Frank N. Brownell) and Clara P. Miss Clara is 
the organist for the Congregational clmrch of Little Compton. 
Air. Simmons, familiarly known as Deacon Simmons, has for 
years been an officer in the Congregational church, and one of 
the town's honoi'ed citizens. Moses' was from England. 

152.— George A. Seabury is a son of Andrew G. Seabnry, 
whose father, Isaac, was born where Ichabod Seabury lives on 
the Tiverton and Little Compton line. 

153. — Frank W. Simmons, born in 1839, died in 1884, was a son 
of Valentine, whose father was Benoni Simmons. His widow, 
Harriet M., who sui-vives him, is a daughter of George M. 
Taylor (157). Mr. Simmons left three children: Josephine, 
Minnie and Valentine. Mr. Simmons was an apothecary in 
Boston several years, but the last years of his life he was a 
farmer- here. He was a member of the town council, was active 
in church works in both the Congregational and Methodist 
churches, being sujoerintendent in the Methodist Episcopal 
Sunday-school ten years, also chorister at different times in 
both churches. 

154. — Henry Brightman Simmons, born in 1800, son of Ste- 
phen, and grandson of John, was married in 1822 to Sarah, 
daughter of Gideon Seabury. Their children are: Eliza (Mrs. 
Henry Brown of Little Compton), Henry B., of Fall River; 
Betsey (Mrs. William Mason of Fall River), and Lotta (Mrs. 
Henry Weeks). The present Mrs. Simmons is Pheba M. Dow, 
Nantucket. Mr. Simmons went whaling one voyage. He once 
owned a passenger and freight sloop which he ran between 
Westport harbor and Providence. 

155. — Orrin W. Simmons, born in 1815, is a son of Abel (151). 
His first wife, Priscilla, was a daugliter of Christopher Brown- 
ell. Her children were: James P., Maria W. and Harland P., 
who was lost at sea when twenty-one years of age. Oliver E., 
now bookkeeper for the American Steam Gnage Company, and 
Abel of Little Compton. Mr. Simmons' present wife is Mary 
B., a daughter of John Taylor. He has been two years in the 
general assembly, and held several town offices. A blacksmith 
by trade, his present business is farming. 



HISTORY OF NEWPOUT COUNTY. 1057 

156.— William Taylor Simmons', born in 182r) (Benjamin', 
William", Samuel*, Benjamin', Peleg", Moses' (84), married Dea- 
con John Dyer's daugliter. They have six children: Mattie 
(Mrs. Frank Manchester), William T., Jr., Eva J. (Mrs. William 
C. Wilbour), Benjamin II., Frank E. and Abbie H. Mr. Sim- 
mons went whaling at thirteen years of age, and continued for 
ten years. He carried on the Simmons mill twenty-five years, 
and is now a farmer where seven generations of Simmonses liave 
lived. 

157.— George F. Taylor', born in 1845, is descended from 
George M'., 1817-1882; Simeon', 1774-1835; Gideon', 1729-1790; 
Robert', 1695-1770; John^ 1658-1747; and R(jbert', of Newport, 
vi^ho married Mary Hodges in 1646 and was admitted freeman 
of Newport in 1655. George F.' married Sarah A., daughter of 
George Brownell and granddaughter of Christoi>her Brownell. 
They have two children, Hattie A. and Mabel B. For six or 
seven years prior to 1872, Mr. Taylor was 'engaged in whaling. 
He has since operated as a house carpenter and contractor. 

158.— John B, Taylor, born in 1863, son of George M. (157), 
was elected representative in the general assembly in 1887 as an 
independent candidate. He was educated in the public schools 
of Little Compton and at Holmes' Commercial College at Fall 
River. He kept books for one year for the Lonsdale Manufac- 
turing Company, at Lonsdale, R. I. Ilattie M. (153), Mrs. 
Warren Kempton, Mrs. George Hubbard, Andrew S. Taylor 
^nd Albert J. Taylor are also of the seventh generation from 
Robert Taylor. 

159. — Mamanuitt — name variously written as Warmanewit, 
Mamanuett and Mamanuah — was a sachem of the Seconnets. 
He died September 18th, 1696. 

160.— Thomas E. White, born in 1837, is a son of David and 
a grandson of Thomas White. His wife is Maria W. Simmons 
(155). Their children are: Hattie M., Mary P., Thomas and 
Gracie. The old White homestead is where Charles E. Staples 
lives. 

161.— William White, born in 1846, is a son of Doctor George 
F. S. White, who practiced medicine at Adamsville about thirty 
years, during which time in 1860 he originated the formula for 
the remedy once widely known as " Dr. White's Specialty for 
Diphtheria. "From 1867 to 1877 William was in a drug store in 
Brooklvn. He then returned to Adamsville. Since 1872 he has 



1058 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. 

given bis attention to the manufacture and sale of tlie diplitlieria 
specialty which Doctor White used with great success in his 
practice during the last years of his life, 

162. — A large and influential family of the town are descended 
from William Wildebore (1630), who was born in England, and 
Samuel, his uncle, who was with the original settlers of Aquid- 
neck in 1638. The name is said to have an older form, Wilde- 
boare. The various orthography used by different families in 
this town, which we have followed in these personal notes, has 
no significance as showing lines of descent. Willbour-bore-boor- 
bur; Wilbour-bur-ber-bor-bar, are some of the modern varin- 
tions which may be seen in the records and on the monuments 
here. 

Abraham Wilber" (George', 1768-1837; John\ born 1738; Isaac=, 
born 1712; SamueF, born 1761; William", of England, born 1630) 
was born in Westport, Mass., in 1803. When seventeen years 
of age he came here and learned the trade of blacksmith. He 
bought his time of his father, and bought the shoj^ near his 
present residence. His wife, Eliza, was a daughter of Thurston 
Brown. Their eight children, all of whom are living, are: Nancy 
R., William B., Mary E., Emily J., Harriet P., Catherine M., 
George T. and Lydia R. The oldest son, William B. Wilber', 
married Hannah B. Wilbor. Their children are: Ella Louisa, 
George Walter and Florence Brown Wilber. William B' was 
formerly a merchant tailor in Boston. He retired in 1878. 

163.— Albert G. Wilbor' (Thomas', Joseph', 1758; Walter*, 
1722; Joseph', 1689; Joseph^ 1656; William', 1630) was born 
here. He is a pharmacist of Boston, where he has resided for 
the last fifty years. 

164.— Benjamin F. Wilbur', born in 1840 (Benjamin F.°, 1802- 
1877; Danier, Daniel', William', SamueP, William'), married 
Clara Browne, of South Kingstown, R. I. They have one son. 
Mr. Wilbur has been several years in the town council and three 
years in the state legislature. His house was built about 1724 
by Thomas Church, son of Col. Benjamin Church. William' 
was a resident of Portsmouth, where he died in 1710. The orig- 
inal Benjamin Church house of 1674 is believed to have been on 
this farm. 

165.— Daniel Wilbour", born in 1838, son of Daniel' (104), 
married Phoebe Grinnell, who died in 1880, leaving one daugh- 
ter, Eleanor M. The present Mrs. Wilbour is Hannah B., 



HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY. lOHQ 

daughter of Jetliro and Mary Sowle, oC Vinelaiid, N.J. Mr. 
Wilbour has been in the town council the last three years, prior 
to which he was six years in tiie board of assessors. His farm 
has been owned by six generations of Williours. 

166.— Henry Page Wilbur, son of Benjamin F." (164), was 
born in 1830. His wife was a daughter of Thomas Wilbour. 
They have four children: John C. Fi'emont, Stella A., Henry F. 
(97) and Ellis B. Mr. Wilbur was engaged in purse and trap 
fishing some twenty-five years prior to 1875. Since that time he 
has given his attention to agriculture. 

167.— Ichabod Wilbour, horn in 1824, is a son of William B. 
and a grandson of Jonathan Wilbour. His wife was Deborah 
A. Brownell. His son, Charles Wilbour, born in 18o8, married 
Estella M. Pierce (140). She, at her death, left one son, Artliur 
C. Mr. Ichabod Wilbour has also a son, William C, and^a 
daughter, Cornelia M., now Mrs. William S. Wood, of West- 
port. His business is furnishing dressed poultry for Newport 
and Providence markets. 

168. — Isaac C. Wilbour', born in 1830, is descended from 
Philip", Isaacs Charles', William', SamueP, Wiliiam'. One 
Samuel of this family was banished from Massachusetts with 
the families who, in 1638, settled Portsmouth. Isaac' was a 
member of congress in 1807-1809, and lieutenant-governor the 
following year. The prestige of the family name depends as 
much upon his public and private life as upon any single in- 
fluence. 

169.— John Gray Wilbour, born in 1819, is the only son of 
Wright, the only son of Browning, the only son of Isaac Wil- 
bour, who was an only son. These five only sons have each in 
turn owned and occupied the farm now owned by John G. Wil- 
bour, who married Susan, a sister of John L. Crosby. They 
have had five childi-en: Mary E. (Mrs. Noah M. Castino), Oliver 
C, Hannah (Mrs. George M. Potter, Jr.), John W. (deceased), 
and Frances P. (Mrs. William A. Case). Mr. Wilbour's mother 
was Hannah, sister of Amasa Gray (128). His grandmother, 
Mrs. Browning Wilbour, was Esther, a sister of Isaac Wil. 
bour' (168). 

170.— Sarah S. Wilbour, a daughter of Governor Wili)our 
(168), best known as " .Vniit Sarah,"' is to-day one of the most 
prominent residents of this town. Her knowledge of the tradi- 
tions and historv of the town, and of the genealogies of the 



67 



ii n i^ f. 



1060 HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY, 

people, her remarkable memory, and her ability as a writer, 
form the basis of this prominence. Her husband, Charles Wil- 
bour°, was a great-grandson of William'. 

171. — Borden Wordell, brother of Job Wordell, of Tiverton, 
was born at Fall Kiver in 1822, and came to Little Compton in 
1852, when he bought the Congregational church farm on the 
west road. He was at sea twelve or fourteen years, three years 
of this time at whaling. Mrs. Wordell is a daughter of Doctor 
James E. Peckham. Their children are: John W., Hattie B. 
(Mrs. William A. Baldwin), Lafayette C, and Mamie S. 

172. — Gideon M. Wordell, one of the most successful farmers, 
was born in Dartmouth, Mass., in 1830. His earljHife was spent 
in Westport. He came to Little Compton in 1852, and bought 
the farm where he now resides. His wife, Sarah, is a daughter of 
Gideon and Sally Grinnell. Mrs. Grinnell's mother was a daugh- 
ter of Lewis Hart, whose brother was Abel Hart's father. Mr. 
Wordell' s children are: Harriet (Mrs. Joshua Wordell, of New 
Bedford), Rodney D. (of Fall River, who married Lizzie Lin- 
coln), Gideon F. (married Abbie Grinnell), Gershom (whose 
wife, Emma, is a daughter of George M. Potter), James M. 
(married Sarah Athington), Charles A., Nelson and Edmund E. 
An early school was kept in Mr. Wordell's house, and in an 
older one north of this. 



BD 11 9 



V 






^^ . » • I 












-^o^ 



Oj * o w ' ,0 ^k>- 











"^^^ 







4 C' 








'bV" 





^^d^ 





.^ o. 




^°-^-^. 









:* ■^'' 










,0^ ^/^-^^Z -o,^^-/ \'^-\/ V'--%o' \ 




^*" 






■•:««•• \<l^ :0^'-- \/ :'MM- "V^** •■^^'- *'-/ '■• 

^ /.-'-A, ,/\.^i,\ .^°^;3'> /^"-'^' \ ." 



• ' • « •*^ .0^ . . " • • c 






A' 



